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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 15 June 2017
Grammys switching to online voting, Stay thirsty: ‘Most interesting

changes top album rule man’ now pitching tequila

By MESFIN FEKADU Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” view committees.
AP Music Writer — all nominees this year for The Grammy Awards have
NEW YORK (AP) — The album of the year — each 83 categories. Nominees
Grammys Awards are tran- had at least 20 produc- will be announced Nov. 28,
sitioning to online voting ers credited. Adele’s “25,” and the 60th awards show
and have updated rules for which won the top prize in will take place at Madison
its top category, album of February, had 11 produc- Square Garden in New
the year. ers. The fifth nominee was York on Jan. 28, 2018.q
The Recording Academy country singer Sturgill Simp-
announced new changes son, who produced his al-
Wednesday, including its bum by himself.
official switch to online vot- “Does participation on In this 2017 photo provided by Davos Brands, actor Jonathan
ing for its 13,000 members. a single track on a 12- or Goldsmith poses with a bottle of Astral Tequila.
Voting for the 2018 Gram- 15-track album really sig- NEW YORK (AP) — “The In a new ad, the 78-year-
my Awards will take place nify that they really worked Most Interesting Man in the old Goldsmith nods at his
in the fall and will include on the album? When it was World” is giving up beer for Dos Equis days by raising a
songs and albums released put that way most people tequila. glass of tequila and saying,
between Oct. 1, 2016, and were saying, ‘No, not re- Actor Jonathan Goldsmith “I told you I don’t always
Sept. 30, 2017. ally,’” Freimuth said. appeared as the sophis- drink beer.
Bill Freimuth, the acade- If the new rule had been ticated, eccentric and ”Dos Equis announced
my’s senior vice president implemented at this year’s worldly pitchman for Dos Goldsmith’s departure
of awards, said the acad- show, Bruno Mars and Equis beer for nearly a de- from the long-running ad
emy expects to attract Ryan Tedder wouldn’t This Dec. 9, 2008 file photo cade. campaign last year. It has
younger voters and touring have earned Grammys for shows a Grammy Award stat- He’s now promoting Astral continued the campaign
musicians who are away their production work on ue. Associated Press Tequila. with a younger actor.q
from home during voting Adele’s album, for exam-
season. ple. Freimuth added that
“It is something that has songwriters and producers
been long-desired, long- who work on a big hit on an
talked about and long-in- album could earn a nomi-
vestigated,” he said of on- nation for record or song of
line voting, which comes a the year for their song.
year after the Latin Gram- The new changes were
mys made the switch. approved last month by
Freimuth said there were the Recording Academy’s
concerns about secu- board of trustees. Other
rity issues, but added they changes include nomina-
have “done everything tion review committees
we can to make sure the added to the rap, con-
integrity of the system will temporary instrumental
be preserved.”Another and New Age genres. The
major change is the addi- committees serve as an
tion of songwriters to the additional layer of checks
nominees for album of the and balances, and for rap,
year, which was previously could prevent wins like
reserved for artists, produc- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
ers and engineers. How- in 2014 over Kendrick La-
ever, all participants in the mar, which were highly crit-
album, including featured icized. It could also allow
artists, songwriters, produc- rising acts to earn nomina-
ers and engineers, must tions over veteran perform-
now be credited with at ers like Eminem and Kanye
least 33 percent or more West, who consistently earn
playing time on the album nominations.
to be eligible for nomina- “We form these commit-
tion. Prior to the new rule, tees only when we hear
all participants on an al- from ... those genre com-
bum would earn a nomina- munities (when) they feel
tion for album of the year like something’s wrong, or
even if they worked on one that our nominations could
song.The album of the year be better,” said Freimuth.
rule change would mainly “For rap, what they were
affect pop, rap and con- finding was that ‘legacy’
temporary R&B albums artists, almost no matter
where producers typically what they released, they
vary throughout the proj- would get a nomination
ect, as opposed to country because of their name rec-
and rock albums, where ognition and fan base.”
fewer producers are pres- The rock, R&B and country
ent.Beyonce’s “Lemon- genres are other genres
ade,” Drake’s “Views” and that have nomination re-