OFF THE RECORD, OPTIMISM THE SURPRISING SUCCESS OF NORAH JONES AND OTHER GRAMMY-NOMINATED ARTISTS GIVES HOPE TO THE BELEAGUERED MUSIC INDUSTRY.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

There's really just one thorny issue facing the music industry as final preparations wind down for this evening's Grammy Awards telecast: how to deliver music to paying fans the way they want to receive it.

Because while many agree the old business model is almost as worn out as your vinyl copy of Carole King's ``Tapestry,'' pop music is more popular than ever with - surprise - even people over 14. Look at the charts. Along with the familiar hip-hop and country acts are names that not only have staying power but illustrate why adults are now the fastest-growing group of record buyers.

A glance reveals jazz-pop sensation Norah Jones' ``Come Away With Me'' just inched back up one spot to No. 3, Rod Stewart's ``It Had to Be You ... The Great American Songbook'' returned to the post-Valentine's Day Top 10, and John Mayer's live effort, ``Any Given Thursday,'' reached No. 17 days after hitting stores.

What do they have in common? While heavily promoted genre records like 50 Cent's million-selling debut can generate headlines and a quick cash storm upon release, these three titles went from a whisper to a scream. When Jones' sultry debut came out a year ago to mild buzz, few predicted it would reach its current sales of 4 million. And when Stewart's standards project was issued in October, who would've imagined a tux-and-tails Rod the Mod would generate such widespread interest by exchanging ``Maggie May'' for ``Moonglow''?

The albums appealed not only to teens but their parents as well.

``Grown-ups have a lot more on their plate, so music has to find them,'' said Zach Hochkeppel, director of marketing at Blue Note, the label that signed Jones. ``These are folks that grew up with music as an integral part of their lives. The problem is, they haven't been able to find the new music they like. These people aren't scouring Rolling Stone, Blender or Spin.''

Jones, Mayer and hit-making Britpop band Coldplay have found popularity by taking up the mantle of the '70s singer-songwriter. In doing so, they've raised the bar at Top 40 radio, nudging the usual din several steps away from stuttering hip-hop beats, saccharine diva vocals, overused samples and the schoolyard rhymes of rap.

Down but not out

After the announcement that overall CD sales plunged 10 percent last year, fingers pointed at the usual suspects - file swapping, a perceived lack of good music, the retail cost of the product, and competition from DVDs, movies and video games. But experts say that despite some truth to each of those arguments, the fact remains pop is an enduring part of almost every culture on the planet.

Be it hip-hop, merengue, Dixieland, gospel, Tuvan throat singing, garage rock or Pygmy funk, you can bet it's played wherever folks gather.

``Music itself isn't the problem,'' insists Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. ``There's an amazing variety of excellent music now being created. The industry is grappling with how to get it to consumers.''

Talents like Jones, Mayer and Coldplay - all performing at tonight's Grammys - have found audiences more than willing to pay for their music. Some have labeled the interest in adult-oriented music as the widely hoped-for flip side to the waning teen-pop craze.

The 23-year-old Jones is the reluctant spearhead of this movement. Daughter of Indian musician and composer Ravi Shankar, she was born in New York but grew up with her mother in Dallas, where she studied piano and explored the music of Miles Davis and Ray Charles. At the Grammy gala in New York, she's up for eight trophies, including record of the year, song of the year, album of the year and, significantly, best new artist.

``It just kind of puts a lot of pressure on people when people are saying, 'Oh, you're great, you're the next big thing,' '' she said in an interview with CNN. ``It's like, hold on, let me do what I do. Don't put that kind of pressure on me because I don't want it. It's cool, but I just want to play music. I don't want to be the next big anything. I just want to play for people and that's it.''

Released a year ago on Capitol's respected Blue Note jazz imprint, Jones' debut, ``Come Away With Me,'' enjoyed a slow build, just as Alicia Keys did in 2001 and the ``O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' soundtrack did the year before.

Blending Jones' own songs with classic tunes from Hank Williams, J.D. Loudermilk and Hoagy Carmichael, and originals by band mates Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, the jazz-tinged piano-driven pop album began as a public radio pick, eventually gaining airplay at coffee shops, vineyard tasting rooms, bookstores and other upscale venues. Last month, after competing radio formats latched onto the sultry single ``Don't Know Why,'' Jones' ``Come Away With Me'' hit the top of the album charts, reaching sales of more than 4 million copies.

``The pop world is cool, but I never really thought of myself as part of it or wanting to be a part of it, because I'm on a label that's not really like that,'' Jones said. ``They're not trying to dress me up, they're not trying to do things like that. I feel like I'm sort of separate from that, actually.''

Yes, she is. A reserved performer, Jones doesn't court fame or media attention. On stage, she's as likely to be reacting to a band member's solo as modestly peeking over her baby grand at her audience. Those that know her well believe she's got what it takes to sustain a career.

``I hate dishonesty and if I work with a singer, that singer has to be able to sing,'' said Arif Mardin, the legendary r&b producer who's up for Grammys tonight for best nonclassical producer of the year and best-engineered nonclassical album for ``Come Away With Me'' (which, because it's nominated for album of the year, gives Mardin a third shot at a trophy). ``I can't and won't work with someone who has no voice and depends on a computer to get a take. I'll never do that. I'll ask the singer to do it again. I come from an arranging background where the groove provides the energy. It's like making soup.''

Jones and Mardin made more than minestrone. Along with tuneful Britpop band Coldplay and melodic bards like Mayer and Dave Matthews, she's a primary reason why people age 45 and older have suddenly become the fastest-growing group of music consumers.

``With an adult consumer, you have to come at them and speak their language,'' Blue Note's Hochkeppel said. ``National Public Radio is huge for someone like Norah. Time, Newsweek, getting it played in Starbucks - people need to hear about a record. They may not buy a lot of albums, but when they do, they become a hugely dedicated fan base, a cocktail party street team. That's the way 'O Brother' spread. It was turbo word of mouth.''

With the release of ``Come Away With Me,'' Blue Note revealed the amount of thought that went into marketing Jones prior to the album hitting stores. For the first several months, the disc was retailed at $7.98 to entice music fans who'd perhaps heard ``Don't Know Why'' but weren't convinced they'd like the wide-screen version.

``It was a great way for people who saw all this wonderful press to check Norah out for less than 10 bucks,'' Hochkeppel said. ``It turned out that whenever anyone heard it, they said they loved it. We've tried to keep it subtle. We've resisted the temptation to go, 'Let's blow this out.' When Norah saw how big it was all getting, she wanted to make sure this wasn't going to be her first and last record.''

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4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Norah Jones has five Grammy nominations

(2) Norah Jones, whose album became a blockbuster thanks to restrained marketing and good word of mouth, performs at the Anson Ford Amphitheatre last July.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(3) John Mayer, at left, part of a resurgence of singer-songwriters, plays last month at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com

(4) Adult music fans have embraced British band Coldplay and its singer, Chris Martin, seen here at the Greek Theatre in September 2002.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer