Grammys – The long and the short.

While many may find the three and hour live Grammy show too long, others revel in the global music industrys lovefest.

Like most concepts that were seen as traditional appointment viewing the Grammys has evolved out from it’s original form, in this case an award show, to be a part of a 365 day marketing platform. Focus in the broadcast component has moved from purely honouring “the best” music of the previous year to focussing on “once in a lifetime” live collaborations. The strategy here is appeal to the widest possible audience… a classical pianist alongside Metallica, baby boomer icon Carole King with newcomer Sara Bareilles, Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder and so on. It also leverages the idea that this is an once a year live event that cannot be missed. While the audience peaks for the traditional television broadcast there are options delivery for viewers to binge or snack on content on their tablet, phone or pc.

I’m passionate about music, so I binged on the Grammy’s. On the day live streaming of the event started 4 hours before the CBS event broadcast. The global online audience could choose from 4 feeds. This coverage is not just focussed on red carpet walkups or interviews. There are scores of awards across genres handed out at a separate event during the afternoon. Presented by Cyndi Lauper this element was looser, but still featured mothers and managers being thanked by winners, along with several live performances. The quality of the stream was so good I watched it on the flatscreen. On their live site you can view a seemingly endless collection of clips of this content. The site also aggregated social media content for trending artists featured, ensuring it was the premium destination for Grammy content.

Another innovation the Grammys introduced this year was the introduction of an award for a music teacher. Designed to reach out beyond the elite and create participatory involvement, Americans could nominate a teacher from their community through “Grammy in the Schools”. Over 30,000 teachers were nominated.

So while most may have a fleeting connection with this platform, there is a deeper experience for those who seek it out.