Jumping to a Conclusion

Dear Chronicle,
    I deeply appreciate the dedication and work that your music crew puts into the job of promoting the best of Austin's music. I have been an avid supporter of local live music, especially world beat and Latin-alternative bands. We are blessed to have a few fabulous local acts, such as Del Castillo, Atash, and Ghandaia to name a few. However, as I scrolled through your 2004-05 awards list, I was surprised to see the name of the unknown band Alteza in several of your Top 10s! (Best New Band, best Latin Contemporary, best Latin Traditional, best World Music act.) Actually, Alteza, a band that has not played at any significant music venue in town, a band that has no CD produced nor a history of selling-out venues, has won the award as Austin's best World Music band. I have followed the local music scene very closely in the last four years, and for a music lover like me, it was a shame to see some great bands lose to Alteza. I have absolutely nothing against Alteza, but anyone who follows world music here in town is probably as confused as I am. Alteza's award smells like ballot-stuffing to me, and I ask the Chronicle to attempt more effective ways in order to avoid awarding those who do not deserve the prize. It is unfair for bands who work so hard at what they do to lose to another band due to ballot-stuffing. It also looks bad for the Chronicle, since it diminishes the weight of the Music Awards as a whole. If anyone in the Chronicle has followed our local world music scene, (personally, I think you guys should pay more attention to it) then you definitely know that Alteza is not the best that Austin has to offer in that genre of music.

   [Margaret Moser responds: Unless Mr. Deloera is privy to information that the Chronicle is not, it is our experienced opinion that Alteza fans supported them with enough votes to place legitimately and win a category. The balance of votes is not swayed or altered by where a band plays or if they play a "significant music venue" – winning bands often come from the underground. Although a CD release is often a factor in the major categories, genre category wins like best World Music are rarely affected by a release. Additionally, the competition in many genre categories is not nearly as intense as categories like Best New Austin Band or Band of the Year, so a lesser number of votes may be needed to win. Music Poll results seldom make anyone completely happy. Opinions are held rigidly and one person's "best" may be another's "worst." In The Austin Chronicle Music Poll, it all comes down to the number of votes. Rather than dispute Alteza's win, perhaps the better response would be to open your ears and hear what others are hearing.]