Music industry feud steals spotlight from awards
By David Bauder
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Usher, Mick Jagger and Cher will perform on next week's American Music Awards, while Sean "P. Diddy" Combs tries his hand at being a television host.
But none of that promises to be quite as fun as the backstage bickering that has consumed music's two big awards shows.
The bad feelings burst into the open last month when Dick Clark, executive producer of the American Music Awards, essentially accused the Grammy Awards of blacklisting artists who appear on Clark's show.
Clark said in a lawsuit that Michael Greene, head of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, strong-armed Michael Jackson into breaking a promise to appear on the AMAs. The AMAs air Jan. 9, and the Grammys are held Feb. 27.
Greene has denied wrongdoing, and Clark said Jackson has subsequently agreed to appear on the American Music Awards.
Yet Billboard reported that in 1995, Greene told the music industry publication that "artists who perform on the AMAs might as well buy a ticket to the Grammys, because it's unlikely they'll be performing on our stage."
The Recording Academy argues that with a limited amount of airtime, it makes no sense to have artists on the Grammys who performed at another awards show a month earlier.
"This is a situation where, in all honesty, I got fed up," Clark said. "I don't take kindly to being pushed around."
A week or so after the spat became public, Clark said Jackson phoned him to say he will appear on the AMAs, to accept the organization's Artist of the Century award. Clark is going forward with his lawsuit, however.
Jackson won't perform at the AMAs. But because of a delicious bit of television gamesmanship, viewers will be able to see him sing by clicking their remotes.
CBS, who televises the Grammys, scheduled a rerun of the Jackson tribute concert from last November to air directly opposite the American Music Awards on ABC.
Clark's show, with winners chosen on the basis of record sales, has faded in the TV ratings recently in comparison with the Grammys. The Grammy awards have worked hard to overcome a hopelessly unhip image.
In 2001, for example, the AMAs drew 16.2 million viewers to the Grammys' 26.7 million.
As recently as 1996, the two shows had the same size audience. In 1993, the AMAs had 35 million viewers and the Grammys had just under 30 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Lenny Kravitz, R. Kelly and Shaggy will compete for favorite male pop artist in the AMAs, while Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Lopez are up for the top female award. The Dave Matthews Band, 'N Sync and U2 are the nominees for favorite group.
On the Web:
americanmusicawards.com
