Grammy Award for Best Music Film explained

Grammy Award for Best Music Film
Awarded For:	Quality long form music videos
Presenter:	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Country:	United States
Year:	1984
Holder:	Moonage Daydream (2024)
Website:	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards,^[1] to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs.

Criteria

Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".^[2] In order to qualify for this category, concert/performance films or music documentaries must be released theatrically or for sale to the public for the first time or first appearing on television or online during the current eligibility year. Dramatic feature films and biopics are not eligible.^[3]

Prior to 2024, films were only considered eligible for this category if they featured a minimum of 51% performance-based material. As of the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, this requirement has been removed entirely.^[4]

Background

The category was preceded by the Grammy Award for Video of the Year, which was presented in 1982 and 1983, awarding long form videos (or video albums as they were known back then) in the budding music video market. Along with the similar honor Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, this award was first presented in 1984. From 1984 to 1985, the accolade was known as Best Video Album, but in 1986, it was renamed to Best Music Video, Long Form. From 1998 to 2012, it was named Best Long Form Music Video,^{[5] [6] [7]} before changing to Best Music Film since 2013.

In 1988 and 1989, the award criteria were changed and the video accolades were presented under the categories Best Concept Music Video and Best Performance Music Video. The awards were returned to the original format in 1990. Except in 1988 and 1989, the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video recipients included the artists, directors, and producers associated with the winning videos. The Best Music Film category is one of two categories in the Best Music Video/Film Field. The other one is Best Music Video, which recognizes stand-alone videos of one song or performance. In 2024, the Field was abolished and both categories were moved to a Children's, Comedy, Audio Book Narration & Storytelling, Visual Media & Music Video/Film Field.

Multiple wins and nominations

Singers Madonna and Sting hold the record for the most wins as a performer in this category, with two each, while there have been three films about the Beatles among the winners. However, in two instances, the Beatles were not recognized as individual winners. To date, three directors won the award twice: David Mallet, Jonas Akerlund and Bob Smeaton. Beyoncé holds the record for the most nominations with five. The British pop rock group Eurythmics and Coldplay hold the record for the most nominations as a performer without a win, with three each. Although Beyoncé also held four losing nominations, she won with her fourth nomination with Homecoming in 2020.

Recipients

In 1984 and 1985, only the artists were presented with an award. In 1986 the award went to the artist(s) and the video director(s). From 1987 onwards, the award has been presented to the artist(s), video director(s) and video producer(s). (Nominations list performing artists only).

Year	Work(s)	Performing artist(s)	Director(s) and Producer(s)	Nominees	Ref.
1984					^[8]
1985					^[9]
1986		Huey Lewis and the News	Bruce Gowers, director		^[10]
1987		Sting	Michael Apted, director Sting, video producer		^[11]
1988					^[12]
1989					^[13]
1990			Dominic Sena, Jonathan Dayton, and Valerie Faris, directors Aris McGarry, Jonathan Dayton, and Valerie Faris, producers		^[14]
1991			Rupert Wainwright, director John Oetjen, producer		^[15]
1992		Madonna	David Mallet & Mark "Aldo" Miceli, directors Anthony Eaton, producer		^[16]
1993			Sophie Muller, director Rob Small, producer		^[17]
1994		Sting	Doug Nichol, director Julie Fong, producer
1995		U2	David Mallet, director Ned O'Hanlon and Rocky Oldham, producer		^[18]
1996			François Girard, director Robert Warr, producer		^[19]
1997			Bob Smeaton and Geoff Wonfor, directors Chips Chipperfield and Neil Aspinall, producers		^[20]
1998			Alanis Morissette and Steve Purcell, directors Alanis Morissette, David May, Glen Ballard and Steve Purcell, producers		^[21]
1999			Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, director Karen Bernstein, Susan Lacy, Tamar Hacker, and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, producers		^[22]
2000			Bob Smeaton, director Chips Chipperfield and Neil Aspinall, producer		^[23]
2001			Andrew Solt, director Andrew Solt, Greg Vines, Leslie Tong, and Yoko Ono, producer		^[24]
2002			Susan Froemke, director Peter Gelb and Susan Froemke, producer		^[25]
2003			Don Letts, director		^[26]
2004			Mary Wharton, Mick Gochanour, and Robin Klein, producers		^[27]
2005		Various artists	David Leland, director Jon Kamen, Olivia Harrison, and Ray Cooper, producers		^[28]
2006			Martin Scorsese, director Anthony Wall, Jeff Rosen, Margaret Bodde, Martin Scorsese, Nigel Sinclair, and Susan Lacy, producer		^[29]
2007			Thom Zimny, director and producer
2008		Madonna	Jonas Åkerlund, director David May and Sara Martin, producer
2009			Peter Bogdanovich, director Skot Bright, Tony Dimitriades & George Drakoulias, producers
2010		The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil	Adrian Wills, director Jonathan Clyde and Martin Bolduc, producers
2011			Tom DiCillo, director Dick Wolf, Jeff Jampol, John Beug, and Peter Jankowski, producers		^[30]
2012	Back and Forth	Foo Fighters	James Moll, director James Moll and Nigel Sinclair, producer
2013	Big Easy Express	Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show	Emmett Malloy, director Bryan Ling, Mike Luba, and Tim Lynch, producers
2014	Live Kisses		Jonas Åkerlund, director Violaine Etienne, Aron Levine & Scott Rodger, producers
2015	20 Feet from Stardom ≈	Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill	Morgan Neville, director Gil Friesen and Caitlin Rogers, producers
2016	Amy ≈	Amy Winehouse	Asif Kapadia, director James Gay-Rees, producer
2017	The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years	The Beatles	Ron Howard, director Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Scott Pascucci, Nigel Sinclair, producers
2018	The Defiant Ones	Various artists	Allen Hughes, director Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood, Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo, Doug Pray & Steven Williams, producers		^[31]
2019	Quincy		Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones, directors Paula DuPré Pesmen, producer		^[32]
2020	Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé	Beyoncé	Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Ed Burke, directors Steve Pamon & Erinn Williams, producers		^[33]
2021	The Sound of My Voice	Linda Ronstadt	Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, directors Michele Farinola & James Keach, producers		^[34]
2022	Summer of Soul ≈	Various Artists	Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, video director David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent & Joseph Patel, video producers		^[35]
2023		Various Artists	Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors Frank Marshal, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers		^[36]
2024	Moonage Daydream	David Bowie	Brett Morgen, video director and video producer	Lewis Capaldi - How I'm Feeling Now (Joe Pearlman, video director; Sam Bridger, Isabel Davis & Alice Rhodes, video producers) Kendrick Lamar - Live From Paris: The Big Steppers Tour (Mike Carson, Dave Free & Mark Ritchie, video directors; Cornell Brown, Debra Davis, Jared Heinke & Jamie Rabineau, video producers) Little Richard - I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés, video director; Caryn Capotosto, Lisa Cortés, Robert Friedman & Liz Yale Marsh, video producers) Tupac Shakur - Dear Mama (Allen Hughes, video director; Joshua Garcia, Loren Gomez, James Jenkins & Stef Smith, video producers)	^[37]

Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
Director(s) are only indicated if they were presented a Grammy Award.
Award was not presented. Music video categories presented that year included Best Concept Music Video and Best Performance Music Video.
Award not presented to the performing artist (only to video director(s) and video producer(s))
Director unknown; award presented to video producers only

Notes

• ≈ indicates an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature winner
• ± indicates an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature nominee

See also

• List of Grammy Award categories
• List of most expensive music videos
• One shot (music video)

References

• Web site: Past Winners Search . . May 14, 2011 . July 28, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728121953/http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist= . live .

External links

• Official site of the Grammy Awards

Notes and References

1. News: Grammy Awards at a Glance. Los Angeles Times. May 13, 2011. July 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713191651/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/env-grammy_awards_info,0,5838827.htmlstory. live.
2. Web site: Overview . May 14, 2011 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091027163924/http://www.grammy.com/recording_academy/ . October 27, 2009 .
3. Web site: Grammy.com . 2015-12-08 . 2017-07-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170703200557/https://www.grammy.org/awards-process-updates . dead .
4. Here Are the 10 Biggest Changes to the Grammy Awards Process for 2024. Billboard. Paul Grein. June 16, 2023. June 16, 2023. June 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230616170326/https://www.billboard.com/lists/2024-grammy-awards-changes-harvey-mason-jr/. live.
5. Web site: 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards (2012) . January 11, 2018 . . March 3, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190303135523/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/55th-annual-grammy-awards . live .
6. Web site: 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards (2013) . January 11, 2018 . . March 21, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190321012128/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/56th-annual-grammy-awards . live .
7. Web site: Press release, 4 June 2013 . 4 June 2013 . 12 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130612070324/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/press-release/the-recording-academy-elects-new-national-officers-and-approves . live .
8. Web site: Complete List of the Nominees for 26th Annual Grammy Music Awards. January 9, 1984. May 14, 2011. Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady, New York. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427092313/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZBEhAAAAIBAJ&pg=2286,2445615&dq. live.
9. 27th Annual Grammy Awards Final Nominations. January 26, 1985. 78. 97. 4. May 13, 2011. Billboard. November 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231119160723/https://books.google.com/books?id=7CQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT151#v=onepage&q&f=false. live.
10. News: 'We Are The World' Scores In Grammy Nominations. January 10, 1986. Dennis. Hunt. 6. May 13, 2011. Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2012. https://archive.today/20120707065502/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-10/entertainment/ca-1077_1_grammy-nominations/6. live. Note: This source lists the directors associated with the nominated videos, but the "Nominees" column of the table contains the performing artists associated with the nominated videos.
11. News: Grammy Nominations: Highs And Lows. January 9, 1987. May 13, 2011. Los Angeles Times. Dennis. Hunt. 5. July 21, 2012. https://archive.today/20120721180706/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-09/entertainment/ca-2676_1/5. live.
12. Web site: List of Grammy Award winners. March 3, 1988. May 13, 2011. Times-News. April 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427092319/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wEMaAAAAIBAJ&pg=4752,831175&dq. live. Note: This source verifies the existence of the categories Best Concept Music Video and Best Performance Music Video in 1988.
13. News: McFerrin and Chapman Top Grammys. 2. February 24, 1989. May 13, 2011. The New York Times. October 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231011033137/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/24/arts/mcferrin-and-chapman-top-grammys.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm. live. Note: This source verifies the existence of the categories Best Concept Music Video and Best Performance Music Video in 1989.
14. News: Here's a list of Grammy nominees . January 13, 1990. .
15. News: Symphony Nominated For 4 Grammys. January 11, 1991. May 14, 2011. The Seattle Times. Melinda. Bargreen. October 28, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111028054202/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19910111&slug=1260054. dead.
16. News: The Grammy Nominations. 5. Los Angeles Times. January 9, 1992. May 14, 2011. June 18, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120618154514/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-09/entertainment/ca-2226_1_chicago-symphony-orchestra/5. live.
17. News: Grammys Show Influence Of Seattle Music . January 8, 1993 . May 14, 2011 . Patrick . Macdonald . The Seattle Times . June 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170614185516/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930108&slug=1678846 . dead .
18. Web site: Past Winners Search . May 14, 2011 . National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences . July 28, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728121953/http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist= . live .
19. News: List of Grammy nominees. January 4, 1996. May 14, 2011. Time Warner Inc. CNN. December 7, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121207073959/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9601/grammy_noms/grammy_list.html. live.
20. News: Pumpkins A Smash With 7 Grammy Nominations . January 8, 1997 . Greg . Kot . May 14, 2011 . . 12 . Greg Kot . July 7, 2012 . https://archive.today/20120707040956/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-01-08/news/9701080229_1_grammy-nominations-grammy-award-nominations-alternative-music-performance/12 . dead .
21. News: Complete List of Academy Voter Picks. 15. Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1998. May 14, 2011. July 1, 2012. https://archive.today/20120701121906/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jan/07/entertainment/ca-5628/15. dead.
22. News: 10 Nominations Put Lauryn Hill Atop Grammy Heap. 10. Greg. Kot. Greg Kot. January 6, 1999. May 14, 2011. Chicago Tribune. July 1, 2012. https://archive.today/20120701143201/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-01-06/news/9901060056_1_pop-vocal-performance-grammy-nominations-pop-collaboration/10. live.
23. News: Santana Tops List With 10 Grammy Nominations . January 5, 2000 . May 14, 2011 . The Seattle Times . October 28, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111028041008/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20000105&slug=A20000106010154 . dead .
24. News: 43rd Grammy Awards . February 21, 2001 . May 14, 2011 . CNN . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063452/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/21/grammy.winners/ . live .
25. News: Complete List Of Grammy Nominees. January 4, 2002. May 14, 2011. CBS News. October 10, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031010122104/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/04/entertainment/main323197.shtml. live.
26. News: Complete list of Grammy nominees; ceremony set for Feb. 23. 7. January 8, 2003. May 14, 2011. San Francisco Chronicle. March 22, 2012. https://archive.today/20120322181921/http://articles.sfgate.com/2003-01-08/entertainment/17470880_1_vanessa-carlton-norah-jones-steve-mcqueen-sheryl-crow/7. dead.
27. Web site: Nominee list for the 46th Annual Grammy Awards . December 4, 2003 . May 13, 2011 . . January 2, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100102194430/http://www.livedaily.com/news/5838.html . dead .
28. Web site: Nominee list for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards . December 7, 2004 . May 14, 2011 . LiveDaily . January 7, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100107203242/http://livedaily.com/news/7420.html . live .
29. News: The Complete List of Grammy Nominations. December 8, 2005. May 14, 2011 . The New York Times . 8.
30. News: 53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list. May 13, 2011. Los Angeles Times. July 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713191629/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/awards/grammys/la-et-env-grammys-nominees-2010-list,0,2463095.htmlstory. live.
31. Web site: Grammy.com, 28 November 2017 . 28 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171128144832/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/60th-grammy-awards-full-nominees-list . 28 November 2017 . live .
32. Web site: Grammy.com, 7 December 2018 . 7 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181207140528/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2019-grammy-awards-complete-nominations-list . 7 December 2018 . live .
33. Web site: 62nd Grammy Awards nominations list . 2022-03-13 . 2020-01-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200126102347/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2020-grammy-awards-complete-nominees-list#29 . live .
34. Web site: 2021 Nominations List . 2020-11-29 . 2020-11-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201129190932/https://www.grammy.com/sites/com/files/63rdpresslist_nov_20_2020.pdf . live .
35. Web site: Grammy Nominations List 2022. 23 November 2021. Grammy.com. 25 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211125170413/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2022-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-nominations-list. live.
36. Web site: Air Date For 2023 GRAMMYs Announced: Taking Place On Feb. 5 In Los Angeles; GRAMMY Nominations To Be Announced Nov. 15, 2022 . 2022-11-15 . www.grammy.com . 2022-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221208115050/https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammys-air-date-nominations-announced-65th-grammy-awards . live .
37. News: Minsker . Evan . Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here . November 10, 2023 . Pitchfork . November 10, 2023 . November 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110161249/https://pitchfork.com/news/grammy-nominations-2024-see-the-full-list-here/ . live .