Awards
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07/12/2023
The 75th Emmy Awards will air live from Los Angeles on September 18.
07/12/2023
Adam Blackstone, who won his first Primetime Emmy last year for outstanding music direction for his work on the Super Bowl Halftime Show, has double nominations in that category this year. He is nominated as music director of the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall Fame Induction Ceremony and as one of two music directors on The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna (his co-nominee is Omar Edwards).
Two other past winners in that same category, Greg Phillinganes and Rickey Minor, are also nominated again. Phillinganes, who won in 2015 for Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute, is nominated for his work on another salute to a music legend – Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song: Joni Mitchell. Minor, who has won twice in the category, for Taking the Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America and the Kennedy Center Honors, is nominated for The Oscars.
The nominations were announced on Wednesday (July 12). The awards will be presented on Monday Sept. 18.
Pop music titans Ed Sheeran and Max Martin were nominated, along with Foy Vance, for outstanding original music and lyrics for “A Beautiful Game,” which they wrote for an episode of Ted Lasso. A second song from that series, “Fought & Lost,” was nominated in that same category. It was co-written by Tom Howe, Jamie Hartman and Sam Ryder.
Nicholas Britell has two of the five nominees for outstanding music composition for a series (original dramatic score). He is up for his work on Andor and Succession. Britell is also nominated for outstanding original main title theme music for Andor.
Nora Felder, last year’s winner for outstanding music supervision for Stranger Things, is nominated again in that category for her work on that buzzy series.
Danny Elfman has two nominations for his work on Wednesday. He is nominated for outstanding music composition for a series (original dramatic score) in tandem with co-nominee Chris Bacon and for outstanding original main title theme music.
Laura Karpman has two nods for her work on Ms. Marvel. She is nominated for outstanding music composition for a limited or anthology series, movie or special (original dramatic score) and outstanding original main title theme music.
The 75th Emmy Awards will telecast live coast-to-coast from Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 18, (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT) on FOX. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive produce the show.
Here’s a complete list of nominees in the seven music categories.
Outstanding Music Direction
The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna; FOX; Jesse Collins Entertainment, DPS and Roc Nation; Adam Blackstone, Music Director; Omar Edwards, Music Director
Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song: Joni Mitchell; PBS; Ken Ehrlich Productions, Inc., Library of Congress; WETA; Greg Phillinganes, Music Director
The Oscars; ABC; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Rickey Minor, Music Director
2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; HBO Max; A Tenth Planet Production; Adam Blackstone, Music Director
Saturday Night Live; Host: Austin Butler; NBC; SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; Lenny Pickett, Music Director; Leon Pendarvis, Music Director; Eli Brueggemann, Music Director
Outstanding Music Supervision
Daisy Jones & The Six; “Track 8: Looks Like We Made It”; Prime Video; Hello Sunshine, Amazon Studios; Frankie Pine, Music Supervisor
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; “Four Minutes”; Prime Video; Amazon Studios; Robin Urdang, Music Supervisor
Stranger Things; “Chapter Nine: The Piggyback”; Netflix; Monkey Massacre Productions & 21 Laps Entertainment for Netflix; Nora Felder, Music Supervisor
Ted Lasso; “So Long, Farewell”; Apple TV+; Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television; Tony Von Pervieux, Music Supervisor; Christa Miller, Music Supervisor
The White Lotus; “Bull Elephants”; HBO Max; HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District; Gabe Hilfer, Music Supervisor
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
Ginny & Georgia; “Hark! Darkness Descends!” / Song Title: “Marriage Is a Dungeon”; Netflix; A Netflix Original Series; Lili Haydn, Music & Lyrics; Ben Bromfield, Music & Lyrics
The L Word: Generation Q; “Questions for the Universe” / Song Title: “All About Me”; Showtime; SHOWTIME Presents, An MLR Original; Heather McIntosh, Music & Lyrics; Taura Stinson, Music & Lyrics; Allyson Newman, Music & Lyrics
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; “Susan” / Song Title: “Your Personal Trash Man Can”; Prime Video; Amazon Studios; Curtis Moore, Music & Lyrics; Thomas Mizer, Music & Lyrics
Ted Lasso; “Mom City” / Song Title: “Fought & Lost”; Apple TV+; Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television; Tom Howe, Music & Lyrics; Jamie Hartman, Music & Lyrics; Sam Ryder, Music & Lyrics
Ted Lasso; “So Long, Farewell” / Song Title: “A Beautiful Game”; Apple TV+; Apple presents a Doozer Production in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television; Ed Sheeran, Music & Lyrics; Foy Vance, Music & Lyrics; Max Martin, Music & Lyrics
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story; Song Title: “Now You Know”; The Roku Channel; The Roku Channel, Funny or Die, Tango Entertainment; Al Yankovic, Music & Lyrics
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Andor; “Rix Road”; Disney+; Lucasfilm Ltd.; Nicholas Britell, Composer
The Last of Us; “Long, Long Time”; HBO Max; HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog; Gustavo Santaolalla, Composer
Succession; “Connor’s Wedding”; HBO Max; HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions; Nicholas Britell, Composer
Wednesday; “Woe Is the Loneliest Number”; Netflix; A Netflix Series / An MGM Television Production; Danny Elfman, Composer; Chris Bacon, Composer
The White Lotus; “In the Sandbox”; HBO Max; HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District; Cristobal Tapia de Veer, Composer
Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Hocus Pocus 2; Disney+; Walt Disney Pictures; John Debney, Composer
Ms. Marvel; Time and Again; Disney+; Marvel Studios; Laura Karpman, Composer
Prey; Hulu; 20th Century Studios; Sarah Schachner, Composer
A Small Light; What Can Be Saved; National Geographic; ABC Signature; Ariel Marx, Composer
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story; The Roku Channel; The Roku Channel, Funny or Die, Tango Entertainment; Leo Birenberg, Composer; Zach Robinson, Composer
Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; Veracruz; CNN; CNN Original Series, RAW; Tony Morales, Composer
Light & Magic; Gang of Outsiders; Disney+; Imagine Documentaries and Lucasfilm Ltd.; James Newton Howard, Composer
Pamela, A Love Story; Netflix; A Netflix Documentary / A Dorothy St Pictures, Tripod Media, and Colony Entertainment Production; Blake Neely, Composer
Prehistoric Planet; Badlands; Apple TV+; BBC Studios in association with Apple; Hans Zimmer, Composer; Anže Rozman, Composer; Kara Talve, Composer
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie • Apple TV+ • An Apple Original Film in association with Concordia Studio; John Powell, Composer
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Andor; Disney+; Lucasfilm Ltd.; Nicholas Britell, Composer
Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities; Netflix; Netflix / Double Dare You; Holly Amber Church, Composer
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power; Prime Video; Amazon Studios; Howard Shore, Composer
Ms. Marvel; Disney+; Marvel Studios; Laura Karpman, Composer
Wednesday; Netflix; A Netflix Series / An MGM Television Production; Danny Elfman, Composer
Loverboy, April Wine, Glass Tiger, Chilliwack and PRISM are among 13 rock acts from the 1970s and ’80s that will be added to Canada’s Walk of Fame. They will be celebrated in an event at Massey Hall in Toronto on Sept. 28.
The eight other acts that will be inducted are Lee Aaron, Lighthouse, Max Webster, Michel Pagliaro, Platinum Blonde, Rough Trade, The Parachute Club and Trooper.
“These trailblazing musicians have had an extraordinary impact on our Canadian rock landscape,” Jeffrey Latimer, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame, said in a statement. “Their longevity, many of whom still tour and sell out venues, is inspiring, and we are proud to welcome them each to Canada’s Walk of Fame.”
All 13 acts will be in attendance for the event, which will feature live performances, special guests and a reunion of Canadian DJs. Lou Pomanti is musical director.
Canada’s Walk of Fame’s partners in producing the event are Anthem Entertainment and Live Nation. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster.com on Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. ET. A limited number of tickets will be sold during a general on-sale on Thursday, July 13, between 10 a.m.-10 p.m. ET. AMEX cardholders qualify for Front of the Line ticket access from Wednesday, July 12 at 10 a.m. ET to Thursday, July 13 at 10 p.m. ET.
Loverboy, April Wine and Chilliwack have been voted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Loverboy, Parachute Club and Glass Tiger have won Juno Awards for single of the year. Glass Tiger won back-to-back awards in that category in 1986 for “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” and in 1987 for “Someday.” Loverboy won in 1982 for “Turn Me Loose,” Parachute Club in 1984 for “Rise Up.”
All three of those groups have also won Juno Awards in other categories, as have Lighthouse, PRISM and Trooper.
Six of these 13 acts have cracked the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Loverboy amassed nine top 40 hits, followed by Glass Tiger (four), April Wine (three), Chilliwack and Lighthouse (two each) and PRISM (one).
The Sept. 28 event is a one-time music induction celebration for the 25th anniversary events. This event is separate from the annual Canada’s Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, Dec. 2, where all of the 2023 inductees will be honored. The annual induction ceremony will feature performances and tributes from today’s top stars and alumni from the past 25 years. A special broadcast will air at a later date on CTV.
Canada’s Walk of Fame was established in 1998 by founders Bill Ballard, Dusty Cohl and Peter Soumalias, with Dianne Schwalm and in partnership with Gary Slaight.
Canada’s Walk of Fame is a national, not-for-profit organization that celebrates achievement in the fields of arts & entertainment, sports & athletics, entrepreneurship & philanthropy, humanitarianism, and science, technology & innovation. Canada’s Walk of Fame has more than 200 inductions to date, with stars having a permanent place of tribute on the streets of Toronto’s Entertainment District. For a complete list of inductees, visit: www.canadaswalkoffame.com
The Recording Academy is raising its annual membership fees from $100 to $150, its first increase since 2000. The Academy notified its members of the 50% increase in an email on Monday (July 10).
The increase takes effect on Aug. 1. Any dues submitted on or before July 31 will reflect the old rate.
Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. tells Billboard that if a member says that the fee increase would cause a hardship, they’ll make accommodations, just as they did during the pandemic.
Mason says “a small but significant” percentage of members claimed a hardship during the pandemic and were granted a fee waiver. “There were also some people that paid double dues during COVID to support people what weren’t able to pay dues,” he adds.
“If people do have hardships [with this fee increase], we’re going to continue that policy,” he said. “It’s not about trying to extract money from people that don’t have it. It’s just trying to make a fair value. So, when someone says we can’t afford to play $150, we’re going to say, ‘OK, what can you afford? Oh, you can’t afford it, No problem. We want you as a member regardless.’”
Asked if people take advantage of this lenient approach, Mason responded, “I’m sure there’s a small percentage of people that may take advantage of that, but for the most part the music community are good and fair people. If you’re involved in music and creativity and art, you’re not generally [looking for ways to cheat the system]. We’re not going to worry about the few who might have that in their heart.”
The Academy also has a waiver policy on entry fees. All professional and voting members of the Recording Academy receive five “courtesy entries” per year. If they choose to enter more than five entries, they must pay. This year, the fee is $40 for entries made between July 17-31, $75 for entries made between Aug. 1-23 and $125 for entries made between Aug. 24-31.
But the Academy notes, “Any member who would be burdened by the entry fees can request the fees be waived by reaching out to the awards department.”
The Academy justifies charging a fee for any member making more than five entries by saying, “The per-entry fee structure encourages entrants to consider the value of each entry and make mindful decisions to put forward work that they truly believe is Grammy-worthy.”
By way of justifying the membership fee increase, the Academy notes, “Since the last Recording Academy membership dues increase in 2000, the organization has organized more than 650 events across 12 Chapters, celebrated and recognized countless Grammy Award nominees and winners, provided $110 million in aid through MusiCares, and actively supported the passage of numerous bills at both the state and federal level to protect creators’ rights.”
The Recording Academy has always had rules and guidelines, dating back to its founding in 1957. In recent years, in a bid for greater transparency, and at the direction of Academy CEO Harvey Mason, jr., the Academy has posted its rules and guidelines online. It’s not a little digital pamphlet, either: It’s a 76-page document […]
Last month, the Recording Academy announced a series of changes to the Grammy Awards to better reflect an evolving music industry. Of those newly instituted guidelines, protocols involving technological advancements in machine learning sparked headlines: “Only human creators” could win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music.
“A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category,” the rules read in part.
As the music industry continues to come to terms with this new technology, so too will the Grammys, says Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason Jr.
“Here’s the super easy, headline statement: AI, or music that contains AI-created elements is absolutely eligible for entry and for consideration for Grammy nomination. Period,” Mason told The Associated Press. “What’s not going to happen is we are not going to give a Grammy or Grammy nomination to the AI portion.”
If an AI or voice modeling program performs the lead vocal on a song, the track would be eligible in a songwriting category, for example, but not a performance category, because “what is performing is not human creation,” he explains. “Conversely, if a song was sung by an actual human in the studio, and they did all the performing, but AI wrote the lyric or the track, the song would not be eligible in a composition or a songwriting category.”
“As long as the human is contributing in a more than de minimis amount, which to us means a meaningful way, they are and will always be considered for a nomination or a win,” he continued. “We don’t want to see technology replace human creativity. We want to make sure technology is enhancing, embellishing, or additive to human creativity. So that’s why we took this particular stand in this award cycle.”
The Recording Academy has long considered setting rules related to AI following the popularity of new songs created alongside AI technology: David Guetta’s “Emin-AI-em”, the AI -compositions of TikTok user @ghostwriter977, Grimes’ voice modeling AI software.
In order to establish their AI guidelines, the Recording Academy engaged in extensive research, including holding tech summits.
“I’ve met with the copyright office. We’ve talked about the future and what that looks like on a federal level and the legislative level,” Mason said, adding that AI conversations “really came to a head in the last six months.”
The new Grammy AI protocols were announced three days after Paul McCartney shared that “the last Beatles record” had been composed using artificial intelligence to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo. Without knowing the extent of the technology, Mason couldn’t confirm or deny whether the song would be eligible for a Grammy nomination.
“We’ll see what it turns out to be,” he said. “But I would imagine from the early descriptions that I’ve heard there would be components of the creation that would be absolutely eligible.”
So, can Grammy viewers expect to see work at least partially created with AI nominated for an award as early as next year?
It’s impossible to predict what is submitted. But as Mason affirms, “people are using the technology. I’m imagining it’s going to be involved in a lot of records a lot of songs this year, so we’ll see if some of them get nominated or not, but I’m sure there’ll be some that will be submitted.”
The 2024 Grammy Awards will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, airing live on CBS and livestreamed on Paramount+.
International independent pioneers Michel Lambot and Kenny Gates received IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution award to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the [PIAS] group. The award was announced on Tuesday (July 4).
Over the last four decades, [PIAS] has grown from a vinyl record importer on behalf of UK independent record labels into a key European and global recording, marketing and distribution outlet. [PIAS] currently has 19 offices and 280 employees active globally.
Lambot and Gatesalso founded IMPALA in 2000 to develop a single voice for the independent music sector in Europe. They were instrumental in creating Merlin as well as Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), with a view to supporting and expanding the independent music ecosystem internationally.
Lambot and Gates were presented with their awards by Helen Smith, executive chair of IMPALA, at their BXL CENTRAL – CHEZ [PIAS] record shop and office located on Rue Saint Laurent in Brussels.
“Michel and Kenny’s story is an inspiration to all emerging independents starting out in the sector,” Smith said in a statement. “The contribution of [PIAS] to the European music sector is totally unique. [Their] amazing 40th-anniversary re-releases speak for the artists and great music, and IMPALA, Merlin and WIN speak for their approach on collaboration making everyone stronger.”
“Back some 25 years ago, we had the idea to combine forces of a handful of independent companies to increase our market leverage and playing field,” Lambot said in a statement. “That sounded crazy and naive: trying to unify independent companies owned and run by people fiercely independent was antinomic… And now getting an award by IMPALA which has become a kind of institution makes me feel so proud and so happy. The recognition by our peers of what we did all these years and are still doing, Kenny and myself, as [PIAS] on one hand, and for the independent world on the other hand, is very moving”.
Gates, who serves as CEO of [PIAS] added: “Our goal at [PIAS] has always been to expand our dreams by creating a company of holistic values that reflects a pan-European diversity. It’s been an incredible journey of constant adaptation, and we couldn’t receive this award without thanking all our staff and friends.”
IMPALA’s Outstanding Contribution Award is designed to put a spotlight on European independent music and those who drive it, as well as initiatives that deserve particular recognition. Previous recipients include Tony Duckworth, Didier Gosset, FONO, Kees Van Weijen, Keith Harris OBE, Tom Deakin, Love Record Stores, Music Declares Emergency, Markus Tobiassen and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, Jonas Sjöström, Plus 1 Refugees welcome!, Alison Wenham, Label Love, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Sabine Verheyen MEP, Armada Music/Armin van Buuren, Martin Mills OBE, Mary Moneyball MEP, Charles Caldas and Mario Pacheco.
Lambot and Gates previously received the Indie Champion award at the AIM Music Awards 2022 in London.
Late British media journalist Juliana Koranteng previously invited Lambot and Gates to share their story on her 20MinutesWith podcast. In this episode, the two executives talked about their ambitions, successes and challenges in growing the [PIAS] network over the years. (Sadly, it turned out to the last episode Koranteng recorded. The journalist died in February at age 64.)
IMPALA was established in 2000 and now represents nearly 6,000 independent music companies. The organization’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change and increase access to finance.
CeCe Winans is set to receive the Aretha Franklin Icon Award at the 2023 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which will be presented at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 15.
Winans has won 15 Grammy Awards, just three shy of the number received by Franklin, who died in 2018. Though Franklin will forever be known as the Queen of Soul, she also made a lasting impression with her gospel recordings, including the 1972 classic Amazing Grace and the 1987 album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. Both of those live, double-disk recordings won Grammys for best soul gospel album.
Dr. Bobby Jones will receive the Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award. As previously announced, Rev. Dr. Milton Biggham will receive the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award. Biggham is pastor of the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., and founder of several mass choirs – The Miami Mass Choir, The Mississippi Mass Choir, the Dallas Fort Worth Mass Choir and the Georgia Mass Choir.
The show will be hosted by Jonathan McReynolds and Tasha Cobbs-Leonard for the second year in a row.
Performers set to appear on the show include Kierra Sheard-Kelly, Naomi Raine, Pastor Mike, Jr., Maranda Curtis, Tim Bowman, Jr. & Faith City Music, DOE, Dorothy Norwood and Zacardi Cortez. The emerging voices stage will showcase HLE and Lena Byrd Miles. Additional performers and presenters will be announced.
The Stellar Awards red carpet special pre-show will be televised on the newly launched Stellar TV Network on Sunday, July 30, at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the 38th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards telecast at 6 p.m. ET. The Stellar Network can be found on Charter Spectrum and Verizon Fios. Both shows will be available on-demand via Xumo Play at a later date. The ceremony will also air in national broadcast syndication from Aug. 7 through Sept. 10.
Tickets for the Stellar pre-show and main awards ceremony are now available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets range from $59 to $229.
In addition to the main awards ceremony, the Stellar Gospel Music Awards is introducing the Stellar+ Experience (Stellar+EXP), which will provide participants with a personalized experience, featuring concerts, discussions, master classes, and more. The Stellar+ Experience events will take place at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas from Wednesday, July 12, to Friday, July 14. Limited-edition passes are now available for purchase, ranging from $60 to $250, at www.eventbrite.com. For the full event schedule and more information, visit stellarplusexperience.com.
As previously reported, Pastor Mike, Jr. and Tye Tribbett are the leading nominees for the 2023 Stellar Gospel Music Awards, with 10 and nine nods, respectively.
Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin received six nominations for their collaborative album Kingdom Book One. Cobbs-Leonard, Zacardi Cortez and DOE each received five nominations. Tamela Mann is nominated in four categories for her album Overcomer Deluxe.
The 38th Stellar Gospel Music Awards show is executive produced by Don Jackson, with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as executive in charge of production and producer. Michael A. Johnson will produce and direct this year’s show.
For more information, visit www.stellarawards.com.
Little Big Town will host the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Sept. 28. The quartet, whose members were inducted into the Opry in 2014, will also perform a medley of their greatest hits during the show. The two-hour ceremony will air live on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream on Peacock.
“We are honored to host the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, especially on one of our most beloved stages in the entire world,” Little Big Town said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming so many of our talented peers to take the Opry stage for this magical night of music.”
The group – consisting of Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook – hosted the CMT Music Awards in 2018 and 2019 from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
They have also won many awards, including three Grammys for best country duo/group performance for “Pontoon,” “Girl Crush” and “Better Man.” They won vocal group of the year six years running (2012-17) at the CMA Awards and came out on top in that category four times at the ACM Awards.
The Grand Ole Opry House has hosted many awards shows through the years, including the CMA Awards (1974-2004) and the (TNN) Music City News Awards, forerunners to the CMT Music Awards, (1980-99). In 2020-21, the ACM Awards were staged at three landmark Nashville venues – the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Café).
Little Big Town have had three No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – “Pontoon,” “Girl Crush” and Taylor Swift‘s “Better Man” (the same songs that brought them their three Grammy Awards). They have amassed four No. 1 albums on Top Country Albums – The Reason Why, Tornado, The Breaker and Nightfall.
“Little Big Town is a force in country music and a beloved staple on Music Row,” Cassandra Tryon, senior vice president, entertainment live events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement. “As Opry members, they’ve delighted fans for years on the world-famous stage and we’re honored to have them host, perform and bring this inaugural ceremony to life.”
The People’s Choice Country Awards is an outgrowth of the People’s Choice Awards, which originated on CBS in 1975 and remained on that network through 2017. (Little Big Town was the 2017 winner for favorite country group.) That show moved to E! in 2018 and has aired on both NBC and E! since 2021. It bills itself as “the only award show for the people and by the people,” a slogan that also applies to this spin-off.
The People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves with Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski serving as executive producers, along with RAC Clark as executive producer and showrunner.
The show will extend to social platforms with Backstage Live, bringing fans at home behind the scenes as well as interactively connecting country’s most popular stars with their biggest fans.
This project is seen as an example of collaboration resulting from NBCUniversal’s equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos, which was finalized last year.
Taylor Swift, SZA, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and more artists who are expected to dominate the 2024 Grammy nominations have a little more than four months to wait until the nods are announced on Friday Nov. 10. The awards will follow on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024.
The Recording Academy announced key dates for the 2024 Grammy Awards on Thursday (June 29). The show will be held at Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) in Los Angeles for the 21st time in the past 25 years. It will air live coast-to-coast, meaning music fans on the West Coast won’t have to wait three hours for a tape-delayed broadcast as they still do with some other shows.
The show is scheduled to run for 3 and a half hours, from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT. (It has been known to run over.) The show will air on CBS, its network home since 1973, and will stream on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the show airs).
Final-round voting ends on Jan. 4, 2024, a full month before the winners are revealed. Oscar voting has traditionally extended to five days before their telecast, though for the upcoming 96th annual Academy Awards, voting closes 12 days before the telecast. (Here are all the key dates for the upcoming Oscars.)
The Recording Academy last week announced an aggressive outreach to diversify and freshen its membership. It extended invitations to more than 2,800 new voting members and to more than 850 professional (non-voting) members. Last year, it offered membership to 2,000 new voting members, of whom more than 1,300 accepted. This is having a major impact on the composition of the Academy, which has more than 11,000 total voting members. To participate in the entire 66th annual Grammy Awards process, invitees must accept their invitations by July 14.
The Academy also recently released its annual rules and guidelines for the upcoming Grammy Awards. To access the rulebook, go here.
The Recording Academy has not yet announced who will host the Grammy telecast. Trevor Noah served as host the last three years. If he gets the nod again, he’ll become just the fifth person to host the Grammys four or more times. Andy Williams hosted the first seven live telecasts from 1971-77. John Denver hosted six times – in 1978-79 and again from 1982-85. LL Cool J hosted five years in a row from 2012-16. Garry Shandling hosted four times – in 1990-91 and again in 1993-94. (Here, LL reflects on his “amazing run” as Grammy host. Here are five fun facts about Noah.)
Here are key dates for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards season:
Product eligibility period:
Oct. 1, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2023
Online entry period:
July 17, 2023 – Aug. 31, 2023
First-round voting:
Oct. 11, 2023 – Oct. 20, 2023
Nominees announced:
Nov. 10, 2023
Final-round voting:
Dec. 14, 2023 – Jan. 4, 2024
66th annual Grammy Awards:
Feb. 4, 2024