Do you watch the Grammy music awards? Yeah, me neither. Over the years there seems to be a lack of metal in the Rock and Metal categories. I heard that the award show was going to make some changes to the categories and to the way that they keep categories and genres relevant to the styles of the day. Perhaps there would be an expanded (or even remotely realistic) rock and metal categorization. This is the not case however. Starting next year, metal will be lumped into the same category as rock and the total number of awards between the two will be reduced. Oh well, so much for staying relevant and in-tune with musical trends.
Country music has its own award show. The CMA’s were on just the other day. I don’t follow country music that much anymore, but I certainly respect and enjoy the genre. The musicians deserve recognition by the industry, peers, and fans. Metal has been trying to the much the same on its own. Revolver Magazine hosts the Golden God awards, which allow the fans to vote on bands, athletes, and celebrities deemed worthy enough for the metal salute. Metal fans nothing if not passionate about their music. With mainstream music generally subbing this talented musical genre, it’s important for fans to have a voice.
I understand that part of this about making money and recognizing the bands that sell the most. For better or worse, the internet has made music cheaper to buy. I pay half what I used pay for CDs 10 or 15 years ago. Music is also more accessible. A band doesn’t have to have songs on the radio and sold-out stadium tours to reach an audience. Combine iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic with social media and there are more outlets for selling music and connecting with fans. However, with so much music at our fingertips, it is easy to get overwhelmed. For every new sound, there could be a new category within a music genre. Suddenly there would be a ton of obscure award categories. A show like the Grammy’s would probably take a month and a half to air on TV.
Unfortunately, this means that even popular metal is relegated to the fringes of mainstream music. Somebody once asked if everyone started listening to my music would I still want to listen to it. The answer is yes! I want everyone to listen to metal. That’s the point of music. And that's why I talk and write about music as much as I do. How do you know that you don’t like something if you’ve never really tried it? Decisions like the ones made by the Academy of Music only serves to narrow the field and keep musicians from reaching a wider audience. In the end, metal will live on. In the waning hours of the apocalypse, the pop stars will be hiding in their bunkers; metal heads will be singing Pantera. This is rock. This is life. What are you listening to?
Check out Lemmy from Motorhead and Slash playing at the 2010 Golden God Awards. The 2011 show is on April 20th. More info: http://www.revolvermag.com/beta/goldengods
Next week: review of my latest downloads: Trivium, Straight Line Stitch, and Amorphis
