THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE: Los Angeles may not...

THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE: Los Angeles may not be hosting the Grammy Awards in February, but the city will be able to toast winners in another competition.

Look for an announcement soon that Pro-Set, a company that makes music trading cards, will stage the first annual Los Angeles Music Awards early next year. In fact, the event--patterned after a New York City music awards show that has been held since 1986--may be staged around the same time as the Grammy Awards.

The Los Angeles awards will salute area performers in more than 50 categories--from the best major-label rock band to the best new folk singer--with winners decided by a vote of area critics and other music industry personnel. The first ballots are expected to be mailed in December.

“Every city has its own personality and we want to pay tribute to that,” said Robbie Woliver, the former owner of the Greenwich Village club Folk City who co-founded the New York awards. “In L.A. there’s a great rock scene that’s overlooked.”

What are we getting ourselves into? Do the New York Music Awards have any credibility? Big Apple pop critics contacted by Pop Eye gave the annual affair pretty good marks, especially praising the grass-roots flavor. “A pretty high percentage of those who win show up to accept the awards, so it means something to the artists,” said Newsday’s Wayne Robins.