Some of you might recall a similar post on this news before. I would have avoided posting this if not for the Rahmantic 'Kalyan'. That one was thought to be a scam and so here I am , trying to correct the confusion.
http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/entertainment/2009072029737.htm It is true. Rahman's Godfather [Tamil] soundtrack has been nominated for Best Indian Album. In addition, two tracks from this album are nominated for Best Indian Song. Why is this Special ? Two reasons - 1. The nominations process started last november before the Oscars hawa. Around 46,000 albums from 160 countries were submitted. The nominees list includes chosen and best work in each category from around the world. By the time the winners are announced, it would be a truly stupendous filtering process done by around 8000 judges on a purely non-profit basis. Anyone can apply to become a judge but voting fraud is strictly prohibited. Judges include previous Oscar winners, grammy winners, celebrated veterans, musicians and current generation stars. 2. Mozartic Rahman is in this race for this year with Maestro Illaiyraja :) which makes it a special moment to watch. Why is this not scam ? Two reasons - 1. The awards are sponsored by CD Baby, Diskmakers, Taxi and ourstage - all multi-million dollar enterprises. CD Baby is the largest independent music distributor in the United States. 2. The Just Plain folks foundation has been doing this on a non-profit, non-political basis since 2000. The organization itself has been in place since 1998, even before google was born. 3. Several other artists like Krosswindz, a popular Bangla band from Kolkatta have made press releases about their nominations. 4. I am personally nominated for my debut album and I thought it was scam too. I had to read through the facts and talk to local friends to know why CD Baby is sponsoring it ! Why is Rahman listed as malaysia ? Reason - 1. Illaiyaraja is listed as malaysia as well. The reason is that both these legends are being marketed/distributed by malaysian based AGI music http://www.agimusic.com/. They were not smart enough to update Artist's location on CD baby for each artist separately. Why is Rahman's album listed in folk song ? -- Rahman is not listed in the folk song category . His album is listed in the Indian Album category. The AWARDS are being given out by a non-profit called 'JUST PLAIN FOLKS', folks as in people. not folk songs :) What are the odds of winning ? For Rahman, very high. Can I help ? yes, ofcourse. There is around 8000 judges voting for these awards to pick the best music from around the planet. Judges include previous Academy award winners, Grammy winners, popular celebrities and even normal music lovers like you and me. You can apply too ! To register, http://wilshiremedia.com/jpf/signup.aspx By the time voting finishes, less than 20-40 musicians from around the world would win an award. It would be a rare privilege for an artist to be in that list - because voting is done based on one singular criterion - 'Does this music move you ?'. I am not allowed to canvas for an artist. So, all I can say is vote for the best music ;) Regards, Uday jarajapu founder, shabdalayam llc p.s: Speaking on the ocassion, Brian Whitney, the founder of Just Plain Folks awards, said, " We do this work as volunteers because we believe it's important to recognize great music without all the political and business baggage that often goes along with such things. Our sole focus is on the music itself and if it 'moves' the listener. Our judges in particular were not remotely concerned with the names attached to the works. Since we used primarily Western judges, some names that are familiar in India, still are not familiar to many of us. It was particularly interesting to see that a mix of both famous and unknown artists rose to the top. It says a lot about those famous artists and their ability to touch listeners around the world equally as they have so long done in your region of the world, but it also says that other lesser known talent is deserving of attention and support as well. When you base decisions only on the music, often unpredictable things happen along with a few predictable ones. The fact that some well known artists rose to the top means they are truly making music that moves people and it's even more cause to celebrate their success. At the same time we want to recognize any artists or writers who may previously not have been recognized on equal footing". May music always win. May musicians create to heal.
