1 TRENDING TOPIC: THE GRAMMYS... NOW WHAT?

The Grammys have announced the end of the Secret Committee Era in awards consideration. Well, kudos for a proper first step toward fixing the egregious behavior that excluded The Weeknd from being nominated in ANY of the 13 categories in which he competed this year. This wasn’t the first “mistake” made by the Secret Committees; we can go back years and cite example after example of how their meddling and self-dealing tarnished the Grammys.

But it’s important to remember that the most recent decision was the final step in a lengthy process. First we were told the committees didn’t exist. Then we heard that they were only culling “egregious” mistakes from the semifinal round of voting. Then the line was that they were choosing from the top 15, based on the voting. Finally, we got the truth: that the committees were all-powerful and chose whomever the fuck their secret cabals wanted.

So, what are we supposed to believe going forward? One visible layer of decision-making is being removed. But I still don’t buy the notion that multiple Secret Committees chose to turn on the Weeknd at once. It seems far more likely that the decision to exclude this artist came from the TOP of the Grammy food chain, issued by whatever shadow government dwells there. It’s our collective responsibility to make sure the tainted, secretive mechanisms of old are replaced by a fair and equitable process that rewards the best of our shared community in the proper way.

The question remains: How transparent will the new process be? I believe there is still much work to do.