American Music Awards

The American Music Awards show was created by Dick Clark in 1973. While the Grammys are awarded based on votes by members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs are determined by a poll of music buyers. The two awards shows compete for prestige and television ratings, with the Grammys nominally rewarding quality and the AMAs rewarding popularity. Stories of artists being pressured to participate in one awards show over the other are fodder for tabloid gossip.

External Links

• American Music Awards, official site
• "More Show than Music", a scathing critique of the 2001 awards show