Pavel Kučera: Music competitions and awards as a compass of quality and popularity?

This lecture will focus on how music competitions and awards function as indicators of quality and popularity and how they influence perceptions of the music scene. Together, we will examine their history, social function and limitations, from global awards such as the Grammys to Czech projects such as Apollo. Using specific examples, we will show how awards change artists' careers and what role the media and the audience play in this.