GRAMMYS 2024
The Grammy trophy: Design, weight, worth of the miniature gramophone
The Grammys is the music industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony. We take a closer look at the trophy - its design, height, weight and worth.
The 65th edition of the Grammy Awards takes place this evening 4 February at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Recording Academy, the world’s leading society of music professionals, will honor the best of music, performers and songwriters from last year.
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Three new categories have been added for the 2024 Grammys: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Hosting the event for the fourth consecutive year will be comedian Trevor Noah.
Grammy statuette: what you need to know
The Grammy Awards statuette, formerly called the ‘Gramophone Awards,’ consists of a miniature replica of a gramophone - a device which was the precursor to the record player on which shellac records were played in the days before vinyl. Now considered a relic, the gramophone was the predominant, mass produced audio hardware during the first half of the 20th Century and symbolically, one of the most iconic aspects of listening to and playing music.
Who makes the Grammy trophy?
Every Grammy to be handed out tonight originates from one man: John Billings. Billings makes each one by hand from his workshop in a small mountain town Ridgway, Colorado. He learned the trade and the process of how to cast the trophies from the original Grammy craftsman, Bob Graves.
What are the trophies made out of?
The statuettes are made of a zinc alloy, which Billings has dubbed “Grammium.” After being formed, the figures are then plated in gold.
What is the statue’s height and weight?
According to the Recording Academy, each gramophone is nine inches tall and weighs five pounds and four ounces (about 2.3 kilos).
The melt value of the Grammy trophy would be difficult to determine since Grammium is a unique alloy and does not contain precious metals. However, once the statuette is awarded, its actual value drops to $0, as the Recording Academy prohibits the resale of its awards.
Although the award has no value, there is some monetary recompense for the winners due to the phenomenon known as the ‘Grammy bounce’ - the exposure from winning the award increases sales and future work opportunities. According to Forbes, a sample of artists and producers Grammy-winning artists saw a 55% increase in concert ticket sales and producer fees in the year following their win.