The thirteenth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards air live Thursday, March 26, at 8/7c on Fox, and the ceremony arrives carrying the bloated ambitions of an industry that uses fan-voted awards as a loyalty program.

Taylor Swift leads all nominees with nine. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, and Alex Warren follow with eight each. [1] The performance lineup tilts nostalgic — TLC, Ludacris, Weezer — supplemented by RAYE, Lainey Wilson, and Alex Warren. [2] Special appearances from Nikki Glaser, Nicole Scherzinger, and Ne-Yo round out a show designed to serve every demographic simultaneously and satisfy none completely.

Song of the Year nominees span the spectrum: Doechii's "Anxiety," Bad Bunny's "BAILE INoLVIDABLE," Ed Sheeran's "Camera," Justin Bieber's "DAISIES," and Kendrick Lamar among the contenders. [3] The category is less a measure of artistic achievement than of which fan base clicked "vote" most aggressively.

The awards are fan-voted, which means the results were largely determined weeks ago by the organized enthusiasm of online communities. The ceremony itself is the afterparty. Watch for the performances, not the envelopes.

-- MAYA CALLOWAY, New York