Recording Academy Announces New Rules for GRAMMY Awards
Set to go into immediate effect for the 64th GRAMMY Awards.
The Recording Academy has announced various changes to its nomination and awards process earlier this week. The changes unveiled are expected to be effective immediately and will be in play for the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards ceremony set for January 2022. However, an updated album eligibility rule will not be in effect until 2023.
The new regulations are on top of additional changes made last month where the Recording Academy announced the end to nomination review committees and a reduction in the number of categories members can vote in. They also added two new categories for best global music performance and best música urbana album.
CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement, “Our peer-driven awards process is all about engagement, and nothing is more invigorating than seeing our members take part in submitting proposals to move the Academy forward. We’re proud to work alongside today’s music creators to ensure their vision for the music industry is reflected in all that we do, and to continue our commitment to transparency by making these updates readily available to anyone that wishes to submit their art for Grammy recognition.”
The approved regulation amendments include the expansion of nominee and recipient eligibility for the Album of the Year category, as well as renaming the Best Dance Recording category to Best Dance/Electronic Recording. Additionally, the academy is now allowing singles in five classical field categories, adding two Technical Grammy Awards and identifying a clearer limit to the number of people who can be awarded in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category. As for the change that may pertain most to fans, the organization is adjusting their criteria that would qualify an album to be a contender for crucial album awards.
In order for those to be considered for a GRAMMY award, the album must contain more than 75 percent playing time of newly recorded and previously unreleased recordings. Before, the eligibility rule was 50 percent.
In regards to nominee and recipient eligibility changes Album of the Year, all credited artists, which includes featured artists, as well as, songwriters, producers, mastering engineers, engineers and mixers are now all eligible to be nominees and recipients.
It remains to be seen if the changes in guidelines from the Recording Academy were perpetuated by The Weeknd’s recent announcement that he would be boycotting the GRAMMYs.
In other music news, 24kGoldn has released the music video for “Company” featuring Future.
