New York Makes Play For Grammys

Discussions are in place to move the Grammy Awards back to New York City for 2018, but the decision has not yet been finalized.

Jeff Johnson – Carrie Underwood MSG
Carrie Underwood lights up a packed house at Madison Square Garden in New York City Oct. 25.

The awards ceremony has moved between Los Angeles and the Big Apple since the event’s inception in 1959. It has been at the Staples Center in Los Angeles since 2004. City officials have been in extended talks with The Recording Academy, which sponsors the event, to discuss the move to Madison Square Garden Arena for the 2018 edition, the New York Times reported.

The Grammy Awards ceremony attracts celebrities and international attention, along with many other associated events like the annual gala benefitting the MusiCares Foundation which can prove to be an economic boon to the host city.

A report from Micronomics showed the 2014 event pulled $82 million to LA. “We’re thrilled the Recording Academy is in extensive discussions to return the Grammy Awards to N.Y.C. in 2018,” Neda Azarfar, spokeswoman for the Recording Academy, said in a statement to the Times.

The biggest thing keeping the deal from completion is the millions of dollars in extra costs associated with the move, the Times reported.

The office of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio reportedly helped line up sponsorships from large corporations to make up the difference.

City officials said no public funds or tax incentives would be used for the Grammy Awards. The 2017 Grammy Awards will be at the Staples Center Feb. 12 and hosted by Madison Square Garden Arena.