“The Grammy win has not had a significant impact on sales,” says Alexx Antaeus, whose album “Colors Of Royal,” with Julian Marley, won Best Reggae Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
The album, released on March 24, 2023, has sold a total of 200 copies in the U.S. as of March 12, 2024, according to data provided to World Music Views by Billboard sales tracker Luminate.
Both Julian and Antaeus are first time Grammy winners and Alexx says that the benefit of a Grammy win for him comes in the form of attention, despite low sales for the 8 track collaborative album. “What we have gained is people finally paying attention to the project, and getting playlist adds, as well as fresh media coverage,” the founder of Monom Records said.
“Colors of Royal” is the lowest selling Grammy winning Best Reggae Album since the category was introduced in 1985 as Best Reggae Recording. The project peaked at No. 6 on the Reggae iTunes chart the day after it won Best Reggae Album, but in retrospect, Alexx admits that the album was not well received when it was released.
“The project was not embraced when it was released almost a year ago. Many missed this album even when it was nominated. But now, it’s starting to get a lot of attention. This project is not a traditional reggae album, and it’s taking time to grow on media and fans. But I’m satisfied with the results,” Alexx said.
Following its Grammy Award win for Best Reggae Album in 2023, “The Kalling” by Kabaka Pyramid surged to the top spot on the U.S. Reggae iTunes Chart, climbing from its previous peak at No. 2. Released on the final eligibility date for last year’s Grammy Awards eligibility, September 30, 2022, the album has achieved lifetime album sales equivalent units of 4700, including 400 pure copies and a total of 3 million on-demand streams (audio + video) the week after the 2023 Grammy awards.
“The Kalling” was ranked as the fourth most consumed album among the Grammy nominees in the category last year. Produced by Damian Marley and released on Ghetto Youths International and Pyramid’s Bebble Rock Music, the project recorded 620 album equivalent units in sales and streaming in the US during its first week of release. This consisted of 280 pure album copies and 423,700 total on-demand audio and video streams in the US, according to our data sales tracker correspondents, Luminate.
The Grammys, known as “Music’s Biggest Night,” hold significant importance for both winners and nominees, especially in terms of reputation and financial gains for other genres. Over the years, emerging and niche artists have opened new doors to opportunities following their Grammy win. Megan Thee Stallion’s career, for example, saw a significant boost after winning Best New Artist at the 2021 Grammys, leading to increased sales, wider recognition, and lucrative deals.
Similarly, when Jon Batiste’s “We Are” won Album of the Year in 2022, a category broadcasted live on CBS, it resulted in a massive surge in album sales according two NPR. Other recent examples, with artists like H.E.R, Adele, Chance the Rapper, and Billie Eilish enjoy enduring success post-Grammy wins.
On the flip side, for the Best Reggae Album category which is announced on YouTube at the pre-main event show at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, this is not so. Moreover the 66th Annual Grammy Awards overlooked the best-selling dancehall albums that had sales momentum prior to nominations, raising questions about the award’s selection process. Byron Messia’s “No Love,” was one such album and the year’s most successful dancehall album with over 30,000 units sold in the U.S., surpassing the combined sales of all 2024 Grammy-nominated Best Reggae Albums. Despite its commercial success, which includes peaking at No. 3 on the US Billboard Reggae Albums chart, Messia’s album failed to capture the attention of Recording Academy voters.
None of this year’s nominated Best Reggae Albums have charted on the US Billboard Reggae chart, likewise none have seen any boost in sales following their nominations.
The Recording Academy considers Ska and Dancehall albums as part of the category and only 8 of the 40 Grammy winning Best Reggae Albums have sold Gold of Platinum in the U.S. The top 18 albums have sold more than 100,000 units, half of which are by members of the Marley Family. The most successful Best Reggae Album however, goes to Dancehall superstar Sean Paul‘s “Dutty Rock”(2002) which has sold more than 3 million units in the U.S.
There’s a suggestion from the upper echelons of Recording Academy that Dancehall could potentially have its own Grammy category in the future, provided there is enough support from the community and stakeholders. Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, acknowledges the need for greater integration and diversity within the organization, particularly in the reggae category
“The Academy needs to ensure that there is people from each genre involved in membership, we need to ensure we are talking to the dancehall and reggae community, we need to ensure we are inviting them to be a part of our community ,”- Harvey Mason Jr.
