Arcade Fire have responded to allegations that their performance at the Grammy awards was tied to winning an award.
Arcade Fire's victory at the Grammy awards was widely celebrated. Kanye West took to his Twitter feed, praising the band for an against-all-odds triumph in the 'Album Of The Year' category.
Almost immediately, though, critics came out of the wood. It was a token victory, they argued, while the band's performance during the show's finale came under scrutiny. Blasting through 'Ready To Start' the band were still onstage when they were given the award. It was all a little too easy, some argued.
Now Arcade Fire's management have responded to these accusations in a newsletter to fans. Issuing a statement manager Scott Rodger rejected claims that the performance was arranged to tie in with the award.
“Arcade Fire had the final slot on the Grammys as the ratings are low at the end of the broadcast. It really is that simple" he explained. "We were one of the least-known acts on the bill for a network audience. Don’t you think I wanted a better slot for the band?”
Continuing, the manager went on to reject claims that Arcade Fire were somehow undeserving of the award. “Arcade Fire deserved the win this year,” band manager Rodger stated unequivocally. “They made the best album. If the award was named ‘Album Sales Of The Year’ award, there would be no discussion.”
It's difficult to argue with this. Battling against Arcade Fire were such audio delights as Eminem, Lady Gaga and of course Katy Perry.
The move by Scott Rodger was to counter claims in part made by Steve Stoute. The record industry executive took out a full page ad in the New York Times, in which he marvelled at the coincidence of Arcade Fire already being onstage to collect their award.
Rodger's view on the letter? "A nice piece of self-publicity.”
Arcade Fire are set to return to the UK for a series of dates this summer.