For the first time in five years, the Grammy Awards will be held in New York.
The Grammys’ return to the Big Apple was announced at a press conference Wednesday (April 3). The 45th annual Grammy Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden on February 23. Recording Academy President/CEO Michael Greene and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Charles Schumer were among those on hand for the media event.
The awards ceremony and Grammy Fest – a monthlong series of events leading up to the Grammys that features performances, exhibits and workshops – are expected to draw $35-$40 million into the city.
CBS will broadcast the event live at 8 p.m. ET (tape delayed on the West Coast). Next year will be the first time the Grammys are held on a Sunday, the evening more people watch TV than any other night of the week.
New York last hosted the Grammy Awards in 1998, when Bob Dylan’s 1997 album Time Out of Mind was crowned Album of the Year and Paula Cole was named Best New Artist. The Grammys relocated to Los Angeles the following year, after Greene and then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani had a difference of opinion over whether the mayor would read a list of nominees at a press conference similar to the one held Wednesday. The mayor also criticized Greene for being rude to a city employee. Green refuted claims that the mayoral spat had anything to do with the Grammys’ decision to move cross-country.
Upon his inauguration in January, Bloomberg invited the Grammys back to New York.
In the early days of the Grammys, simultaneous ceremonies were held in New York and Los Angeles.