I.Background Information
The Grammy Awards are the music equivalent to the Emmy Awards for television,the Tony Awards for stage performances,and the Academy Awards for motion pictures.The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959,and it was set up to honor musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958.Following the 2011 ceremony,NARAS overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012.The 54th Grammy Awards were held on February 12,2012,at the Staples Center in Los Angeles,California.
The Grammy Awards had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s.As the recording executives chosen for the Walk of Fame（Tabinda Walk）committee worked at compiling a list of important recording industry people who might qualify for a Walk of Fame star,they realized there were many more people who were leaders in their business who would never earn a star on Hollywood Boulevard.The music executives decided to rectify this by creating an award given by their industry similar to the Oscars and the Emmys.This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.After it was decided to create such an award,there was still a question of what to call it；one working title was the Eddie,to honor the inventor of the phonograph,Thomas Edison.They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner,the gramophone,for the awards,which were first given for the year 1958.
The gold⁃plated trophies,each depicting a gilded gramophone,are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway,Colorado.In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped,changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage,and making the trophy bigger and grander.The trophies with the recipient's name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements,so“stunt”trophies are re⁃used each year for the broadcast.
Record companies and individuals may submit recordings to be nominated.Nominations are made online and a physical copy of the work is sent to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.Once a work is entered,reviewing sessions are held,by more than 150 experts from the recording industry,to determine whether the work is eligible and entered in the correct category for official nomination.
The resulting list is circulated to all NARA Smembers,each of whom may vote to nominate in the general field（Record of the Year,Album of the Year,Song of the Year,and Best New Artist）and in no more than nine out of 30 other fields on their ballots.The five recordings that earn the most votes in each category become the nominees.There may be more than five nominees if there is a tie in the nomination process.
Whereas members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are generally invited to screenings or are sent DVDs of movies nominated for Oscars,NARAS members do not receive nominated recordings.
After nominees have been determined,final voting ballots are sent to Recording Academy members,who may then vote in the general fields and in no more than eight of the 30 fields.NARAS members are encouraged,but not required,to vote only in their fields of expertise.Ballots are tabulated secretly by the major independent accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.Following the tabulation of votes the winners are announced at the Grammy Awards.The recording with the most votes in a category wins and it is possible to have a tie.Winners are presented with the Grammy Award and those who do not win are given a medal for their nomination.
In both voting rounds,Academy members are required to vote based upon quality alone,and not to be influenced by sales,chart performance,personal friendships,regional preferences or company loyalty.The acceptance of gifts is prohibited.Members are urged to vote in a manner that preserves the integrity of the academy.
Prior to 1971,the Grammy Award ceremonies were held in different locations on the same day.Originally New York City and Los Angeles were the host cities.Chicago joined being a host city in 1962,and then Nashville became the fourth location in 1965.
The 1971 ceremony,held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles,was the first to take place in one location.The ceremony was then moved to Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum in New York City,and then Nashville's Tennessee The atre in the following two years.Then from 1974 to 2003,the Grammys were held in various venues in New York City and Los Angeles.Notable locations included New York City's Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall；and Los Angeles'Shrine Auditorium,the Staples Center and the Hollywood Palladium.
In 2004,the Staples Center became the permanent home of the award ceremonies.The Grammy Museum was built across the street from Staples Center in LA Live to preserve the history of the Grammy Awards.Embedded on the sidewalks at the museum streets are bronze disks,similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame,honoring each year's top winners,Record of the Year,Best New Artist,Album of the Year,and Song of the Year.