The show, organized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences [NARAS] and its offshoot, the Latin Recording Academy, will take place Sept. 15 in Los Angeles at an unspecified arena. The event will be broadcast nationally on CBS television as well as being seen in 120 countries worldwide. The Academy will announce the nominations in August. There will be 40 categories, including the major general categories: record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist. In addition, other music genres will be honored by the awards include pop, rock, tropical, regional, traditional, jazz and Brazilian.
``We are anticipating the first annual Latin Grammy Awards to be the world's largest and most important celebration of Latin music, while also honoring the creative achievements and diversity of this vast world of music,'' NARAS president and CEO Michael Greene, said at a news conference.
Singer Gloria Estefan said, ``We are going to get a vehicle to give the world our music. We are thrilled that this is happening and that Latin music is finally getting a platform.''
Los Angeles will not be the permanent home of the Latin Grammys. The Academy expects to hold subsequent shows in various Latin countries. The Latin Recording Academy considered Miami as a possible venue but decided against it, because Cuban musicians from the island would not be able to take part in the show. The reason being that Miami-Dade County law bans county-owned facilities from doing business with any group that includes representatives from Cuba.
For the latest news and views in Latin music be sure to check out these web sites:
La Musica.com - This site has features, events, gossip, and interviews with your favorite Latin music stars. English/Spanish URL: http://www.lamusica.com/
eritmo.com - This site brings Latin artists, fans and the music industry together in an unprecedented way. English/Spanish URL: http://www.eritmo.com/eritmo_htmls/index...
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