According to the Academy, Kalen and Drew

Without music life would be a mistake.- Friedrich Nietzsche 

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences is best known for the GRAMMY Awards. Each year the Recording Academy’s voting membership decides what artists and producers will be considered for and/or awarded a GRAMMY.

Each voting member can vote in up to 15 categories, but the voting results are not known until the day of the GRAMMY Awards when winners are announced on stage.

Due to difference in opinion, preference and sometimes talent, there is always public response to who receives a GRAMMY.

Due to its prestige, Album of the Year is one of the mostly scrutinized categories.

We then discussed how cultural impact should be decided.In a conversation a few weeks ago, my friend Drew stated that he believed cultural impact should be a criteria in choosing album of the year.

1. By how many times people of one culture are impacted by an album?
2. By how many people of different cultures are impacted by an album?

In communications those questions are defined as:

• frequency: how many times an individual is exposed to an message
• reach: how many individuals are exposed to a message at least once

Drew and I both agreed that reach was more important. Influencing people of different cultures and backgrounds has a greater social effect than only being able to influence individuals of the same culture.

Reaching various groups inspires creativity and demonstrates reliability, elements characteristic of the most influential and remembered art.