The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

[3] The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which ran from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017.

The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, which the Barclays Center (operated by AEG) was hoping to host, ended up being held at Radio City Music Hall, which is owned by The Madison Square Garden Company.

MusiCares funds, which were intended for charitable purposes, were instead used to pay for the $8 million cost overruns associated with hosting the Grammys in New York City.

She also claimed that she struggled to find a suitable venue in New York for the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Fleetwood Mac.

The Barclays Center offered up an acceptable deal, but Irving Azoff of the Madison Square Garden Company prevented the event from being held there.

The Barclays Center notified City Hall of their interest in being involved with Grammy week, and Julie Menin (the New York City Commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment) passed that information along to Grammy organizers.

Viewership for the ceremony dropped 24% compared to the previous year, obtaining the smallest audience in the show's history in the key demographic.