New Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston says he is “looking to do something quite exciting with independent venues” either in or around the 2021 show, according to a comment in an interview with Billboard.
. . . “It’s in and around Downtown L.A., is what we’re saying now, as we’re still trying to finalize the location,” [Interim Grammy chief Harvey Mason, Jr.] said.
If 2021 was a non-COVID-19 year, the Grammy Awards would be at the Staples Center. Without a crowd, having an awards ceremony in such a large space might seem a bit like being in an apocalyptic end time movie.
It looks like they might be looking for a smaller space. I wonder if they're looking at mid-size venues such as The Wiltern or El Rey Theatre. Of course, the problem with that thought is that The Wiltern is owned by Live Nation and the El Rey Theatre by AEG. There is also the Hollywood Palladium, but that is also owned by Live Nation. Those would hardly fit as independent venues. Maybe if the nominees are in separate locations and the host, award presenters and performers are in another you could see the Teragram Ballroom being used, which would better fit the term of an independent venue.
If it is COVID-19 safe, here's my idea:
1. Use an independent venue of decent size like the Teragram Ballroom for award presenters, hosts, main award nominees and some of the live performances.
2. Have nominees for select categories at various independent venues across the nation: say cities such as Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Portland and Seattle. At these venues you could have live performances.
3. Hold a fundraiser that would support both independent venues and musicians. Yes, Save Our Stages passed Congress and was signed by President Trump. It had $10 billion for the independent music industry. But as I've written, I just don't believe that $10 billion is enough to keep venues up and running for the 18 months I suspect they'll be shut down for (at least in California).
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