The end of the year calls for reflection — hence our 2023 Popdust Music Awards, celebrating all of the terrific music we reveled in last year. And now, the beginning of the year is a time of anticipation. For that, they are 2024 Artists to Watch, which also means that Awards Season is right around the corner.
Starting with the Golden Globes on January 7, we are about to experience countless red carpet shots, couples debuts ( still waiting for you, Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan), and teary-eyed acceptance speeches.
While there are the BAFTAs, the Emmys, the Oscars, and the SAG Awards, my speciality is music. And there is no bigger mecca for musicians than the GRAMMY Awards. Held on February 4, 2024, and hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the GRAMMYs are music’s biggest night.
Awards Season brings out everyone’s inner critic. Suddenly, we think we know more than the Recording Academy. Every year, there are viral moments and scandalous decisions. The Recording Academy ultimately outrages the general public in some way or another — and inevitably, fandoms will take to apps like X to become the next Joan Rivers.
It’s a delicious time of year when your favorite celebrities are forced out of hiding and into the spotlight, and we can’t wait. To get everyone in the spirit of judgment, here are some way-too-early GRAMMY predictions for the year!
Record Of The Year: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
Any Kid Harpoon song is a classic, and Cyrus’ return from a brief hiatus from music was met with high marks. It was Spotify’s most streamed song in a week ever, spent time at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100, and was the fastest song in Spotify history to reach 1 billion streams.
Album Of The Year: Midnights by Taylor Swift
She’s won this coveted award three times already, and it’s impossible to discredit the year of Taylor Swift. She is on track for the highest-grossing tour of all time with the Eras Tour, Midnights is Apple Music’s biggest pop album of all time in terms of first-day streaming, and the album is the reason she was all 10 of Billboard’s Top 10 Songs (the first time all women have dominated the charts ever). Give Swift her flowers.
Song Of The Year: “A&W” by Lana Del Rey
Another Jack Antonoff production, Lana Del Rey’s album is a spiritual awakening. With an essence of transcendentalism and a hint of gospel, it’s Lana to her core. “A&W” is hailed Song of the Year by many already, and it’s time we recognize her for the artist she is, was, and always will be.
Best New Artist: Ice Spice
I haven’t seen many people rise to the top as quickly as Ice Spice, nor have I seen someone garner such a passionate fanbase. The rapper has hits like “Deli” and collabs with rap queen Nicki Minaj on “Barbie World” and Taylor Swift on “Karma”, not to mention her Munchkin drink at Dunkin Donuts.
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Jack Antonoff
Not only is Antonoff the mastermind behind many Taylor Swift albums, including Midnights, but he has Lana Del Rey’s multi-nominated album, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard?,” under his belt. He can’t miss, and for that, he wins.
Best Pop Solo Performance: “What Was I Made For? [From The Major Motion Picture Barbie]”
This song is stunning, productionally perfect, and sonically flawless. Billie and Finneas continue to grow as an unstoppable singer-songwriter duo who can make any song fit any moment.
Best Pop Vocal Album: GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo wanted to have fun with her sophomore album following the immense pressure and success of her debut, SOUR. With GUTS, we had viral singles yet again that promise Rodrigo is here for the long haul.
Best Dance/Electronic Recording: “Strong” by Romy + Fred again…
Developing a cult following in the electronic music world, Fred again… is one of the hottest house dance artists in the world right now. Following a successful bout of live shows and reaching fans on almost every platform imaginable, “Strong” is a winner.
Best Pop Dance Recording: “Rush” by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan understands how to make out-of-the-box pop music, and seals it with one hell of a dance number. He’s the embodiment of a popstar, and “Rush” was just an example of the high precedent he’s set.
Best Rock Performance: “Not Strong Enough” by boygenius
Compiled of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus, boygenius is a supergroup showing the world how to rock again. “Not Strong Enough” showcases what each member brings to the group in one sound synergy.
Best Rock Album: Starcatcher by Greta Van Fleet
Hailed as The Next Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet brings you on a journey with their Starcatcher album. Each song a delight, Greta Van Fleet has developed their sound and found their stride.
Best R&B Performance: “Kill Bill” by SZA
SOS is one of the best albums of the year, and while I don’t see it winning in the Big 4 due to competitors like Swift, I still think it wins in general. “Kill Bill” was one of the biggest songs and continues to be one of the most viral.
Best Rap Performance: “Rich Flex” by Drake & 21 Savage
The saying “I like what Drake likes” holds true for many…and the collaboration album, Her Loss, with 21 Savage was one of the biggest of the year. “Rich Flex” makes sense for two of the biggest rappers out there right now.
Best Rap Album: Heroes & Villains by Metro Boomin’
Metro Boomin’ is the rapper and producer responsible for countless hits like Migos’ “Ric Flair Drip”. His Heroes & Villains album is a masterclass for high quality rap, intricate detail in production and songwriting, and straight up hits.
Watch the 2024 Grammy Awards live on February 4, 2024 at 8 PM EST exclusively on Paramount+!
Actually, Spotify Does Pay Their Artists
After Universal Music Group, the largest record label in the industry, took all their artists' music off TikTok after failure to reach an agreement on AI usage of their artists and safety...people are now more than ever looking into how artists are treated on platforms where their music is the main focus. For TikTok, it's detrimental- they tried to punish UMG, and now they're paying the price.
At the 2024 Grammy Awards this Sunday, there were tons of controversial moments: should Taylor have brought Lana Del Rey onstage, should this person have won, what was that person wearing? But one of the more subtle digs was taken by host Trevor Noah, who commented on the UMG-TikTok battle by including another well-known streaming platform,
"Shame on you, TikTok, for ripping off artists. How dare you do that? That’s Spotify’s job!”
Without artists and their music, there would be no streaming platform to be had...and Spotify knows that, which is why they've been tracking their royalty payments to the music industry though their Loud & Clear report. The Loud & Clear report comes out every March and shows exactly how Spotify pays it back. According to their site,
"Nearly 70% of that revenue is paid back as royalties to rights holders, who then pay the artists and songwriters, based on the agreed terms."
This means that whatever Spotify is making from these artists and labels, and their music, they're making sure it gets back to them. It should be a mutually beneficial experience: one where both the artist and their representation trust that their work will be valued and protected (and thus, properly compensated), and where the platform also gains traffic from an artist's fans.
Today, Spotify announced that they've paid labels over $9 billion to give us a glimpse of their Loud & Clear report. In an exclusive statement to Popdust, a Spotify spokesperson states,
"Spotify paid record labels and publishers – which represent artists and songwriters – more money than ever in 2023: $9B+. That figure has nearly tripled over the past six years, and represents a big part of the $48B+ Spotify has paid since its founding."