THE GRAMMYS - IS POP MUSIC THE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE NO ONE TALKS ABOUT?

The 2023 Grammys faced backlash for Harry Styles’ ‘Album of the Year’ win. The winning album, ‘Harry’s House’, consisted of typical radio pop sounds, compared to Beyonce’s critically acclaimed ‘Renaissance’ which was praised for its innovative style and influences of 1970’s black dance music.

The Recording Academy, the presenters of the Grammys, have long been criticised for racial bias, both in the voting process and the results themselves. In all sixty-five ceremonies only eleven black artists have received the prestigious ‘Album of the

Year’ award. Beyoncé has missed out on winning this category four times out of the four she has been nominated; ‘Renaissance’ was placed at the top spot in year-end rankings by big publications such as Rolling Stone magazine and The Guardian in 2022 therefore, it was surprising to the public that she did not win the award due to the chart success of the album. Despite this ceremony seeing her become the most decorated artist at the Grammys (with a total of 32 awards) following her win for ‘Best Dance/ Electronic Album’ – Styles’ win of the top award has yet again raised questions regarding discrimination within the award show.

Thousands of members vote for each category but Rob Kenner, a Grammy screener, claims that “famous people tend to get more votes from clueless Academy members, regardless of the quality of their work,” and sometimes voters select music they have never listened to, meaning awards can be misallocated as a result. Thus, we are left to wonder if and how the Academy will reform the Grammys, or whether masterful explorations of other innovative genres continue to go unrecognised in favour of radio-friendly pop hits?

Lucas Goddard, Lower Sixth, Caswalls’ and Olivia Kenmir-Sherry, Lower Sixth, Penns

HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO BEFORE FFP RUINS YOUR FLOW?

Year after year, football teams continue to grow, and as their revenue increases so does their spending. But who controls how much they really can spend? A set of rules was introduced by UEFA in 2011, Financial Fair Play, a scheme to prevent clubs from spending more than they earn.

What is Financial Fair Play?

Financial Fair Play (FFP) is a set of regulations laid out by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), rules any team from Europe must adhere to; FFP prevents clubs from spending more on player’s wages and cost of buying players than they can earn. As of 2026 the rule is being adjusted to a maximum 70% of the club’s revenue can be spent on wages and transfer fee, of which can be balanced over a three-year period. Furthermore, governing bodies of a country such as the FA (Football Association) can set their own financial rules that clubs must also follow.

If teams break FFP rules they can be subject to a range of sanctions: fines, point deductions in their domestic leagues, a reduction in the number of players eligible to play in UEFA competitions, and a potential exclusion from future UEFA competitions such as the Champions League.

What if teams don’t follow FFP rules?

Recently, two English clubs have hit the headlines for failing to comply with the FFP rules, resulting in investigations being launched into the clubs, to see if these rules really have been broken.

Firstly, Chelsea have seen their new owner, Todd Boehly (American Businessman), spend over £600million in just 6 months, leading to many believing that they must have broken FFP rules. However,they have managed to avoid breaching any FFP regulations by giving new players contracts of 8-10years, allowing them to spread the cost of their transfer over a longer period. This is an example of a mortisation, a process of gradually writing off their costs.

Furthermore, Manchester City have been accused of breaking over 100 FFP regulations over a nineyearspan (20092018), resulting in an ongoing investigation into the club’s financial records. If foundguilty, Manchester City could face a variety of sanctions from the earlier list, this will also set aprecedent for the future as to how strict governing bodies are about clubs failing to comply with their financial rules.?

Lucas Lang and Bayley Seabrook, Lower Sixth, Swallow’s