Madonna with the Gorillaz? ”I couldn’t say yes fast enough”

When it comes to tonight’s Grammy Awards, the savviest musicians know winning isn’t everything. Playing on TV is. Every year, music executives line up to threaten, beg and cajole the producers of CBS‘ Grammys telecast, all in the hopes of winning their artists a few minutes of on-air performance time.

Ken Ehrlich, the Grammy telecast’s producer for more than two decades, says he is not swayed by the gift baskets, handwritten appeals, whining or threats. There’s only one reason an act is asked to perform, he said: “We think it will entertain hundreds of millions of viewers.”

Jason Flom, president of Virgin Records, was happy to see things Ehrlich’s way this year.

One of Virgin’s Grammy nominees, the Gorillaz, was already booked on the show when Madonna‘s publicist contacted Ehrlich to discuss an on-air role for the Material Girl. Ehrlich proposed pairing the Gorillaz, a “virtual band” that performs via animated projections, with Madonna for the opening number.

“This will introduce the band to a whole new type of fan,” Flom said. “I couldn’t say yes fast enough.”

From an article by Charles Duhigg, the Los Angeles Times.
Courtesy of Keith Caulfield/MIR.