The deal will see the photo-sharing app team up with Billboard and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents the Grammys) to provide behind-the-scenes images and videos from the event. The musicians capturing the action as part of the campaign include Grammy host LL Cool J, Skrillex and Diplo (as their production alias Jack Ü), R&B singer Kehlani, and country star Luke Bryan.
The official Grammys and Billboard Instagram accounts will also be posting real-time backstage footage throughout the night. Additional content will be featured on the Instagram @music page, including live videos presenting the best moments from the ceremony.
“Instagram’s reach will, for the first time, provide the world’s music fans with a 360-degree perspective of the kind of VIP event most of them have never experienced,” said John Amato, co-president of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. “Music is one of the most followed subjects on Instagram, and Instagram houses passionate fan communities that belong to every Grammy-nominated star.”
The Instagram festivities will kick off before the main event to include images and video from the Billboard Power 100 on Friday; MusiCares 2016 Person of the Year Honoring Lionel Richie on Saturday; and The Recording Academy & Clive Davis Present the Pre-Grammy Gala on Sunday. The Grammy Awards will then get its own dedicated coverage on Monday, February 15.
“These unique moments and conversations [will] make watching the Grammy Awards that much more rewarding,” said Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood, head of music partnerships at Instagram.
The focus on live broadcasts of an event will inevitably evoke parallels between Instagram and its rival Snapchat. The latter already covers news, sports, and special events with its curated Live Stories. Meanwhile, Twitter has also handed over the reins of its platform to celebrities to create exclusive content using unique apps, which it then features in its curated Moments tab. That’s not to say that Instagram has a monopoly on the awards, as stars and musicians will no doubt be broadcasting their antics using the aforementioned apps as well.
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