Musicians Call Grammys Cuts "Subtle Racism"

The Grammys cut or consolidated several categories for the 2012 ceremony, mostly among non-pop, non-western styles of music. For example, Latin Jazz artists will have to submit their work to the best jazz instrumental, or jazz with vocal, and Hawaiian, Native American, and Zydeco artists will get lumped into the regional or "roots" music category. (Via Jezebel )

To the average listener of American pop music, this probably doesn't seem like a huge issue, but to these artists it is, because a grammy even in a "niche" category translates to greater visibility and greater sales. Carlos Santana, one of the artists protesting the cuts calls, it a "subtle form of racism," saying: "To remove Latin Jazz and many other ethnic categories is doing a huge disservice to the brilliant musicians who keep the music vibrant for their fans -- new and old. ... We strongly protest this decision and we ask you to represent all of the colors of the rainbow when it comes to music and give ethnic music a place in the heart of music lovers everywhere." (via The Atlantic)