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FYI/TMI: 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards Draws High Ratings And Record Social Media Comments

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GRAMMY telecast scores second-largest audience since 1993, and sets an awards-show record with more than 18.7 million social media comments
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

(In an effort to keep you fully informed, and fully entertained, below we present today's FYI and TMI — news you need and news that's, well, sometimes needless….)

FYI …

GRAMMYs Post Second-Highest Ratings Since 2004
The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast drew 28.37 million viewers, the second-largest audience since 1993 and the second-best delivery in both adults 25–54 and adults 18–49 since 2004, according to preliminary results from Nielsen. This year's telecast helped drive sales for Mumford & Sons' GRAMMY-winning Babel, making it the week's biggest-selling album with sales of 54,000 units for the week ending Feb. 10, a 50 percent sales increase compared to the prior week. Frank Ocean's GRAMMY-winning Channel Orange rose to No. 46 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 12,000, up 140 percent according to Billboard.biz. The 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album rose to No. 11 with a 52 percent increase in sales. Other GRAMMY performers experiencing album sales increases include Alabama Shakes (149 percent) Fun. (87 percent), the Black Keys (72 percent), and Maroon 5 (59 percent). In related GRAMMY news, the 55th GRAMMY telecast set a new social TV record for an awards show with more than 18.7 million social media comments, second only to Super Bowl XLVI and topping the GRAMMYs' social TV record set last year by 44 percent.

LoC Unveils National Recording Preservation Plan
The Library of Congress has announced the National Recording Preservation Plan in response to Congress passing of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. The plan contains 32 short-term and long-term recommendations to enhance preservation of and access to millions of sound recordings that are deteriorating. Among the recommendations developed by the National Recording Preservation Board, which includes musicians, composers, musicologists, librarians, archivists, and members of the music industry, including The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation, is an application of current federal copyright law to sound recordings made prior to Feb. 15, 1972, where the first law was enacted to protect sound recordings.

TMI …

Rumor: Adele Sets Fire To Chris Brown?
After taking home the GRAMMY for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Set Fire To The Rain [Live]" at the 55th GRAMMYs on Feb. 10, Adele is now setting fire to rumors that she shouted at a fellow nominee. According to a report, the singer has denied her involvement in a shouting match with Chris Brown after a photo surfaced showing the two in what looked to be a confrontation. Adele assured via Twitter that "Chris Brown and I were complimenting each other in that photo actually!" Not ready to cool her jets yet, Adele is also set to perform her Oscar-nominated "Skyfall" at the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24 and the singer is a bit nervous to say the least. "I'm s***ting myself," she said after the GRAMMYs. "It's an honor to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again." Let's hope she'll only be rolling in the deep at the Oscars, and not deep s***.

News

Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Kanye West Lead 55th GRAMMY Nominations

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The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West lead diverse field with six GRAMMY nominations each; the Black Keys, Chick Corea and Miguel earn five nominations each
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Nominations for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the fifth year, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live for the first time ever from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West top the nominations with six each; the Black Keys, Chick Corea and Miguel each garner five nods; and producer Jeff Bhasker, mastering engineer Bob Ludwig and Nas are each up for four awards.

"The GRAMMY Awards process once again has produced a diverse and impressive list of nominations across multiple genres," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year's nominees truly represent an exceptional and vibrant creative community that exemplifies some of the highest levels of artistry and excellence in their respective fields. Combined with the fifth year of our primetime nominations special, we're off to an exciting start on the road to Music's Biggest Night, the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, on February 10."

Following are the nominations in the General Field categories:

Record Of The Year:
"Lonely Boy" — The Black Keys
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Kelly Clarkson
"We Are Young" — Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
"Somebody That I Used To Know" — Gotye featuring Kimbra
"Thinkin Bout You" — Frank Ocean
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" — Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year:
El Camino — The Black Keys
Some Nights — Fun.
Babel — Mumford & Sons
Channel Orange — Frank Ocean
Blunderbuss — Jack White

Song Of The Year:
"The A Team" — Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
"Adorn" — Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
"Call Me Maybe" — Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
"We Are Young" — Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

Best New Artist:
Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Following is a sampling of nominations in the GRAMMY Awards' other 29 Fields:

For Best Pop Solo Performance, the nominees are "Set Fire To The Rain (Live)" by Adele; "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson; "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen; "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry; and "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna.

The nominees for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance are "Shake It Out" by Florence & The Machine; "We Are Young" by Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe; "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra; "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO; and "Payphone" by Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa. 

For Best Dance/Electronica Album, the nominees are Wonderland by Steve Aoki; Don't Think by the Chemical Brothers; > Album Title Goes Here by Deadmau5; Fire & Ice by Kaskade; and Bangarang by Skrillex.

The nominees for Best Rock Performance are "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes; "Lonely Boy" by the Black Keys; "Charlie Brown" by Coldplay; "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons; and "We Take Care Of Our Own" by Bruce Springsteen.

For Best Alternative Music Album, the nominees are The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple; Biophilia by Björk; Making Mirrors by Gotye; Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. by M83; and Bad As Me by Tom Waits. 

The nominees for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration are "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida featuring Sia; "No Church In The Wild" by Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream; "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)" by John Legend featuring Ludacris; "Cherry Wine" by Nas featuring Amy Winehouse; and "Talk That Talk" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z.

For Best Country Album, the nominees are Uncaged by Zac Brown Band; Hunter Hayes by Hunter Hayes; Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran by Jamey Johnson; Four The Record by Miranda Lambert; and The Time Jumpers by the Time Jumpers.

The nominees for Best Americana Album are The Carpenter by the Avett Brothers; From The Ground Up by John Fullbright; The Lumineers by the Lumineers; Babel by Mumford & Sons; and Slipstream by Bonnie Raitt.

This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Dan Auerbach, Jeff Bhasker, Diplo, Markus Dravs, and Salaam Remi.

This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 17,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2012). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 19 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 16, 2013, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 55th GRAMMY telecast.

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on GRAMMY Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer and Louis J. Horvitz is director.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

News

2013 GRAMMY Nominees Album Now Available

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Collection features 22 smash hits from chart-topping artists such as Adele, the Black Keys, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Pink, Taylor Swift, and more
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Capitol Records and The Recording Academy's GRAMMY Recordings will release the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album on Jan. 22 and provide music and GRAMMY fans two chances to attend the 55th or the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The album features 22 critically acclaimed smash hits from myriad chart-topping artists from various genres.

The 19th edition of the best-selling collection includes songs from GRAMMY categories representing nominees for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album.

Artists featured on the collection are Adele, Alabama Shakes, the Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe, Gotye, Hunter Hayes, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Lumineers, Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa, Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Muse, Frank Ocean, Katy Perry, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Jack White.

In conjunction with the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album, Capitol Records and The Recording Academy will offer two opportunities to attend the annual GRAMMY Awards. First, when pre-ordering the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album at www.grammy.com/2013grammyalbum by Jan. 21, music fans can enter to win a trip to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10. Additionally, providing another chance to win tickets to Music's Biggest Night, each 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album purchased in stores will include a special game piece featuring a unique entry code for the GRAMMY Ticket Game. To participate, the code must be entered at www.grammy.com/2013grammyalbum for the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2014. The second-place winner will receive other official GRAMMY Awards merchandise.

The album is made possible by a special arrangement with all of the major music distribution companies and rotates labels from year to year. A portion of the proceeds from the album benefit the MusiCares Foundation and the GRAMMY Foundation — two charitable organizations established by The Recording Academy. 

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook. 

News

2013 GRAMMYs: View a full performer list

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From Fun. and Justin Timberlake to Rihanna and Taylor Swift, view our handy performer rundown for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am
GRAMMY.com

With Music's Biggest Night quickly approaching, it's time to think about finalizing your to-do list for your official GRAMMY Sunday party. Snacks? Check. Favorite beverage? Check. Dessert? Check. Internet bill paid so you can stream GRAMMY Live? Check.

What's in store for GRAMMY Sunday, you ask? Plenty.

The star-studded performance lineup for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards has a bit of everything — the music comeback of a six-time GRAMMY winner, first-time artist collaborations, a tribute to an American legend, GRAMMY debuts, and generous sides of country, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Plus, the GRAMMYs are guaranteed to be cool with two-time GRAMMY-winning artist/actor LL Cool J serving as host.

It's a lot to keep track of, so we've compiled a handy alphabetical guide to artists who will be taking the GRAMMY stage. Of course, be sure to stay logged on to GRAMMY.com and follow our liveblog to complement your GRAMMY experience and join the conversation.

And the performers for the 55th GRAMMY Awards are: 

  • Travis Barker, Chuck D, LL Cool J, Tom Morello, and DJ Z-Trip

  • Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert

  • The Black Keys

  • Zac Brown, T Bone Burnett (as musical director), Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard, Elton John, Mumford & Sons, and Mavis Staples, who will pay tribute to the late Levon Helm of the Band

  • Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Kenny Garrett in tribute to Dave Brubeck

  • Kelly Clarkson

  • Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Black Keys

  • Fun.

  • Elton John with Ed Sheeran, performing together live for the first time

  • Juanes

  • Alicia Keys and Maroon 5

  • The Lumineers

  • Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and Sting

  • Miguel and Wiz Khalifa

  • Mumford & Sons

  • Frank Ocean

  • Rihanna

  • Taylor Swift

  • Justin Timberlake

  • Carrie Underwood

  • Jack White

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

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Meet The 55th GRAMMY Nominees For Best New Artist

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Part one of the Best New Artist Series captures the initial reactions of the 55th GRAMMY Best New Artist nominees
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

The Recording Academy has teamed with Pepsi to provide an intimate look at the nominees for Best New Artist for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards. In the first of two video installments of the Best New Artist Series, the nominated artists share their initial reactions in learning that they were nominated for music's most prestigious honor, as well as their upcoming plans.

Athens, Ala.-based Alabama Shakes comprise lead vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell, guitarist Heath Fogg, and drummer Steve Johnson. Combining elements of retro soul, gritty blues and hard rock, the quartet released Boys & Girls in 2012. The album, which features 11 tracks penned by the group, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. In addition to their Best New Artist nomination, Alabama Shakes also received a nod for Best Rock Performance for "Hold On."

May 15, 2017 – 2:36 am

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"To be nominated for Best New Artist, it's kind of hard to talk about it because it's almost like it's still surreal," says Howard. "It's not real yet."

The infectious pop/rock stylings of Fun. come courtesy of guitarist Jack Antonoff, keyboardist Andrew Dost and lead vocalist Nate Ruess. The trio's sophomore album, 2012's Some Nights, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Their breakthrough hit, "We Are Young," which features Janelle Monáe, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was the No. 3 best-selling song of 2012. Fun. netted nominations in each of the four General Field categories, including Record and Song Of The Year for "We Are Young." Overall, Fun. received six GRAMMY nods, tying them for the most nominations in the 55th GRAMMY field.

May 15, 2017 – 2:36 am

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"Being nominated is always a thought the way that you would dream about going to the moon or being a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon, or anything like that," says Antonoff, "just because it's the ultimate honor for our field."

At 21 years old, Hunter Hayes is the youngest nominee in this year's Best New Artist category. The Louisiana-born artist released his self-titled debut album in October 2011. Hayes co-wrote every song, shared producer duties and played some 30 instruments on the album. Hunter Hayes, which received a nomination for Best Country Album, spawned the multi-platinum-certified single "Wanted," which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is among the nominated songs for Best Country Solo Performance.

May 15, 2017 – 2:36 am

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"After the five [nominees] were called, I realized that I was sort of the only country guy in the category," says Hayes. "It's an honor. I'm proud to be the 'country music guy'."

The Lumineers formed in 2002 in Ramsey, N.J., when childhood friends Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites turned to writing music to cope with the drug-related death of Fraites' brother, Josh Fraites. The duo subsequently relocated to Denver where they met classically trained cellist Neyla Pekarek, who responded to an ad on Craigslist. Mixing Americana, country, pop, and folk textures, the trio released their self-titled debut album in 2012. The set, which garnered a nomination for Best Americana Album, features 11 tracks co-penned by Fraites and Schultz, including the Top 5 hit "Ho Hey." 

May 15, 2017 – 2:36 am

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"I think it feels really, really good that we're recognized for a body of work versus one song," says Pekarek. "We made a whole record and I don't think there were any afterthoughts on that record."

Also nominated for Best New Artist is New Orleans native Frank Ocean, who was previously a member of the wild hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. As a songwriter, he has penned songs for artists such as Justin Bieber, John Legend and Beyoncé. Following the release of a mixtape, 2011's Nostalgia, Ultra., Ocean released his debut studio album, Channel Orange, in 2012. The album ascended to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Record Of The Year-nominated "Thinkin Bout You." Ocean received six 55th GRAMMY nominations, including Album Of The Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album for Channel Orange, tying him for the most nominations in the 55th GRAMMY field.

Who will take home the award for Best New Artist? The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.