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Following Whitney Houston’s premature death the night before, it seemed like the 54th Grammy Awards would be a somber occasion. Despite this tragic event, however, one artist in particular has reason to celebrate. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known by her stage name Adele, was the star of the night, receiving a whopping 6 Grammys.

• Album of the year – 21
• Record of the year – “Rolling in the Deep”
• Song of the year – “Rolling in the Deep”
• Best Pop solo performance – “Someone Like You”
• Best pop vocal album – 21
• Best short form music video – “Rolling in the Deep”

After having had surgery performed on her vocal cords in October 2011 after experiencing a vocal cord hemorrhage. In order to avoid damaging her voice permanently, she had laser microsurgery to repair the damage. Since this surgery, she had not performed live. Last night at the Grammys, however, she made her comeback by singing her now-award-winning song, “Rolling in the Deep.” Aside from a few scratches, it went off without a hitch.

As a tribute to Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, herself a Grammy Award-winner, performed “I Will Always Love You,” which is perhaps Houston’s most famous legacy left to the music industry.

Since Houston recorded during the great vinyl era, her albums are still available to buy in vinyl form. Adele’s album 21, which brought home these 6 awards last night, also is available in vinyl form. Her voice is incredibly complex, and it seems like she is going to be a lasting force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

Love him, hate him, or somewhere in between? When it comes to John Mayer, there are probably more fence-sitters than anything else. This is because he is someone who is pretty easy to dislike. Between his public use of racial slurs, highly inappropriate relationships (Taylor Swift? Really, John? Come on.), or his overt narcissism, there is a lot to complain about.

But. And this is a really big ‘but.’

But. The boy makes amazing music. In the first few guitar strains of “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” you forget that we walked around in a Borat-swimsuit on a cruise ship that he dedicated to himself and the fact that you could make a good case for his misogyny and just lose yourself in the amazing musical talent of Mr. John Clayton Mayer.

At least I do.

When he came out with his fourth studio album, Heartbreak Warfare in 2009, I purchased a copy in advanced along with other Mayer-lovers around the world. Unfortunately, Heartbreak Warfare was a tremendous disappointment. For those who had gotten used to the caliber of music produced in his 2006 album Continuum, this new album was pretty bleak.

If Heartbreak Warfare did anything, however, it only made everyone appreciate how amazing Continuum really is. As far as I am concerned, it is the product of the best focus of the best talent of the 21st century. Call me crazy, but it really is what I think.

Listening to it on vinyl makes it even that much better. The quality of sound is amazing and you feel like you are right there, standing in front of the stage, watching him shred the guitar with his bluesy little vibe, perfect pitch, and truly amazing guitar skills.

And just like Mozart, he is the often misunderstood and frequently hated musical prodigy that just might have the ability to change the face of music forever. Love him or hate him, you just have to love his music. He doesn’t leave you any other choice.

Strange Talk is an all boy indie-pop quartet from Australia. They recently released a critically acclaimed EP on American vinyl singles label Neon Gold Records. Neon Gold specializes in limited-run vinyl singles like the ones Strange Talk wanted to do.

The new band has big plans. They record constantly and are always on four. They have a video, “Climbing Walls” that launched August 15th on their YouTube channel.

As large of a social, economic and political force as it is, the music industry has always had to answer to something stronger than itself. That force is not the FCC, the FTC or even one of the international courts. It has demanded that music adapt to every distribution method it conceives decade after decade. It has also provided musicians and record labels with opportunities they would never have dreamed of half a century ago. That thing so dominant that music has to answer to it’s every whim is called technology.

It’s true music evolves, but not nearly at the pace that silicon valley is used to. When the Napster kids enabled/encouraged mp3 sharing, record labels flipped. Just a few short years later bands like Angels and Airwaves are welcoming the free sharing of their music. Major players all over are having to figure out new monetization models that are made up of more than just retail record sales.

Online radio that asks users what they want to listen to rather than telling them has the broadcasting networks panicking. The radio reign of the good ol’ boys club is crashing down. Artists now do not need to be part of a major label to have their music heard and more than a few unsigned geniuses have seen viral exposure simply because of social networking and a more level playing field all around.

There is an emerging tech king of the music industry however, and this company will only have more and more influence over how profitable music production will be in the near future. Apple has taken over as the single largest seller of music in the world. They demand that labels offer single songs for sale along side albums, and they take a large commission of each sale. Apple keeps a tight lock on consumers with encrypted files, and by limited device sharing of purchased music.

I doubt anyone really knows the future of music economics and distribution……….. but if one person does, it’s Steve Jobs.

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