But the Grammys in particular are a target, and whether the academy’s motives will satisfy its critics is unclear. They come to a bruise with the last head of the academy, Deborah Dugan, who was brought in as a change agent but was fired after five months – and a few days before the ceremony last year. The academy said she abused an employee, but Dugan said she was retaliated for criticizing the institution. In a lawsuit, she accuses the academy of improper voting and unbridled conflicts of interest. Her case is in arbitration, and both parties declined to comment.
The conflict with the Weeknd is the core concern that the Grammys’ voting procedure is flawed. It also illustrates the support point that the Grammys should represent between art and commerce: Its purpose is to recognize the work that its members – artists, producers and songwriters – value most, but the academy is inevitably put under pressure to reward success .
Chris Anokute, a longtime music manager, said he trusts Mason as a leader but relies less on what happens behind closed doors in academia. The Weeknd, Anokute said, “made the album of the year clear”, at least in terms of popularity.
“If his friends did not vote for him, it’s a shame – if it’s true,” Anokute said. ‘We do not really believe this to be the truth; there is just no way. But we really do not know. ”
For viewers at home, these issues can be invisible. The Grammys, originally scheduled for January, have been postponed for six weeks over concerns about the spread of coronavirus in California. The program’s new executive producer, Ben Winston, designed the Grammys as an antidote to decoupling pandemic awards that feel like video conferencing.
Performances will take place on five stages, which alternate around each other, near the usual home of the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Some will be recorded on tape, others live, but the continuity of their presentation will make it difficult to determine what is.