AXS TV'S Panel Of Experts Predicted Eight Of The Top GRAMMY® Categories Tonight On The Channel's First-Ever Live 'GRAMMY Prediction Special'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AXS TV today predicted eight of the GRAMMY®'s top categories on the channel's first-ever GRAMMY® PREDICTION SPECIAL. Hosted by AXS TV's Ryan Stout, the hour-long LIVE event featured expert opinions from renowned music critic Bob Lefsetz, hip-hop newsmaker DJ Skee, and research entrepreneur John Dick of CivicScience. Using polling conducted from the next-generation data mining company CivicScience, AXS TV's panel of experts debated CivicScience's findings, while adding their own thoughts and predictions on eight of the GRAMMY's top categories including Best Rock Album; Best Rap Album; Best Country Album and Album of the Year, among others.

The SPECIAL predicted massive wins for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, whose singles — such as "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love" — rocketed the hit-making duo into super-stardom, and made them easy favorites for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, and the coveted Album of the Year. Best Rock Album was awarded to Kings of Leon for the 2013 release MECHANICAL BULL, while Taylor Swift's RED took home honors for Best Country Album. And acclaimed newcomer Lorde's hit single "Royals" was crowned Song of the Year and Record of the Year, with Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the irreverent summertime favorite "Blurred Lines."

The panel of experts were extremely opinionated tonight. Lefsetz and Skee had a spirited debate about the Best Rap Album; Lefsetz favored Drake while Skee supported the merits of Best New Artist nominee Kendrick Lamar: bit.ly/1dQyxtD

When it came to discussing the Best Country Album, Lefsetz had strong criticism for Taylor Swift. While he believes she will win the GRAMMY, Lefsetz actually favors someone else: bit.ly/1dx81zr

To predict the winners, CivicScience used a proprietary method, analyzing results to surveys conducted online among a mix of music enthusiasts and general consumers. CivicScience's method has been lauded by leading academics, most recently for the company's impressive forecasting of the 2013 Oscars. For this year's GRAMMY predictions, nearly 200,000 surveys were included in the company's analysis. Voters were able to submit their choices right up to the show's premiere.

ABOUT AXS TV
AXS TV delivers relevant, unpredictable and irreverent programming by presenting unfiltered access to today's top comedians, newsmakers, musical entertainers and their performances. Launched in July 2012 by visionary entrepreneur Mark Cuban, AXS TV is dedicated to providing the best in music programming, comedy performances, current events and mixed martial arts promotions. AXS TV is a partnership between Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS. The network is distributed nationally to U.S. cable subscribers on AT&T U-verse Ch. 1106, DirecTV Ch. 340, Dish Ch. 167 and Verizon FiOS Ch. 569 and is also carried in Canada and the Caribbean. For more information, visit the website, www.axs.tv; go to the Facebook page here and follow the company on Twitter, @axstv; on Instagram;  Tumblr  and YouTube.

SOURCE AXS TV