The Grammys go indie? Sort of
The American Assn. of Independent Music (AAIM), a trade group that represents U.S. indie labels, has put together a 15-page list documenting a number of indie releases nominated for a Grammy. You can click here to read it all, but note this will open as a PDF document.
According to AAIM, which counts Sub Pop, Epitaph, Matador and Righteous Babe among its many members, 35 of its labels this year received a total of 74 nominations, up from last year's 46 nominations.
While there's plenty of good music listed in that document, such as the Shins and Bettye LaVette (pictured), take those numbers with a grain of salt.
It does not represent all independent nominations since AAIM is only counting those labels that are members of the trade group. Additionally, many of the artists and labels listed in AAIM's document are ones that aren't typically considered independents.
See, for instance, Roadrunner Records, the label home to Nickelback, and one that's essentially owned by Warner Bros., which has a majority stake in the hard rock label.
And who can forget that little DIY-label-that-could Hear Music, which is the Starbucks imprint that launched an incredibly subtle marketing campaign for Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full"? Hear accounts for four nominations on AAIM's list.
But all kidding aside, it's linked here because it's still an interesting list to scroll through. It's definitely not complete -- nominated artists the Arcade Fire are not listed because Merge is not a member -- but it still serves to illustrate how artists on smaller labels tend to have a harder time getting recognized come Grammy time.
In other Grammy news:
The Recording Academy has announced that Burt Bacharach, the Band, Cab Calloway, Doris Day, Itzhak Perlman, Max Roach and Earl Scruggs will receive 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipients will be honored a day before the Grammy Awards on Feb. 9.
(Photo courtesy Anti-Records)
