Part of being human is having deeply personal opinions about music, something that makes the Grammys everyone's favorite punching bag. And although the passing of Whitney Houston on the eve of this year's Grammys loomed as the recording industry embraced a new, similar sweetheart, Adele, critics are not holding back.
The constant "quantity over quality" and other digs at industry pageantry are flying once again as the annual awards snubbed critic favorites (Feist) and failed to honor innovators (rapper Drake or Radiohead with The King of Limbs), while continuing to ignore countless legacy acts (Bob Marley would have been an apt choice, since 2011 was the 30th anniversary of his death).
The root of the Grammy Awards' persistent conundrum is simple: It tries to please everyone by allowing safe artists to sweep categories, while throwing as few curve balls as possible. As a result, it repeatedly comes off as behind the times.
While past blunders include Metallica losing to England's flute-driven Jethro Tull in the Hard Rock/Metal category in 1989, this year's glaring example is Foo Fighters, a dwindling 2000s rock band, winning both the Rock and Hard Rock/Metal categories. Another is chillwave godfather Bon Iver, whose debut was released in 2007, being named Best New Artist. But nothing hurts more than the axing of 31 musical categories, mostly ethnic and traditional genres, while preserving the Best Alternative Music Album, a genre many argue no longer exists.
However, this is an awards ceremony reserved for those that reward the industry. Much like Houston's "I Will Always Love You," Adele's own calling card, "Rolling in the Deep," proved itself to be the kind of song that motivated people who normally don't purchase music to go out and buy, giving the struggling industry a much-needed booster shot.
In a post-music download world, the industry needs to stop awarding sales and start playing "tastemaker" by honoring artistic achievement rather than Billboard rankings and radio play. After all, how long can popular music survive on booster shots alone?