Grammys
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The AI-generated fake Drake and The Weeknd track is 'not eligible' for a Grammy
It was previously reported that an AI-generated track featuring the voices of Drake and The Weeknd would be considered for a Grammy. However, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is setting the record straight.
The Grammys will consider that viral song with Drake and The Weeknd AI vocals for awards after all
The creator of 'Heart on my Sleeve,' a song that used generative AI to mimic the vocals of Drake and The Weeknd, has submitted it for Grammy Award consideration. As it turns out, the composition may actually be eligible for songwriting awards, including song of the year.
Billie Eilish proved anyone can access Grammy-winning gear
Singer Billie Eilish was on the Grammy's red carpet pulling Ellen Degeneres underwear out of a flowery bag when she got the news. A woman nearby, apparently having just gotten word, held up a phone to Eilish's face and said, "You just won Best Pop Vocal."
What we're listening to in February
Senior News Editor Billy Steele confesses his love for the Album of the Year while Managing Editor Terrence O'Brien explains why Punch Up the Jam should be in your podcast rotation. Community Content Editor Amber Bouman also breaks down the thrilling fictional true crime podcast Limetown.
Apple Music will reveal key Grammy nominations on December 7th
Apple's involvement in the Grammys dates back more than a decade. This year, however, its connection will be more conspicuous. The Recording Academy has revealed that Apple Music will stream Grammy nominations in "select categories" (read: the better-known ones) on December 7th at 8:30AM Eastern, right alongside their revelation on CBS This Morning. This doesn't give you much lead time versus reading the full list on the Grammy.com website, which will have everything at 8:45AM. Still it's convenient if you just have to find out whether your favorite artist made the list.
IBM is sending Watson to the Grammys
After winning Jeopardy and designing cancer-treatment plans, IBM Watson is now strutting off to the red carpet of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. The tech giant's versatile AI system will be curating and distributing award-show content and images of everyone's favorite music stars in real time, straight from the red carpet to people's social media feeds.
The Grammys take voting online at last
Say what you will about the Grammys and its problems, but at least the Recording Academy has been making an effort to catch up with the times. After making streaming-only albums eligible for awards this year (allowing Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book to take Best Rap Album), the academy's next move is to ditch paper votes in favor of online submissions. According to the LA Times, the goal is to make voting more flexible and convenient, and therefore appeal to a broader range of members, including artists who are on the road during the voting period.
Chance the Rapper wins the first Grammy for a streaming-only album
This year is the first time streaming-only albums were eligible to win at the Grammys and Chance the Rapper took full advantage. The hip hop artist won for Best Rap Album Sunday night, notching the first win for a collection of songs that weren't released as a physical album or sold digitally. Back in May, Coloring Book was the first streaming-only album to hit the Billboard 200 chart. Chance also took home Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Rap Performance for the song "No Problem."
The Grammys finally embrace the streaming age
Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book was the first streaming-only album to hit the Billboard 200 chart, and now the album will be eligible for the Grammys. The Recording Academy announced today that streaming-only recordings will now be included in the voting for the awards starting next year. This means that one of the year's most popular hip-hop albums may get even more recognition. As Chance noted in a tweet about the news, it also means that the masses of aspiring artists now have a better shot at winning an award.
Lady Gaga's robotic keyboard had some help from NASA
The Grammys had an unexpected performer this week. All eyes were on Lady Gaga, as she took to the stage at Staples Center for her tribute to David Bowie. But a minute and a half into her performance, a dancing piano made its debut.
Inside Lady Gaga's high-tech Grammy performance
When Lady Gaga started singing "Space Oddity" at the Grammys on Monday night, virtual drops of red paint dripped down her face to form a lightning bolt. The image -- a meticulously planned facial projection -- instantly evoked David Bowie's face on the cover of Aladdin Sane. For the six-minute tribute to the legend who passed away a little over a month ago, Gaga employed an assortment of cutting-edge tools to create a kaleidoscopic visual treat.
A lot of people watched the Grammys on CBS All Access
Last night's Grammy awards not only saw Taylor Swift verbally subtweet Kanye West during her acceptance speech for Album of the Year, but also a record number of folks watching music's grand gala via the CBS All Access app. The streaming application saw a 247 percent increase in time spent watching and an upswing of 192 percent more unique users compared to last year's show -- both are apparently double digit increases since 2015. On top of all that, CBS says that yesterday was its single biggest sign-up day for All Access' premium streaming service. Of course, the network didn't release hard numbers so it's anyone's guess regarding what those increases actually amount to.
Grammycam footage during last night's show was pretty terrible
It seemed like a solid idea. GoPro cameras in the base of those gold Grammy award statues were meant to capture a unique perspective of the music industry's annual party. However, the results were really pretty awful. Those so-called Grammycams performed well, offering views from the stage as winners accepted awards and spouted thank yous to the crowd. Unfortunately, most of the sights were awkward angles of musicians and a lot of closeups of hands.
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From 'Halo' to Miles Davis: One woman's life behind the scenes
A long, winding drive through Lucas Valley leads to the wooden gates of Skywalker Ranch. Inside George Lucas' exclusive estate, well-manicured gardens blend in with the sweeping wilderness of California's Marin County. Past an empty baseball field and multiple rows of grapevines is a red-bricked "technical building" that houses Skywalker Sound, a state-of-the-art studio where Hollywood's most iconic soundtracks have been created. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-891353").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
The After Math: Love is in the air
Scientists just confirmed the existence of gravitational waves -- actual ripples in the fabric of spacetime -- but who cares about unravelling the secrets of the universe, Valentine's Day is coming up. To pay respects to the most high holy of made-up bullshit holidays, here are seven of the most heart-string-tugging posts from the last week.
Grammy awards get built-in cameras for a winner's perspective (update)
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is set to take place next week, and this year folks watching at home will get a rather unique perspective. The awards themselves, those iconic golden-horned record players, will have cameras built in to their bases. This means that you'll be able to catch views only the trophy would "see," including on-stage shots and more. Footage will be streamed online to Grammy Live, a pre-event feed that starts hours in advance of the show. However, it includes the Grammy Premiere Ceremony where additional awards are handed out. What's more, the producers for live broadcast coverage on CBS will have the option to use Grammycam clips as they see fit.
'Journey Live' blends video games with the symphony stage
Journey is going on tour. No, not the band -- the innovative PlayStation 3 game, Journey, and Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble are embarking on a tour that blends gaming with live, reactive music. Journey Live is an interactive event where selected people will play the game and the ensemble will respond to their actions on-stage. Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory and fellow musician Patrick O'Malley drew up a special, interactive version of the game's score that allows the ensemble to mirror a live playthrough.
Creators Alliance is another music industry copyright lobby group
Back in the good old days, musicians used to rally against radio / television / casette tapes / blank CDs piracy sites that were threatening to end their livelihoods. Nowadays, they've turned their attention to paid streaming services that attempt to compensate artists for their labors. Launching at last night's Grammy Awards, the Creators Alliance is an artist-backed pressure group that seeks to remind companies like Spotify that artists like Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Steven Tyler should be paid fairly for their works. If that's where it ended, however, then we'd probably be behind their campaign. But unfortunately, this activism masks something a little more sinister.
SoundHound's music search app turns its focus to the Grammys with real-time updates and more
Awards nights tend to give rise to slews of app tie-ins, and for this year's Grammys, SoundHound's tossing its hat in the ring. In addition to being able to recognize songs by "listening" to them, the refreshed app comes with a dedicated page for the event that currently lists performers and nominees. Anyone who clicks SoundHound's orange button during the live broadcast on Sunday night, though, will see real-time info, the list of winners and relevant Twitter posts instead. Chances are, music lovers don't exactly need SoundHound to identify "Just Give Me A Reason" and other nominated songs. Those who find these special features useful, however, can download the app from the source links below.
Journey soundtrack loses Grammy to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Austin Wintory's composition of thatgamecompany's Journey soundtrack earned him a Grammy nomination in the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category, an accomplishment Wintory was shocked to achieve. It marked the first time a full video game score was recognized by the Academy, following Christopher Tin's win in 2011 with the song "Baba Yetu" from the Civilization 4 soundtrack.Last night, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross took home the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, for their The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo music. Wintory took the news in stride on Twitter, congratulating Reznor on the win."Obviously I didn't work on #JourneyPS3 hoping to win a Grammy," Wintory later tweeted. "The entire point was the game itself and that's gone beyond my wildest dreams." Journey won the top honor at the DICE 2013 awards and we were fairly fond of it as well. Good work, Wintory.
