What Are the Billboard Music Awards Based On?

If it can be said that dollars are the votes of consumers, maybe The Billboard Music Awards are the closest thing to a democratic process awards shows can get.

When ABC airs it on Sunday, May 22nd at 8pm, The Billboard Music Awards will start handing out awards based on chart performance, which is driven primarily of course by sales. In essence then, this show is basically a televised declaration of who sold the most records last year. It's more akin to a sales conference where the salesman with the highest sales numbers wins a prize than it is a recognition of artistic merit or value.

Is this, however, the kind of awards show that the music business needs? Instead of pushing forward new artists, this show is basically saying to the world "Look at this group of artists. These people got more of your money last year than anyone else." However, a case can be made that since it's sales that drive chart performance, and consumers are the ones purchasing the songs and albums, that maybe these Billboard Awards are the ones that most reflect what people like or want to hear.

So which is it? Is it an awards show that tosses out artistic merit voted on by industry professionals, or is it a direct tap into the psyche of music fans? On the one hand it's certainly refreshing to see a new approach to how awards are handed out, and there is a vote for a "Fan Favorite" category as well, so voting was not completely removed from the tabulation of every award. Sales numbers after all are important as they determine who gets to keep making records and who needs to start booking county fairs in the summer time.

However, if the results of the awards are only based on sales, how many surprises will there be in the categories? Won't the same big artists who are in the headlines and at the top of the charts just sweep the awards? Say what you will about the Oscars this past year, but there were certainly a few surprises in the categories, and the Grammy awards are the same way.

The show will also feature live performances by several acts spanning different genres. From Keith Urban to the Black Eyed Peas, there's sure to be something for most music fans. Will the live performances be enough to keep viewers tuned in?

Ultimately the questions about the success or failure of this format, and of the show in general, will be answered by the ratings.

In the end, no music awards show can really compete with the Grammys as far as prestige is concerned. If the Billboard Music Awards are fun, and entertaining however, it could still be worth catching some or all of it. If you're not happy with the outcomes of the award categories, at least you know all you have to do is organize a massive campaign to get more people to buy the artists you wanted to win, thus moving them up the Billboard Charts.

Isn't capitalism grand?