When music's biggest night airs during a pandemic, does it still make a sound? If its awards brethren are any indicator, the answer is… sort of. The CMAs, Emmys, and Golden Globes — which have trotted out modified versions of their telecasts since you-know-what began last March — all saw drop-offs in ratings. Then again, that downward slope pre-dates COVID-19. And having fewer eyeballs shouldn't excuse the boring pitfalls the Grammys have consistently fallen into. (Remember the "I Sing the Body Electric" cover in hour 4 of last year's Grammys? I wish I didn't.) If the show — which has also lost viewers over the years, likely due to a combination of A-list music stars boycotting and the perception that the Recording Academy is out of touch — hopes to stay relevant, it needs to at least learn from other virtual ceremonies: Double down on shots of stars hanging at home, skip the shoddy production that reminds us of work Zoom calls, and lean heavily on new music, preferably performed live, in a safe environment (the third ask seems to be coming to fruition this year). Simple? Yes. But if this pandemic has taught us anything, it's that the smartest choices don't need to be the most complicated.