Steve Stoute spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the letter he wrote to the Grammy board published in the New York Times but seen first here on the.LIFE Files.
THR: What was the impetus for your open letter to the Grammys? Was it when Arcade Fire won for Album of the Year?
Steve Stoute: What honestly triggered it was sitting with some really big credible artists after the show, and hearing them complaining that, “This is crazy,” “We need to start our own show,” or “This doesn’t make any sense.” For me, it wasn’t Arcade Fire winning that was the problem, it was them performing twice. After the backstage moment, the production was set for them to perform again. But if Eminem had won, would he have performed again? That’s when it was, like, “This is fake now.”
THR: Are you implying that the Grammys are fixed?
Stoute: I’m implying that the Grammys are flawed, and that they need to acknowledge it finally.
THR: And that was the intent of the ad?
Stoute: The intent was to point out that the popular artists are used to sell the show and to get ratings. In fact, NARAS publicized that it was the highest rated Grammys since 2001, yet those same artists are not getting the critical recognition they deserve. The Grammys didn’t use Esperanza Spalding in the promos to sell the show. They used Justin Bieber and Eminem. Yet Eminem, who’s nominated for 10 awards, doesn’t win Album of the Year. Arcade Fire does. Like when the Marshall Mathers LP, which has sold 19 million copies around the world and is one of the greatest albums ever made, lost out to Steely Dan. Or when U2 lost to [the] O Brother, Where Art Thou? [soundtrack]. It doesn’t stop.
THR: You’ve taken Esperanza Spalding to task in particular…
Stoute: Because there are many people who hadn’t even heard of her. By the way, this was her third album, not her first, but she wins Best New Artist over Drake and Justin Bieber? How did this happen? I was sitting there watching the awards show with very prominent executives, one of them had to Google her. And I’m not saying I don’t like her music, because that’s not the point. What Drake and Justin Bieber did to cut through and become global brands, it’s hard for anybody to argue that they’re not Best New Artist.
THR: We’re estimating that the ad cost around $40,000, care to comment?
Stoute: The ad was expensive, but the price pales in comparison to the torture that artists are going through. It wasn’t about spending that kind of money. It’s, how could you not make that statement
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FUCK THE GRAMMY’S
FUCK THE GRAMMYS!
and that man may die in hell for praising Justin Bieber.
OUCH!
FUCK STEVE STOUTE!
We don’t need another awards. Everything is covered.
lol @ the artists being “tortured”. Justin Bieber & Drake performed at the Grammys anyway.
ok lets clear up something… if the Grammy’s promotes and has people performing it shouldn’t matter one bit if they get an award or not. It’s not like the performers aren’t getting publicity for being on the show. Lets not get into the whole poor little me area with this.
Now where I totally agree with Stoute is that they should recognize artists for doing the amazing. Drake and Bebier is a pretty good example of new artist. Good for him spending his own cash to make a statement. Stand up and speak your mind rather than sit down when you believe something is wrong.
FUCK THE GRAMMYS
The fuck he just say? Arcade Fire new album is better than Relapse in my opinion and the critics too. Omar epps twin brother needs to shut the fuck up. Probably making money somehow from these artists he is defending. Fuck the Grammy’s anyways. They fell off since they didn’t give Kanye or Amy Winehouse album of the year back in 2008. Plus they fail to really put the actual great music and mostly select artists to be nominated who are ok to bad but always on the radio or as background music on MTV shows.
Make yourself useful Steve and go and find Nas and tell him to release another album sooner and tell Def Jam to stop treating dude like shit.
Fuck Grammys and Steve Stoute (art trumps sales)
Fuck MTV,BET and all that commercialized shit. Turn that TV off and read a book. Fuck grammys! They can eat a DICK! Real hip hop lives underground and blogs. Drake is no where as good as most of the cats that are independent hip hop artists.
Tired of this shit. Dumbed down, pointless music and people fucken dickriding it and defending it.
He makes some really good points.
The Grammy’s have never been worth anything, but I’m not trying to hear anybody who thinks Justin Bieber should have got an award.
You are not an artist at all if U believe sales outweighs artistry. Sales is sales, and art is priceless.
The Grammy’s have no depth and if you are waiting for the approval of that group, you might be in that same boat.
Alicia Keys won 8 Grammys for her first Bullsh*t album and they couldn’t even give India Arie 1that same night. That should be your first hint that they are not credible.
Diana Ross has no Grammys? The Supremes are legendary!!!!