Support Musical Diversity: Join the Petition to NARAS demanding reinstatement of GRAMMY Awards for Latin Jazz, Native American, Cajun/Zydeco, Hawaiian, Contemporary Jazz, R&B, Traditional Blues, Traditional R&B, Urban Alternative, Norteno & Mexican, World Music, Instrumental Rock, Classical, Female and Male awards, and all categories outside the pop/entertainment genre in order to maintain the integrity of what the GRAMMY signifies.
To help spread the news - please feel free to forward to a friend and post on your Facbook wall!
A Brief Overview as to why we need this Petition...
An Article from NYDailyNews.com - writer: Monika Fabian
Musicians Monday night expressed their anger over the elimination of Latin jazz as a Grammy award category.
"I was very instrumental in getting the Latin Jazz category into the awards, and its elimination is very upsetting to me," said Eddie Palmieri, a pianist and bandleader who has won nine Grammys and received 13 nominations.
"As a member for over 20 years, it's insulting," said Grammy-nominated drummer Bobby Sanabria at a local chapter meeting of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the awards ceremony's organizing institution.
"All of the 30 categories being cut represent the diversity of American music," he said.
The Grammy award restructuring plan, announced last Wednesday, will consolidate the number of award categories from 109 to 78. Male and female awards categories will be merged, and niche genres such as Hawaiian and Native American music will be eliminated.
Academy President Neil Portnow, on hand at the midtown meeting - intended to introduce the announced changes to the organization's members - said the new rules were the result of months of careful review.
"All of the
genre fields remain - that's a important point to make here," said
Portnow. "The nomination committee spent more than a year analyzing and
evaluating the Grammy process and categories with great objectivity and
fair-mindedness." The slimmed category count will make its debut at the
54th annual Grammy Awards to be held next February.
Speaking as to why this petition should be signed...
From Rachel Z
"Most of the Major labels have in the past 3 years dropped their Jazz Departments.
That is the sole reason why you are seeing a drop in submissions. Many
independent musicians and labels cannot afford a NARAS membership on their own.
Previously votes and nominations were presented by major labels through a block
voting system implemented by the majors. What would you suggest that I tell my
students at the New School who spend their life dreaming of a Grammy that now
there is only one Jazz Category. 2/3 less chance to win! This gives them the
same chance as winning the lottery now after the cutbacks in the Jazz Category.
They are competing with people 5x their age in the Jazz Category.Not to mention
putting Latin Jazz next to traditional Jazz...???!!!"
From John Santos
"...but what would you expect with the "immigrant as villain"
posture being promoted in media and in many government circles where the
growing Latino population is promoted solely as a problem to fix. I and many of
us reacted in that way because that is where we felt it first, being Latinos
and/or intimately involved in the fields of Latin Jazz (eliminated), and
Traditional Afro-Latin music (which had to compete in the eliminated
Traditional World Music category). Of course, both these categories happen to
be the least commercial of all the Latin Music categories represented. You are
right that it is much larger than just a Latino issue - It seems that the
policy is more "anti-diversity" and "anti-traditional" than
specifically anti-Latino, and is attempting to present commercial and pop
styles as the only legitimate American music - a particularly horrible concept
to sell to youth. The decision demonstrates a real lack of understanding in
many areas including the history and value of many US art forms including Latin
Jazz."
From Sandy Cressman
"Regarding outreach, no one in my community of Latin Jazz experienced
any outreach to encourage more submissions. The Latin Jazz community in
particular feels like the bar kept being raised. Some of my colleagues also
submitted in this category and had their submissions for absurd reasons, like
an album of boleros, a type of latin jazz, was rejected because it was not
"lively" enough.... it is a contradiction to say there are not enough
submissions and then reject some submissions for reasons of ignorance of the
genre...."
Please support all the categories that have been served this injustice and
support Independent Music of all genre's!
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
July 16, 2011
April 15, 2011
We hit one hundred signatures today. Post this link on Facebook and tag the Academy to show them we are serious about these categories.
Reached 1,000 supporters
April 14, 2011
Reached 100 supporters
April 12, 2011
April 11, 2011
We are approaching the one thousand signature mark and need a final push to hit our target. Text this link to three friends who care about musical diversity right now.
April 10, 2011
We are approaching one hundred signatures and need to maintain this momentum to get the board to listen. Post this link on Facebook right now to help us clear this hurdle.
9 Comments
Even though we know that Grammy Awards are commercially influenced, the elimination of particular Categories -such as Latin Jazz or Female awards- goes too far, showing a serious lack of social responsability: - It DOESN´T RESPECT US music diversity, especially LATINO and Native American artists. - It´s a SEXIST decision: with the elimination of Female Awards, they ignore that music work is still a male dominant one; and without giving an open door to women, it will keep this discrimination even longer. This kind of decisions crushes and flattens diversity through shrinking the entertainment business: it´s (another) way of controlling culture. Please, consider to sign this petition:
The Grammys are a joke. They just want pop stars and radio hits. Keep the real music categories.
So sad to see them cutting out the jazz and classical categories. It really shows what they care about and it isn't the art.
Music is about more than just what sells. Bring them back.
LATIN JAZZ NEEDS TO STAY. PERIOD. Stop ignoring the real talent because it doesnt sell millions of records.
The Show Must Go On Semper Fi
Semper Fi.
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Support Musical Diversity: Join the Petition to NARAS demanding reinstatement of GRAMMY Awards for Latin Jazz, Native American, Cajun/Zydeco, Hawaiian, Contemporary Jazz, R&B, Traditional Blues, Traditional R&B, Urban Alternative, Norteno & Mexican, World Music, Instrumental Rock, Classical, Female and Male awards, and all categories outside the pop/entertainment genre in order to maintain the integrity of what the GRAMMY signifies.
To help spread the news - please feel free to forward to a friend and post on your Facbook wall!
A Brief Overview as to why we need this Petition...
An Article from NYDailyNews.com - writer: Monika Fabian
Musicians Monday night expressed their anger over the elimination of Latin jazz as a Grammy award category.
"I was very instrumental in getting the Latin Jazz category into the awards, and its elimination is very upsetting to me," said Eddie Palmieri, a pianist and bandleader who has won nine Grammys and received 13 nominations.
"As a member for over 20 years, it's insulting," said Grammy-nominated drummer Bobby Sanabria at a local chapter meeting of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the awards ceremony's organizing institution.
"All of the 30 categories being cut represent the diversity of American music," he said.
The Grammy award restructuring plan, announced last Wednesday, will consolidate the number of award categories from 109 to 78. Male and female awards categories will be merged, and niche genres such as Hawaiian and Native American music will be eliminated.
Academy President Neil Portnow, on hand at the midtown meeting - intended to introduce the announced changes to the organization's members - said the new rules were the result of months of careful review.
"All of the
genre fields remain - that's a important point to make here," said
Portnow. "The nomination committee spent more than a year analyzing and
evaluating the Grammy process and categories with great objectivity and
fair-mindedness." The slimmed category count will make its debut at the
54th annual Grammy Awards to be held next February.
Speaking as to why this petition should be signed...
From Rachel Z
"Most of the Major labels have in the past 3 years dropped their Jazz Departments.
That is the sole reason why you are seeing a drop in submissions. Many
independent musicians and labels cannot afford a NARAS membership on their own.
Previously votes and nominations were presented by major labels through a block
voting system implemented by the majors. What would you suggest that I tell my
students at the New School who spend their life dreaming of a Grammy that now
there is only one Jazz Category. 2/3 less chance to win! This gives them the
same chance as winning the lottery now after the cutbacks in the Jazz Category.
They are competing with people 5x their age in the Jazz Category.Not to mention
putting Latin Jazz next to traditional Jazz...???!!!"
From John Santos
"...but what would you expect with the "immigrant as villain"
posture being promoted in media and in many government circles where the
growing Latino population is promoted solely as a problem to fix. I and many of
us reacted in that way because that is where we felt it first, being Latinos
and/or intimately involved in the fields of Latin Jazz (eliminated), and
Traditional Afro-Latin music (which had to compete in the eliminated
Traditional World Music category). Of course, both these categories happen to
be the least commercial of all the Latin Music categories represented. You are
right that it is much larger than just a Latino issue - It seems that the
policy is more "anti-diversity" and "anti-traditional" than
specifically anti-Latino, and is attempting to present commercial and pop
styles as the only legitimate American music - a particularly horrible concept
to sell to youth. The decision demonstrates a real lack of understanding in
many areas including the history and value of many US art forms including Latin
Jazz."
From Sandy Cressman
"Regarding outreach, no one in my community of Latin Jazz experienced
any outreach to encourage more submissions. The Latin Jazz community in
particular feels like the bar kept being raised. Some of my colleagues also
submitted in this category and had their submissions for absurd reasons, like
an album of boleros, a type of latin jazz, was rejected because it was not
"lively" enough.... it is a contradiction to say there are not enough
submissions and then reject some submissions for reasons of ignorance of the
genre...."
Please support all the categories that have been served this injustice and
support Independent Music of all genre's!
Updates
Reached 5,000 supporters
July 16, 2011
April 15, 2011
We hit one hundred signatures today. Post this link on Facebook and tag the Academy to show them we are serious about these categories.
Reached 1,000 supporters
April 14, 2011
Reached 100 supporters
April 12, 2011
April 11, 2011
We are approaching the one thousand signature mark and need a final push to hit our target. Text this link to three friends who care about musical diversity right now.
April 10, 2011
We are approaching one hundred signatures and need to maintain this momentum to get the board to listen. Post this link on Facebook right now to help us clear this hurdle.
9 Comments
Enough said by others who can say it better than I can. This is why I am repulsed by the Mainstream Commercial Music Industry. I am repulsed by everything the Grammys and the Industry stands for.
Even though we know that Grammy Awards are commercially influenced, the elimination of particular Categories -such as Latin Jazz or Female awards- goes too far, showing a serious lack of social responsability: - It DOESN´T RESPECT US music diversity, especially LATINO and Native American artists. - It´s a SEXIST decision: with the elimination of Female Awards, they ignore that music work is still a male dominant one; and without giving an open door to women, it will keep this discrimination even longer. This kind of decisions crushes and flattens diversity through shrinking the entertainment business: it´s (another) way of controlling culture. Please, consider to sign this petition:
The Grammys are a joke. They just want pop stars and radio hits. Keep the real music categories.
So sad to see them cutting out the jazz and classical categories. It really shows what they care about and it isn't the art.
Music is about more than just what sells. Bring them back.
LATIN JAZZ NEEDS TO STAY. PERIOD. Stop ignoring the real talent because it doesnt sell millions of records.
The Show Must Go On Semper Fi
Semper Fi.
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Enough said by others who can say it better than I can. This is why I am repulsed by the Mainstream Commercial Music Industry. I am repulsed by everything the Grammys and the Industry stands for.