Do Music Awards Matter? Nomad and Lola on the Grammys (Episode 156)

Reliability beats virtuosity.

Is a Grammy the key to a music career? A lot of artists grow up believing it is. In Episode 156 of The Career Musician, Nomad welcomes Lola as the show's new media correspondent, and the two of them dig into a simple question: what do music awards really mean for artists?

Lola brings her media smarts and her perspective as an indie artist. Nomad brings 30 years as a working career musician. They don't fully agree, and that is what makes it worth a listen.

The trophy versus the repeat call

Lola is upfront about it. The Grammys are like the Super Bowl for musicians, and for her as an artist, that trophy was always the goal.

"The Grammys are like the Super Bowl for musicians, at least for this artist. My goal was always to get that Grammy."

Lola, 1:03

Nomad has never cared. He started doing gigs around 16 or 17, and all he wanted was to do the best he could on the gig, be the best guitarist he could be, and get hired again and again. He wasn't athletic as a kid, and part of why music pulled him in was that it wasn't about stats and trophies like sports.

"I was just concerned about doing the best I can on the gig, being the best musician I could be, and getting hired over and over again. I just wanted repeat business."

Nomad, 1:20

That is the career musician's scoreboard. Not the award. The next call. Work begets work, and reliability beats virtuosity every time.

Apples versus bananas

Lola's take on competition shows like The Voice and The X Factor: picking the most talented is nearly impossible, because music is subjective. What you like, someone else might not. Apples and bananas are not the same thing. Even the Grammys, the table agrees, can feel like a popularity contest that rewards whoever is most active and most visible.

By the end, Nomad is blunt: he is tired of artists being pitted against each other, and he doesn't think measuring talent applies to musicians. Music is supposed to unite people, not divide them.

Artists going beyond the mic

What does impress them is artists building careers beyond their main instrument. Lola points to Lizzo hosting and creating shows, and to Rihanna, who found ways to make money far beyond singing. That is the TCM pillar The Biz in action: diversify or die.

On Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show, the table makes a point every musician should remember. Halftime performers generally don't get paid for the show itself. The value is the audience, and the table notes that more people tuned in for those 13 minutes than were watching the game. That is the power of music.

One more number from the table: there are 28 music themed award shows, and award season now runs all year. If you chase trophies, you will never run out of things to chase.

The takeaway

Awards can be great. They are not the career. The career is the next gig, the repeat call, and the ways you build income beyond the stage. If you want to focus on the scoreboard that actually pays, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.