Sound Karma

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 20, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- According to Nielson, the 2022 Grammy awards were one of the lowest-viewed Grammys ever, with less than an estimated 10 million viewers. The in-person Grammy Awards on CBS saw just a 1.4% increase in audience size from last year’s partly virtual ceremony, which was a record-low for music’s biggest night. Hosted by Trevor Noah from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the two-month-delayed 64th Annual Grammy Awards drew 8.93 million total viewers across multiple platforms, according to time-zone adjusted fast national data from Nielsen.

Zak and Susan Becker, Founders of acclaimed indie music platform SOUND KHARMA^®, believe there are numerous modern-day reasons why the Grammys are decreasing in viewership every year. "It begs the question, 'why?' Historically, there has been a shortlist of "it artists" who have won multiple times during a four- or five-year period, leaving hundreds (if not thousands) of other musicians unnoticed by the foundation. Given the abundance of other ways to find fresh talent, some fans may regard award presentations like the Grammys as an exclusive club that virtually excludes non-mainstream performers. Perhaps broadening the candidates and categories to include brilliant indie musicians from all around the world might pique fans' interest and reignite the competition. Those artists exist, and their fan following are massive," states the Beckers.

Last year’s Grammy Awards, which were mostly virtual due to the pandemic, managed a record low of 8.8 million viewers in the comparable preliminary time-zone adjusted data, airing Sunday, March 14. While that total adjusted up to 9.4 million viewers in Nielsen’s Live + Same Day, which includes out-of-home viewing, it was still a record low for the awards show and down 50% from the 18.8 million that tuned in the year prior for the January 2020 telecast.

The Beckers continue, "It begs another question, 'Do fans even care about awards any longer?' Winning a Grammy is an honor for any artist, but it isn't always an honor for fans. If a fan's favorite artist doesn't win a Grammy, nothing changes in their lives. They have no personal interest in the winners' list. We live in a 'me society,' which could explain the perceived disconnect between The Grammy Awards and their audience. It isn't built on a fan base. What is the solution? Increase the number of fans who participate. Aside from the Academy, other ways for fans to participate in the nomination and voting process are needed."

The 2022 Grammys delivered the awards show to its largest live-streaming audience in history across Paramount Plus and other CBS platforms. The 64th Annual Grammy Awards racked up 92 billion potential impressions on social media, increasing from both 2021 and 2020. The “#GRAMMYS” hashtag trended in the top 10 for 18 hours and peaked at No. 1.

"To go back and answer the question of 'why?,' the explanation could be that fans are not required to watch. Fans may now get real-time updates with video clips on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms, freeing them their time to do other things. Fans used to have to spend a Sunday evening watching the show on TV because of FOMO. Now, all one has to do is follow #GrammyAwards to acquire all they need to talk about the show. There may come a time in the not-too-distant future when broadcasting on network television is no longer sustainable. A simple streaming event and social media will provide the same level of fan involvement at a far lower cost," concludes the Beckers.

Aurora DeRose
Boundless Media Inc.
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