Justin Bieber Defines What it Means to be a Modern Artist

Steve Stoute, ad man, brand manager and marketing mogul, just reached out through Sunday’s New York Times with a full page ad in the Style Section and gave the Grammy Awards a spanking, according to MTV. Stoute has called out the Grammy Awards, its parent organization, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), and its president, Neil Portnow, saying, “The awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions,” and asking, “How is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist?”
Stoute has drawn solid battle lines in the sand and there are people lining up on both sides. While some agree with his opinion that the “Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture,” others are saying the ad man is just doing whatever it takes to get his name out there.
Regardless of which side you’re with, one fact remains the same – the folks behind the Grammy’s thought Justin was good enough to perform for them, but not good enough for an award. If Esperanza Spalding had what it took to grab the Best New Artist award then why wasn’t she up there performing? Possibly because producers knew Justin would bring in a bigger audience? If that’s the case then I think Stoute has a point with his accusation of hypocrisy.