As the days get shorter and leaves turn from green to hues of brown and scarlet, fall is here. This coincided with the autumnal equinox on Sept. 18, 2020, but based on complex marketing demographics, the real start of fall is Labor Day, when stores break out their Halloween and Christmas merchandise.
Fall also kicks off the industry awards season. The first-round voting to determine the 2021 Grammy Awards nominees begins Oct. 12 and final-round selection of the winners starts Dec. 7. The 63rd Grammy Awards show will air Jan. 31, 2021, although due to Covid-19 considerations, whether that involves a live audience is yet to be determined.
Nominees for the 2021 NAMM TEC Awards are set, and voting to select winners begins next month. With no path to safely hold the 2021 NAMM Show in Southern California, NAMM will present the online “Believe in Music Week” event (believeinmusic.tv) the week of Jan. 18, 2021, and the 36th TEC Award winners will be honored at that time. One change is a temporary pause to nominations for TEC’s Tour Event Sound Production category this year, until live touring can resume.
Normally held during the NAMM Show, the 20th annual Parnelli Awards (parnelliawards.com) event is postponed from Jan. 2021 to Jan. 2022. However, the Parnelli team, along with PLSN, FRONT of HOUSE and Stage Directions magazines, will host virtual versions of the Pro Production seminars so popular at past NAMM Shows. To celebrate the Parnelli’s 20-year history, we’ll feature retrospective celebration of past Parnelli Awards ceremonies in the Jan. 2021 issues of PLSN and FOH and produce a short film commemorating our industry’s most prestigious awards show. More details to come. Stay tuned — and stay safe!
