Photo courtesy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc.
Music is a very big business -- the U.S. recording industry produced about $12 billion worth of CDs, cassettes, LPs and singles in 2004 [ref], and most people listen to some of them every day. At the GRAMMY® Awards, the industry recognizes the people who create all this music. Unlike many other music awards, the GRAMMYs recognize artistic and technical achievements rather than sales success.

The GRAMMY ceremony itself has a red carpet, a throng of reporters and winners who thank the Academy, much like the Oscars and the Emmys. Awards night at the GRAMMYs, though, has as much to do with live performances as with who takes home the statuettes.

But who nominates the artists, and who selects the winners? In this article, you'll learn the answers to these and other questions about the GRAMMYs.

Musical Fields Recognized by the GRAMMYs
Album Notes
Musical Show
Alternative
New Age
Blues
Package
Children's
Polka
Classical
Pop
Comedy
Production, Classical
Composing/Arranging
Production, Non-Classical
Country
R&B
Dance
Rap
Film/TV/Visual Media
Reggae
Folk
Rock
Gospel
Spoken Word
Historical
Surround Sound
Jazz
Traditional Pop
Latin
World Music
Music Video