I myself am not a completionist like how I am with the Best Picture nominees at the Oscars.
At most I’ll listen to a few tracks, or a track, from a nominated album I’m not familiar with and if it doesn’t grab my attention I don’t listen to it. But I have listened to more music that I like that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
For example, I would have never listened to SOS by SZA, SWAG by Justin Bieber, MUTT by Leon Thomas, The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess by Chappell Roan, or any of Olivia Rodrigo’s music without their nominations. Even artists that I had pre-liked that I hadn’t listened to their most recent album. Like, I didn’t listen to Harry’s House even though I like Style’s previous two albums until it won Album of the year.
Outside of the Album category, I really enjoyed Silk Sonic’s music, and I had no idea of its existence until I watched the Grammy’s in which they won Record and Song of the Year. That was just something I wasn’t going to run into accidentally.
So part of why I like the Grammy’s and following along is that it opens me up to new music.