We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about the Grammys, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the prestigious award ceremony that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: The Winners Aren’t Decided by the Recording Academy
This is one of the most common misconceptions about the award ceremony. Instead of actually voting for the winners, the Recording Academy chooses who the voting members actually are. Voting members must meet certain requirements, and while some academy members are voting members as well, not all of them are.
Number Seven: But The Recording Academy Gets All the Backlash
Every year, at least one artist feels shafted and blames the Recording Academy for not being nominated. The academy is used to the backlash even though they don’t actually select who’s nominated.
Number Six: Voting for the Grammys Involves the Honors System
By that, we mean that voting members can vote in categories where they have absolutely no or minimal knowledge. However, Deloitte – the firm that collects the ballots – has stated that nobody has actually done this and that most voting members stay within the categories in which they are knowledgeable.
Number Five: The Recording Academy Has No Idea Who Wins
We already mentioned that the Recording Academy doesn’t actually choose the winners, and similarly, they have no knowledge of the winners before the ceremony. The only people who know the results before the ceremony belong to the firm of Deloitte.
Number Four: The Awards Used to Be Called Eddies
It’s true! Before they were called Grammys, they were called Eddies. The ceremony itself used to be called the Gramophone Awards as well.
Number Three: The First Ceremony Was in 1959 But Didn’t Air on Television Until 1971
Though the first Grammy ceremony occurred in 1959, the first ceremony to be aired live on television wasn’t until 1971. ABC aired the very first live Grammy ceremony.
Number Two: Each Award Takes Up to 20 Hours to Make
The trophies themselves are made in Colorado and are made from an alloy containing zinc and aluminum. Each award requires about 15 to 20 hours of time to make and the details are incredibly intricate.
Number One: There are 48 ‘Stunt’ Grammys
The trophies you see at the ceremony are not the trophies the artists end up receiving. In fact, there are 48 “stunt” Grammies used during the live awards, and the artists’ actual trophies are sent to them in the mail. We hope you enjoyed our list of 15 things you didn’t know about the Grammys!