It’s one thing for Beyoncé to win the night’s most prestigious award. It’s another to win for 'Cowboy Carter.'

Every time someone presented one of the show’s major prizes — album of the year, record of the year, song of the year, best new artist — he or she rattled off the line before revealing the winner. It was a small but telling detail that demonstrated how the academy wants to be perceived after years of being portrayed as a shadowy record-industry cabal.