Grammy Awards category renamed to include ‘video games music’

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Budi Putra in Entertainment

In order to recognize video game music scores, the US Recording Academy has renamed “Motion, Television, or Other Visual Media” category into “Motion, Television, Video Games Music, or Other Visual Media”.

According to them, that’s part of Grammy Award’s evolution. “Every year, we diligently examine our Awards structure to develop an overall guiding vision and ensure that it remains a balanced and viable process,” said President/CEO Neil Portnow.

Check-out full version of the press release:

THE RECORDING ACADEMY CONTINUES EVOLUTION OF GRAMMY AWARDS PROCESS

Restructuring of Categories Across All Genres Brings Total Number of Categories to be Recognized at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2012 to 78; All Fields Remain Intact
Minimum Number of Entries Per Category Will Now Be 40, Up from 25

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 06, 2011) – In an effort to continuously evolve its GRAMMY® Awards process, The Recording Academy® (www.grammy.com) announced today that it has restructured the GRAMMY Categories across all genres and Fields, bringing the total number of Categories to be recognized at the 54th GRAMMY Awards in 2012, to 78 (from 109). All Fields remain the same. The announcement was made this morning at The Academy’s headquarters by President/CEO Neil Portnow, Academy Board Chair Emeritus and five-time GRAMMY winner Jimmy Jam, and Vice President of Awards Bill Freimuth. Additionally, a minimum of 40 distinct artist entries will be required in each Category (up from 25). Detailed information on these and other recent changes may be found at www.grammy.com/announcement. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

“Every year, we diligently examine our Awards structure to develop an overall guiding vision and ensure that it remains a balanced and viable process,” said Portnow. “After careful and extensive review and analysis of all Categories and Fields, it was objectively determined that our GRAMMY Categories be restructured to the continued competition and prestige of the highest and only peer-recognized award in music. Our Board of Trustees continues to demonstrate its dedication to keeping The Recording Academy a pertinent and responsive organization in our dynamic music community.”

For 53 years, The Recording Academy has recognized musical excellence with the GRAMMY Awards – the most prestigious and only peer-recognized award in music – and the awards have grown from 28 Categories in 1959, to awards in 109 Categories for the most recent 53rd GRAMMYs. This growth springs from a tradition of honoring specific genres and/or subgenres within a Field, and it has basically been approached one Category at a time without a current overall guiding vision and without consistency across the various genre Fields. In 2009, The Academy initiated a first-ever comprehensive evaluation of its Awards process, which led to a desire for change. A transformation of the entire Awards structure would ensure that all Fields would be treated with parity. Diligent research, careful analysis, and thoughtful discussion of all Fields resulted in an overarching framework and a restructuring of Categories to 78, and ensures that every submission continues to have a home.

In addition to the restructuring of Categories, two rule changes have been established and four Fields have been renamed. It is now expected that each Category shall have at least 40 distinct artist entries, up from 25. If a Category receives between 25 – 39 entries, only three recordings would receive nominations that year. Should there be fewer than 25 entries in a Category, that Category would immediately go on hiatus for the current year – no award given – and entries would be screened into the next most logical Category. If a Category receives fewer than 25 entries for three consecutive years, the Category would be discontinued, and submissions would be entered in the next most appropriate Category.

The second rule change is regarding voting. Previously, voting members were allowed to vote in up to nine genre Fields plus the General Field on the first ballot and eight genre Fields plus the General Field on the second ballot, including every category within each chosen Field. Now, on each ballot, voters may vote in up to 20 Categories in the genre Fields plus the four Categories of the General Field – which includes Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist.

Additionally, there are name changes to four Fields: Musical Show is now Musical Theater; the Film/ Television/Other Visual Media Field is now called Music For Visual Media; the Gospel Field has been renamed the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Field; and the Dance Field has been renamed the Dance/Electronica Field.

The Awards restructuring proposal was presented by The Recording Academy’s Awards & Nominations (A&N) Committee – comprised of elected Academy leaders from across the country representing various genres of the music community – and was voted on and passed by The Academy’s Board of Trustees – made up of musicians, producers, engineers, songwriters, and other music professionals. The A&N Committee spent more than a year reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the GRAMMY Awards process and Categories with great objectivity and fair-mindedness, before presenting its recommendations to the Board of Trustees for ratification. While at times incredibly challenging for each member of the committee to restructure Categories in their own respective genres, the greater purpose of promoting unity within the music community and ensuring that all Fields be treated with parity outweighed natural inclinations to resist change.

Please visit www.grammy.com/announcement for the following resources and detailed information:

A Category Comparison Chart (comparing Categories from the 53rd GRAMMYs to the upcoming 54th GRAMMYs)
An Explanation of Category Restructuring across all genres
A Category Mapper (an interactive feature that will show where to enter submissions under the new structure)
Frequently Asked Questions
Upcoming dates and deadlines for the 54th GRAMMY Awards online entry period

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards – the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music – The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization’s social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys, and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys

[via Engadget]

2010 Red Herring Asia Finalists announced!

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

200 finalists from 16 countries/regions including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Australia and Vietnam have been nominated for the Red Herring Top 100 Asia Awards, a prestigious list honouring this year’s most promising private technology companies from the region.

Join us in Shanghai, China, in November 2010 to celebrate the top private companies in Asia. Red Herring’s editorial team will analyze hundreds of cutting edge companies and technologies and select those who are positioned to grow at an explosive rate. This is a rare opportunity to meet the founders, investors, and CEOs of these disruptive companies all under one roof.

The Top 100 winners will be announced on November 16 at the event.

[via DailySocial]

Blogging has changed my life

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Budi Putra in Personal

“What does blogging mean for you?” That’s one of questions many people (even journalists) frequently asked me. For me, blogging means a lot. I will tell you why.

I left Tempo Daily on March 1, 2007, and started to be a full-time blogger: write tech posts for some established sites and blogs like CNET, SlashPhone and PhoneMag; and then run a Jakarta-based Asia Blogging Network. Two years and half later, I joined an Internet giant company, Yahoo!.  As Country Editor for Yahoo! Indonesia, one of my tasks is working with bloggers and online communities.

Talking about the professional blogging’s opportunity, there are two models that you can choose if you really wanted to pick blogging as your main job:  As a (1) publisher; or (2) freelancer. The first one requires knowledge and skills to monetize your blogs — you should be an expert on online advertising, referral programs, SEO and so on. Another one just need your skill as a writer– just write for some sites or blogs and you’ll get paid.

I preferred the second one –since writing is nothing new for me. But I need to know the nature of blogging’s tools and communities.  That’s why I should start blogging. It’s a new world and we can’t understand it just by relying on our common-sense.  I believe that blogging is a kind of “science” –that’s why we need to learn its methodology, theory, medium, community and so on.

I just started to blog [seriously] since the beginning of 2006 when I started to write for my own gadget site called 3GWeek. Written in English, the blog mostly discusses about telecommunications and mobile technology.

Why did I choose technology as a major topic for my blogging? It’s simple. I love everything about technology. I was also conducting a small research and noticed that even the big tech blogs were still fighting to seek good writers and bloggers for their publications. That’s a big opportunity, right? I became more convinced that my preferred topic (technology) and medium (blogs) is a good decision…

And blogging is not only about content, but also about community. I found that writing for blogs is a bit different than writing for printing media –in term of interacting with readers. I already wrote a bunch of newspaper’s articles for years but I don’t know whether the readers like it or not. On the other hand, with blogging, I could get readers’ response quickly. That’s amazing. I learned a lot from them. I try to talk with them, instead of to teach them.

Just about a few months after I started blogging, CNET, the world’s leading tech news portal, invited me to blog for them about Indonesia’s technology scenes.  Then a U.S. based online publications also offered me to write for SlashPhone, PhoneMag and iPhoneBuzz.

As a blogger, I was invited to some tech events and conferences in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Stuttgart, Barcelona and Amsterdam. I was also invited to be a jury member for the Deutsche Welle Blog Awards in Berlin (November 2008) and April 2010 (yes, I am now here in Germany to attend the meeting).

So, if you again ask me, what does blogging mean for me? “It means a lot. Blogging has changed my life!”

Ushahidi.com wins Best Weblog Award 2010!

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

Of the eleven finalists in the Best Weblog category, Ushahidi was named the winner for this year’s Deutsche Welle Blog Awards. Blogombal‘s Antyo Rentjoko won the Best Weblog Indonesian! Check out the full list of the Jury’s winners here.

The Deutsche Welle Blog winners have been selected!

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

The sixth annual Deutsche Welle Blog Awards has now ended, check out the User Awards winners here.The winners for the Jury Award will be announced tonight at the Friedrichstadtpalast building in Berlin in conjunction with the re:publica conference.

re:publica 2010: the blogger and social media conference

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Budi Putra in People

This year’s Deutsche Welle Blog Awards was attached to the re:publica 2010, 14-16 April, at Friedrichstadtpalast, Berlin. The announcement of the DW’s blog winners also will be held at the event on Thursday’s evening. Yeah, since today’s the BOBS jury meeting has done, I decided to attend some conferences this afternoon. There are some cool sessions on blogging and social media.

The conference, focussed on blogs, social media und digital culture, is hosted by newthinking communications and Spreeblick Verlag. The event will take place simultaneously in the neighbouring locations Friedrichstadtpalast, Kalkscheune and Quatsch Comedy Club in Berlin-Mitte.

More than 150 hours of programme will be offered on 3 days on 8 different stages . The many facets of digital culture will be discussed in over 120 lectures, workshops, discussion rounds and events. For the first time within the framework of the re:publica the winner of the “Deutsche Welle BOBS” will be announced.

During the first re:publica in 2007, 700 participants came to the event in Berlin, by the year 2009 the number grew to more than 1600 attendees. This year over 2,500 participants are expected to attend re:publica 2010.

Finally, Pulitzer for new media!

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Budi Putra in Media

When The New York Times and The Washington Post topped the list of Pulitzer winners –and finalists, that’s not a shocking news. But when new media publications like the nonprofit ProPublica and the self-syndicated Mark Fiore on Monday announced to be part of the winners, that’s really a big news. At least for new media experts and enthusiasts.

Established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City, the Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition.

2010 Pulitzer Prize winners

Journalism

Public Service – Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier

Breaking News Reporting – The Seattle Times Staff

Investigative Reporting – Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News and Sheri Fink of ProPublica, in collaboration with The New York Times Magazine

Explanatory Reporting – Michael Moss and members of The New York Times Staff

Local Reporting – Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

National Reporting – Matt Richtel and members of The New York Times Staff

International Reporting – Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post

Feature Writing – Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post

Commentary – Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post

Criticism – Sarah Kaufman of The Washington Post

Editorial Writing – Tod Robberson, Colleen McCain Nelson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News

Editorial Cartooning – Mark Fiore, self syndicated, appearing on SFGate.com

Breaking News Photography – Mary Chind of The Des Moines Register

Feature Photography – Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post

Letters, Drama and Music

Fiction – Tinkers by Paul Harding (Bellevue Literary Press)

Drama – Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey

History – Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed (The Penguin Press)

Biography – The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf)

Poetry – Versed by Rae Armantrout (Wesleyan University Press)

General Nonfiction – The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman (Doubleday)

Music – Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon (Lawdon Press)

Special Citations

Hank Williams

[via Yahoo! News, Pulitzer.org]

Deutsche Welle Blog Award 2010: the Jury Conference

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

Arrived at the Berlin-Tegel airport yesterday’s morning, I really like the city’s weather this time: a bit bright and warm. This is my second times visiting Berlin as part of the judging process for the Deutsche Welle Blog Award. Yeah, since Indonesian language blogs invited to participate on this international competition in 2008, it’s a honor for me to be one of the jury members.

Basically, my task is (1) selecting the short-list of Indonesian best blogs (based on blogs registered by readers and the blog’s owners) and then to be voted by online users; and (2) picking up the best blog for the Jury Award and presenting it on the Jury Conference.

The jury meeting will be held this morning at Deutsche Welle Berlin office, and Gabriel Gonzales, Project Manager of the competition, again, will chair the session. The jury meeting will be continued in the next day, at the re:publica conference Friedrichstadtpalast.

The Winner of The BOBs 2010 will be announced on Thursday evening.

Until then, take care! Will be having my breakfast :-D

Internet is up for Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

Finally, Internet, the first non-human to be nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, is among a record 237 individuals and organisations nominated. US President Barack Obama won last year’s 10m Swedish kronor ($1.4m) prize.

However,

It is unclear who would accept the prize if the internet were to win.

[via BBC]

Have you registered your fav blog?

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Budi Putra in Tech

Or you can submit your own blogs!

The nomination phase for the 6th BOBs Awards finishes on February 14th.

That’s the final deadline for suggesting your blog, podcast or videoblog for the competition. Don’t forget you can also nominate your favourite blogs from our Blogopedia by simply going to the blog’s ‘details’ page and clicking on the relevant category.

New for 2010: the BOBs are now accepting nominations in Bengali. There’s also a new ‘Special Topic: Climate Change’ award. Blogs AND podcasts are eligible for this one, so keep your eyes peeled for anything that fits the bill.

The jury kicks into action on February 15th. For each of the 17 categories, the jury members will make a shortlist of 11 entries. The BOBs winners will be announced at the re:publica internet conference on April 15th 2010.

The Internet nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. Why not?

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Budi Putra in Media

The Internet has been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year, according to some reports, following a petition by the Italian version of Wired Magazine, which cited the Internet’s contributions to “dialogue, debate and consensus through communication”.

What do you think? How does the Internet contribute to the world and peace?