Grammys 2025: No New Categories, But 10 Rule Tweaks

All eligibly-credited featured artists with under 50% playtime will now be awarded a winners’ certificate for all genre album categories. Previously, certificates went to producer(s) and engineers with less than 50% playing time; mastering engineer(s) if other than the artist(s); immersive producers(s) and immersive engineer/mixer(s).

Note: This new rule does not apply to best musical theater album, craft categories or the general field categories (these are the so-called Big Four categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist – as well as producer of the year, non-classical and songwriter of the year, non-classical.)

The fee for a media company to enter a recording in the online entry process jumps from $120 to $180.

From the guidebook: “Media companies pay an annual fee to register with the academy that shall be 20% more than the annual fee paid by individuals for membership. Their fee is $180 for the 67th Grammy Awards.”

Change: The old rule in this two-year old category read: “This category recognizes the written excellence, profession and art of songwriting for non-performing and non-producing songwriters.” The Academy is dropping the phrases “non-performing” and “non-producing” from the category description “for language clarity,” it says.

The following submission guidelines were also amended, with the aim of allowing for wider representation of the songwriter community:

o The minimum submission threshold in which a songwriter is credited as a songwriter or co-writer (not a primary or featured artist, or producer), was reduced from five to four songs.

o The additional number of songs a songwriter may enter in which they are also credited as a primary or featured artist, or any other supporting role, increased from four to five.

2024 winner: Theron Thomas

Change: Category was renamed best dance/electronic album and the category criteria was amended to specify that albums must be made up of at least 50% dance/electronic recordings to qualify.

2024 winner: Fred again.., Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)

Change: Category has moved from the production, engineering, composition & arrangement field into the pop & dance/electronic field.

2024 winner: “Wagging Tongue” (Wet Leg Remix); Wet Leg, remixers (Depeche Mode, original artist)

Change: The category has been renamed best dance pop recording. (Let’s hope that didn’t take a long discussion.)

2024 winner: Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam”; Lostboy, producer; Guy Massey, mixer

The category criteria was amended to broaden the category’s scope and welcome more entries from the musical theater community. The new description specifies that the category is home to “songs defined by one or more of the following qualities inherent in musical theater: a theatrical style of composition, vocal/instrumental performance, and/or arrangement.” It also states, “Additionally, this category includes albums of musical theatre songs that, unlike cast albums, are independent of a unifying narrative or underlying dramatic theme.”

Two such albums, both honoring Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, were nominated in this category at the Grammys on Feb. 4 – Liz Callaway’s To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim and the Various Artists album Sondheim Unplugged (The New York City Sessions), Vol. 3.

Other Broadway albums that have been nominated in this category in recent years include Josh Groban’s Stages, a collection of songs from Broadway musicals, and Barbra Streisand’s Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.

Additionally, album eligibility criteria was updated to require that albums in this category must contain more than 75% of newly recorded (previously unreleased) performances.

2024 winner: Laufey, Bewitched 

Change: The category criteria was amended to more accurately represent recordings that embody the classic elements of R&B/soul music, distinguishing them from contemporary interpretations of the genre.

The new language reads: “This category recognizes excellence in traditional R&B performance and is intended for recordings that contain classic R&B/soul vocal, instrumental and compositional elements in a style that distinctly sets it s artistic intention apart from a contemporary approach to the genre.”

2024 winner: PJ Morton featuring Susan Carol, “Good Morning”

Change: The category criteria was amended to include a requirement that lyrics and English language translations must be included with entry submissions. Additionally, an intended audience age range for this category was defined as infant to 12 years old. Previously, the rules said “The word ‘children’ is used broadly, with no specific age range defined.”

2024 winner: 123 Andrés, We Grow Together Preschool Songs

The category was amended to include a qualification for released material, specifically new DLC (downloaded content in-game) and seasonal expansions. The updated qualification establishes that greater than 50% of the music on an otherwise eligible video game soundtrack or interactive media soundtrack must be derived from new episodes or new programming released during the Grammy eligibility year for which it is entered.

2024 winner: Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor 

Change: Conjunto music will now be recognized in the best regional roots music album category, rather than the best música Mexicana album (including Tejano) category. The academy’s reasoning: “It is a roots music genre.”

The best regional music album category encompasses Cajun, Hawaiian, Native American, Second Line brass band, polka, zydeco, go-go and swamp pop in addition to Conjunto. In the former category, Conjunto was lumped in with Regional Mexican, Banda, Tejano and Norteño music.