The60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. TheCBS network broadcast the show live fromMadison Square Garden inNew York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, as was the case in 2010 and 2014.[2]James Corden returned as host.[3]
The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which ran from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017. The nominations were announced on November 28, 2017. The "pre-telecast" ceremony (officially namedThe Premiere Ceremony) was held on the same day prior to the main ceremony.[4][5]
Bruno Mars was nominated for six awards and won all six on the night.[6][7]
DJ Dahi,Sounwave & Anthony Tiffith, producers; Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, James Hunt & Matt Schaeffer, engineers/mixers; K. Duckworth, D. Natche, M. Spears & A. Tiffith, songwriters;Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
Jack Antonoff & Lorde, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Jack Antonoff & Ella Yelich-O'Connor, songwriters;Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
Come from Away – Ian Eisendrath, August Eriksmoen,David Hein, David Lai & Irene Sankoff, producers; David Hein & Irene Sankoff, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Adamo: Becoming Santa Claus (Emmanuel Villaume, Kevin Burdette, Keith Jameson, Lucy Schaufer, Hila Plitmann, Matt Boehler, Jonathan Blalock, Jennifer Rivera & Dallas Opera Orchestra)
Aldridge: Sister Carrie (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Matt Morgan, Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, Stephen Cunningham, Adriana Zabala, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
Copland: Symphony No. 3; Three Latin American Sketches (Leonard Slatkin & Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
Death & The Maiden (Patricia Kopatchinskaja & The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Handel: Messiah (Andrew Davis, Noel Edison, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & Toronto Symphony Orchestra)
Allen Hughes, video director; Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood,Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo,Doug Pray & Steven Williams, video producers
Maro Chermayeff & Jeff Dupre, video directors; Joshua Bennett, Julia Marchesi, Sam Pollard, Sally Rosenthal, Amy Schewel & Warren Zanes, video producers
Two Trains Runnin' – (various artists)
Sam Pollard, video director; Benjamin Hedin, video producer
In June 2017, the Grammy organization announced a few minor changes to the voting and awarding process.[26]
As of 2018, voting members will cast their votes online rather than by paper ballot. This transition will provide greater flexibility for touring artists, eliminate the possibility of invalid ballots, and protect further against fraudulent voting.
All music creators, including songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers, mastering engineers and featured artists, which are credited with at least 33 percent or more playing time on the winning album will be eligible to receive a Grammy in theAlbum of the Year category. This is the first time songwriters are recognized in this category.
From this year on, Nominations Review Committees will be created and implemented for the Rap, Contemporary Instrumental, and New Age Fields.
From this year, the definition of Album is expanded in Classical, Dance, And Jazz Fields. To be eligible for Grammy consideration, an album must comprise a minimum total playing time of 15 minutes with at least five distinct tracks or a minimum total playing time of 30 minutes with no minimum track requirement.
An exception on the rule of only one version of a song allowed to enter in the Grammy Awards nomination process will be made in theBest Song Written for Visual Media category, allowing the film version of a track to be entered in the category, even if a different version of the track is submitted in other categories. In theBest Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category, eligibility guidelines have been amended to require soundtrack albums for a documentary or biopic to contain 51 percent or more of newly recorded music.
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards marked the first time since2003 that the ceremony was held in New York City. TheStaples Center in Los Angeles had been the home of the Grammys since 2000. The 2003 ceremony was also held at New York City'sMadison Square Garden. The fifteen-year gap between the 2003 and 2018 Grammys in New York marked the longest period of time New York went without hosting the awards.
With the main telecast being held at Madison Square Garden, the premiere ceremony (also known as the Pre-Telecast) was held at theHulu Theater.
Hosting the Grammy Awards in New York City resulted in the Grammy Awards costing more to organize, as the costs associated with hosting it in Los Angeles are significantly less. The awards cost $8 million more to host in New York City. The host committee that the city assembled failed to raise the money that they had initially promised. The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, which theBarclays Center (operated byAEG) was hoping to host, ended up being held atRadio City Music Hall, which is owned byThe Madison Square Garden Company.MusiCares funds, which were intended for charitable purposes, were instead used to pay for the $8 million cost overruns associated with hosting the Grammys in New York City.[27][28]
Dana Tomarken, the former executive VP of MusiCares, claims that Recording Academy presidentNeil Portnow directed these funds away from MusiCares to pay for the cost overruns. Dana Tomarken had been negotiating a deal to have the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute toFleetwood Mac to be held at theBarclays Center, but Portnow decided to have it at Radio City Music Hall, without consulting Tomarken.Irving Azoff who heads Azoff MSG Entertainment (which is affiliated with The Madison Square Garden Company), informed her of this change rather than Portnow consulting her first. Tomarken has since made a claim ofwrongful termination.[29][30] On June 5, 2018, an independent investigation was launched to examine the claims made by Dana Tomarken. The investigation also examined the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute as well assexual harassment allegations.[31] In May 2019, Tomarken claimed she was fired because she pushed back against the academy's "boys club". The academy allegedly tried to keep Tomarken's allegations from being fully made public. She also claimed that she struggled to find a suitable venue in New York for the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Fleetwood Mac. The Barclays Center offered up an acceptable deal, but Irving Azoff of the Madison Square Garden Company prevented the event from being held there. By having it at Radio City instead, the event was not a traditional VIP dinner, nor did it have a silent auction. This then prevented the event from turning a profit.[32]
On June 4, 2018, themayor's office weighed in on the controversy, saying their position was always to be "venue neutral" and denied any involvement in the venue controversy. The Barclays Center notified City Hall of their interest in being involved with Grammy week, andJulie Menin (the New York City Commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment) passed that information along to Grammy organizers.[33]
The show was moved to January to avoid competing with the2018 Winter Olympics inPyeongchang, as was the case in2010 and2014. Viewership for the ceremony dropped 24% compared to the previous year, obtaining the smallest audience in the show's history in the key demographic.[citation needed]
