MUSICARES IN VEGAS: THE STATE OF PLAY

As the music biz attempts to make the best of the hand it’s been dealt—a postponed Grammy Awards moved to Vegas, with a COVID wild card—the Recording Academy is assessing its odds for Grammy week.

Clive’s 2022 Pre-Grammy Gala was officially put on ice last week, and numerous question marks surround the annual MusiCares event, which is said to be slated for Friday night (April Fools Day, as it happens) at the MGM Grand, where the Grammys will also take place, on 4/3.

It's expected that Vegas hotels and casinos will fill the seats of the event with high rollers but that industry turnout will be conspicuously low. A majority of the biz insiders we’ve heard from feel holding the gala in Vegas is a huge mistake, one that gives everyone an excuse not to go. Just imagine if that big industry gathering were held in L.A. in April, with everyone dressed to the nines and ready for a night of schmoozing as they greet people they haven’t seen in person for two years.

Many are pondering the wisdom of bringing Joni Mitchell to a Vegas gala in her honor, even given the latest reduction in cases. Meanwhile, we’re told no headliner has been booked for the event. What’s more, even with COVID protocols in place, the idea of multiple gatherings in the days leading up to the big show is generating real concern; it’s feared that taking part in Friday night’s gala could disqualify an act or presenter from entering the Grammy production bubble on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the industrywide disinclination to spend multiple nights in Sin City—a notion more appealing to twentysomething party monsters than music professionals—continues to build, even as COVID cases decline. In fact, more than a few music CEOs are reportedly shelving their companies’ annual Grammy wingdings.

That said, MusiCares is a vital revenue source for the Academy and does much good work, so considerable energy has gone into surmounting the obstacles noted above. Will enough industry players ante up to make it work?