... I know the 2015 Juno's were a couple weeks ago now... but a couple things are still rollin' around in my brain.
Just to get it out in the open, I thought the televised show was decent... it was good wholesome entertainment... and once you connect the dots between the broadcaster and their target audience... I think they nailed it. Lots of Mom's really liked it. ... but as far as the actual "awards" go... how does Tanya Tagaq's album Animism win a Polaris Prize, win a Juno for Aboriginal Album of the year, but left off the list for Album Of The Year??? I've heard it, so have many bloggers and music critics... and actual music fans... it's pretty frickin' good! She just got praise for her performance at SXSW too! I'm not sure if it's sales based or what... it could be... probably is... anyway... *cough*politics*cough* Who made the list for album of the year? In a time when it's so easy to showcase great upcoming and/or relevant talent... Leonard Cohen, and host's band Hedley could've been left off the list. Even though I'm not a hater of Nickelback, they could've given up their spot on the list too... they don't need the press... they're doing ok. Not that they showed up anyway. Speaking of... this is another thing that stood out... in a bad way. At the end of the broadcast (host) Jacob Hoggard, sang a quick jab towards Nickelback... "Thank you Nickelback wasn't here." The audience kinda laughed it off as "wow... Jacob just said that!?" Yeah, it's in the script... we're still expecting a guy in his mid 30's who's paid to act like a late-teen to "speak his mind" and "keep the censors on their toes". ... yeah I'm going "quotes" crazy today... gonna switch to italics for a bit. ... but seriously, it's a little ironic since Hoggard is known by Mom's for doing really good on a TV/karaoke show, where he sang other peoples hit songs, eventually fronting a band most likely performing songs still written by other people... decides to take a jab at a band who has quite a few hit songs under their belt and whose frontman has written quite a few hit songs for other artists, that is still selling out arenas and playing all over the world... ... maybe they're too busy to attend the award show you've been asked to host because broadcasters options were most likely extremely limited. ... again... not that Jacob did a bad job of hosting. The thing is... the sad thing is... as far as rock (and arguably music industry in general) goes, Nickelback are A-List. A-List doesn't go to the Junos unless they have a really good reason. Who else wasn't in attendance? Michael Buble, Justin Bieber, Arcade Fire (pretty sure), Drake... even if you don't like any of them, they bring a level of credibility because of their current/relevant success on an international level. Think about it... Drake hosted the 2014 ESPY Awards... which is sports... but he can't be bothered to go back to the bottom and attend the Juno's. He'll lend his name and profile to the Toronto Raptors... a team originally mocked by NBA fans, associating their purple jerseys to Barney The Dinosaur... still cooler than attending the Junos. Last thing... I feel the Juno's are in this awkward gray area of what it wants to be... and what it should or can be. There's lots of great talent in Canada... but it's really hard for them to find the support financially. It's on a crutches most of the time, propped up with government loans and grants... I'll get into that another time... but either make the Juno Awards simply a celebration of Canadian music (which it leans heavily towards with how unapologetically Canadian it is, probably excluding a lot of non-Canadians who may be in attendance), and stop trying to compete with the Grammy's... ... or stop talking about Canada/being Canadian every 2 minutes (30 seconds American), drop the cash, and make it an event the A-List wants to attend. Make it the ultimate PR stop for those artists... like the Much Music Video Awards/MMVA's. Remember that? The music station that doesn't play music videos anymore... not that anybody would see them since nobody has cable... then again the kids don't look to cable TV to hear new music anyway... Fear of being left out of something cool is a big deal for any artist who cares about their image... and they all care about their image. I'd be surprised if anybody involved has reached out and asked them why they don't attend. Personally, I'd like to see us drop the "Canadian Grammy". We can't compete with their format plus they already do it pretty well. I think it'd be so much better if it was a 2-3hr long show, showcasing the talent and accomplishments from Canadian artists, east coast to west coast, as many genres and cultures as we can manage to fit... focusing on performances of nominees and winners. Artists who are surviving and growing internationally... not just putting their hometown, but country on the map. Lot's of Mom's really liked the show... but I doubt any of them knew who The Weeknd was... one of the biggest names there. Now they know... and this could've been the case for so many other winners and nominees. Everyone talks about wanting to keep it real... hear "real musicians" and "real singers"... real talent. It'd be nice if the Juno's dared to be different... hell... Juno's and Grammy's are made up things anyway! Considering which direction the cable companies are going, it's just a matter of time until the cool kids get the idea to do their own award show and broadcast it on YouTube. The gamers did it... not that they're cool though. *cough* - Mike
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Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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