Image Credit: The Recording Academy

The 2022 GRAMMY Awards, due to take place this month, have been moved to later in the year due to surging COVID-19 cases.

The 64th GRAMMY Awards were scheduled to take place on January 31st 2022. A surge in cases due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has led to the postponement of the music awards for a second year running.

Last year a similar situation saw the GRAMMY Awards 2021 moved from the end of January to March 14th as cases of coronavirus increased in the US. This year the event was due to be hosted at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

CBS and the Recording Academy said: “After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show.”

“The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks.”

So what will be the 2022 GRAMMYs date instead? The new date is Sunday, April 3rd, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. That bumps the CMT Music Awards, already booked into that slot at the arena, to a later date in April.

Unfortunately for the GRAMMYs, moving the show last year did nothing for its ratings, which have been troubled to say the least. Despite the label of “Music’s Biggest Night,” absence didn’t make viewers’ hearts grow fonder and in 2021 viewing figures plummeted 50% lower than the previous year. The 2020 GRAMMYs had a high of 18.7 million views – a number that’s been steadily dropping through the years.

Why is no one watching the GRAMMYs?

Perhaps the declining ratings and general apathy is part of a general trend, as awards shows become increasingly irrelevant. Younger viewers have lost interest in televised awards nights, when the winners and gossip can be swiped through the next morning.

For the GRAMMYs specifically, the award organisers have long faced accusations of corruption, snobbery, and a lack of diversity. The Weeknd is boycotting this year’s show for those reasons, having received a lack of nominations last year.

Despite consequently not submitting any music for consideration, he has been nominated anyway, for his collaborations with Kanye West, Doja Cat, and Lil Baby.

The lack of enthusiasm from viewers and artists seems to be in tune with awards shows ratings across the music industry and beyond. Besides, not winning a music award, even one as historic as a GRAMMY, doesn’t affect streams or sales for an artist, or prevent massive tour bookings from going ahead.

A date may be set for the 2022 GRAMMYs, but whether anyone will tune in on April 3rd remains to be seen.