New York, NY (Top40 Charts) There are few people on this planet who can say they truly don't like any kind of music. They may be picky, they may only like a very specific subset of one kind of music, but most people have at least one favorite song.
Music is part of life on earth from the very beginning. Some tribal cultures pound drums or play flutes, Happy Birthday is played in most countries around the world to announce the birthday of a loved one, and many toys are designed to make some kind of music or sound.
Music plays in our cars, in shopping malls, and on streaming services, and, in the age of social media, we feel more connected to the artists who make this music than ever before.
Billboard Music Award winners, for example, get a lot of free and excellent publicity for their hard work. Music awards are an enormous part of a musician's life. While making the best music they can should always be their real goal, a public acknowledgment like that goes a long way in an artist's career. There are seven awards in particular that hold the highest level of allure for artists and are coveted by everyone in the music industry. Let's take a look at them!
The Grammys
The Grammy Awards are widely regarded as the Oscars of the music world. This American award is mostly awarded for English language songs and nominees are chosen from classical, gospel, country, R&B, pop, rap, rock, reggae, and jazz along with others. Awards are given for songs, albums, productions, artists, and more. The very first Grammys took place in 1959.
The Brit Awards
As the name implies, the Brit Awards take place in the UK and used to honor UK artists exclusively, but now they are more inclusive. Since 1977, this exclusive award has been presented in conjunction with two others; the Classical Brits and the Brits Icon. A large portion of the proceeds from the event are given to charity and winners of the award are presented with an award in the shape of a voluptuous warrior woman.
MTV Video Music Awards
Undoubtedly one of the best-known music awards, especially among the younger generations, the MTV VMA's have been awarded since 1984. These awards focus on music videos as well as the songs they are made for and are typically awarded to younger artists. Many fans believe that the VMA's are not what they once were, but we love them just the same.
Billboard Music Awards
While many awards are based on the decisions of a panel of experts, the Billboard Awards are based on metrics. Winners will have the highest digital or physical sales, the number of streams, airplay, touring, and social media interactions. Billboard, a chart service in itself, tracks these metrics year round with the aid of its data partners. Essentially, how you interact with your favorite music dictates whether or not they win a Billboard Award.
The CMA Awards
If you're not a fan of good old-fashioned country, then the Country Music Association Awards are not for you. The country music industry is so varied and evolved that it really is necessary for the industry to have its own, dedicated awards ceremony. Every year since 1967, the CMA winners have been decided by more than 6,000 industry professionals who are a part of the Country Music Association.
The AMA's
The American Music Awards were originally created in 1973 as a response to ABC's contract with the Grammy's expiring. ABC wanted its own awards show and in the years since its inception, it has grown to be one of the most popular awards ceremonies in the world. Up until 2005, the winners were decided by industry experts. Since 2006, winners have been decided by fan votes.
The World Music Awards
We conclude with the most inclusive awards ceremony of all; the World Music Awards. The only awards ceremony that can claim to have been founded by royalty (Prince Albert II, of Monaco), the WMAs award the best performers in several categories from different regions all over the world. The event began in Monte Carlo and is hosted there to this day.
Wrap Up
If you love the music biz as we do, you should check out these exciting events once a year.
