Independent sector makes up the majority of 63rd GRAMMY Award Winners

March 15, 2021
3:06 pm

Congratulations to all GRAMMY winners, and our 14 label members who took home the coveted award! This year, the independent sector swept up across the board, with 52% of winners being independent, including in the categories of Best New Artist, Best Traditional Pop Vocal, Best Rock Album, and Best Rap Album.

We’re proud to celebrate the achievements of the A2IM community, and offer an additional “CONGRATULATIONS ONCE MORE!” to our label members:

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

James Taylor – American Standard

Fantasy Records (Concord)

BEST ROCK SONG

Brittany Howard – Stay High

ATO Records

BEST R&B SONG

Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper Featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello) – Better Than I Imagine

Loma Vista Recordings (Concord)

BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM

Thundercat – It Is What It Is

Brainfeeder (Ninja Tune)

BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO

Chick Corea – All Blues

Concord Jazz

BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

Chick Corea, Christian McBridge & Brian Blade – Trilogy II

Concord Jazz

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG

Jonathan McReynolds & Mali, Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson – Movin’ On

Entertainment One

BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM

Fisk Jubilee Singers – Celebrating Fisk!

Curb Records

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE

John Prine – I Remember Everything

Oh Boy Records/Thirty Tigers

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG

Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine) – I Remember Everything

Oh Boy Records/Thirty Tigers

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

Sarah Jarosz – World On The Ground

Rounder, Distributed by Concord

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

Billy Strings – Home

Rounder

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM

Bobby Rush – Rawer Than Raw

Deep Rush/Thirty Tigers

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM

Fantastic Negrito – Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

Cooking Vinyl

BEST FOLK ALBUM

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All the Good Times

Acony

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL, OR A CAPPELLA

John Beasley – Donna Lee

Mack Avenue

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE

Doug Cunningham & Jason Noto, art directors (Desert Sessions) – Vols 11 & 12

Matador

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE

JoAnn Falletta, conductor; James K. Bass & Adam Luebke, chorus masters (James K. Bass, J’Nai Bridges, Timothy Fallon, Kenneth Overton, Hila Plitmann & Matthew Worth; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Buffalo – Daniel Pour: The Passion of Yehuaha

Naxos

BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION

Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony) – Rouse Symphony No. 5

Naxos

About A2IM:
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of more than 700 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America’s creative class that represents America’s diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine identified the Independent music label sector as 37.32 percent of the music industry’s U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.

Learn more about A2IM here.
For information about how to join our community, see here.