recording academy
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, four days before the 67th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers (P&E) Wing will honor producer, engineer and mixer Jimmy Douglass at its annual Grammy Week Celebration. The event will take place at The Preserve LA in East Hollywood.
“Our P&E Wing proudly celebrates Grammy Week each year with a special evening that unites producers, engineers and artistic professionals to honor a truly deserving creator,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “This year, we’re thrilled to pay tribute to the extraordinary Jimmy Douglass, who has led groundbreaking creative and technical efforts in the recording industry, encouraging artists to transcend genre boundaries and contributing to iconic musical projects that will resonate for generations.”
“Throughout his illustrious career spanning more than four decades, Jimmy’s visionary approach to producing, engineering and mixing has shaped some of music’s most iconic recordings,” said Maureen Droney, vp of the P&E Wing. “Jimmy consistently pushes the boundaries of sound by bringing unconventional techniques into the studio while inspiring countless artists along the way.”
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Douglass (also known as The Senator) is a five-time Grammy winner for his work on Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” (best dance recording, 2007); Timberlake’s “Love Stoned/I Think She Knows” (best dance recording, 2008); John Legend & The Roots’ Wake Up! (best R&B album, 2011), CeCe Winans’ Let Them Fall in Love (best gospel album, 2018) and Andra Day’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday (best compilation soundtrack for visual media, 2022).
Douglass has also received five album of the year nominations for his work on Missy Elliott’s Under Construction, Timberlake’s Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, Pharrell Williams’ Girl, and Jay-Z’s 4:44. He has additionally notched two record of the year nods for Timberlake’s “What Goes Around…Comes Around” and Jay-Z’s “The Story of O.J.”
In addition to paying tribute to Douglass, the event will celebrate the year-round work of the Producers & Engineers Wing and its members.
Grammy Week culminates with the 67th Annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET and be streamed live on live.Grammy.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.
Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden and The Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. announced today a new 10-year global deal for The Grammys to be exclusively simulcast on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027 — making The Walt Disney Company the first new home for Music’s Biggest Night in 50 years. The Grammys aired […]
Dolly Parton is the 2024 recipient of the PEACE Through Music Award, which honors an American music industry professional, artist or group who has played an invaluable role in cross-cultural exchanges and whose music works to advance peace and mutual understanding globally. The award is presented jointly by the Recording Academy and the U.S. State Department.
Parton, a 10-time Grammy winner who also received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2011, will be celebrated on Friday (Oct. 25) at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. She will not be in attendance, but sent a video acceptance.
“To say that I was honored to accept the PEACE Through Music Award from the Recording Academy and the U.S. State Department would be putting it mildly,” Parton said. “I was very touched and moved by that. If I have been an inspiration in any way through some act of kindness or through some music that I have written, well, that makes me feel like I have done my job properly. Thanks again for such a great honor.”
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Parton’s commitment to serving others is well-known. Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides underserved children the opportunity to learn through reading, stretches from the hills of Appalachia to the outback of Australia. In addition, she has been a champion of public health, most recently around the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Over the course of her career, Dolly Parton has been committed to enriching communities across the globe, and it’s a privilege to celebrate her dedication to service with the PEACE Through Music Award today,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “We are grateful to partner with the Department of State on the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which represents an important part of the Academy’s work to support music people across the globe.”
“Dolly Parton represents the best of America – her excellence in music, her servant’s heart in giving back to those in need, and her unique ability to always bring people together,” said Lee Satterfield, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. “On behalf of the American people and Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken, we are honored to celebrate all of her contributions to people around the world with the PEACE Through Music Award in partnership with the Recording Academy.”
The PEACE Through Music Award is determined through a nomination process, with U.S. embassies around the globe submitting nominations to be considered by a selection committee created jointly by the State Department and Recording Academy. The committee includes Recording Academy members, U.S. Department of State leadership, music industry professionals, and academia. The recommended honorees are approved by the CEO of the Recording Academy, then presented to the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, who makes the final selection.
The award is part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, which was announced by the Recording Academy and the State Department in 2023. The initiative is designed to elevate music as a global diplomatic platform that promotes peace, expands economic equity, elevates creative economies, ensures societal opportunity, and increases access to education worldwide. The initiative was developed pursuant to the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act, which was championed by the Recording Academy and its members in 2022 at its annual Grammys on the Hill and Music Advocacy Day events, resulting in the legislation being passed into law in December 2022.
Tonight’s Grammy Museum event also recognizes the first-ever cohort of the American Music Mentorship Program, which took place in Los Angeles from Oct. 15-25.
Being a Grammy voter may sound glamorous, but it’s a lot of work if you do it right, or even close to right. That’s because, in the first round of voting, the Recording Academy presents voting members with really long lists of titles and asks them to select the five they think are most worthy of a nomination.
How long is “really long”? This year, voters had to wade through alphabetical lists of 780 entries for record of the year, 707 for album of the year, 978 for song of the year and 323 for best new artist. And that’s just the Big Four categories!
Can you imagine how much time and mental effort it would take to contentiously pick your five favorite anythings from a list of 978 contenders? If that task were less overwhelming, it seems likely that the quality of voting would go up – and that the percentage of voting members who completed it would go up. If the voters were presented with a list of, say, 100 contenders, it would turn a daunting task into a manageable, and maybe even pleasurable, one. (That number could go up a bit, to 125, 150 or 200, but of course the higher it goes up, the less benefit would be realized.)
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My idea is to have a group of knowledgeable, plugged-in and fair-minded people cull the massive entry lists and bring them down to a more reasonable length. Big hits would probably remain on the list, as would non-hits that people on the panel spoke up for.
You might say, “Didn’t the Recording Academy just get rid of Nomination Review Committees a few years ago — now you’re talking about bringing them back?” Good recall on the review committees, including the primary one, which determined the final nominees in the Big Four categories every year from the ceremony held in 1996 through the one held in 2021. Most Grammy-watchers (including me) were happy to see that committee disbanded, but there’s an important distinction to be made: The academy had the review committee at the tail-end of the process, after voting members had voted and just before the nominations were announced.
Here’s how it worked back then: The committee members selected their five favorites from the top 20 or 25 vote-getters from rank-and-file voters. They essentially second-guessed the voters, which always struck me as elitist, as if their taste and judgment was superior to that of the voters. I’m suggesting putting the committee at the front-end of the process. They wouldn’t be second-guessing anybody, but simply performing a reality check by eliminating the records, albums, songs and artists that have little to no chance of being nominated, but which clog up the list.
And why do I say you shouldn’t hold your breath for this actually happening? Many voting members like to see their entries on the list. If they didn’t see them anymore, they might not see any point in renewing their membership. Member dues are $150 per year. If, say, 2,000 of the current 13,000 voting members walked away because they missed seeing their names on the entry list, that’s $300,000 in lost revenue each year for the Recording Academy. But do the Grammys really want people voting who are that shallow and motivated only by narrow self-interest?
It’s not just the Big Four categories that have large numbers of entries. A total of 33 categories on this year’s Grammy ballot had 200 or more entries. Of those 33, 14 had 300 or more entries. In addition to the Big Four, the categories with 300+ entries are best music video (637), best global music performance (456), best engineered album, non-classical (456), best arrangement, instruments and vocals (444), best jazz performance (420), best instrumental composition (395), best American roots song (373), best alternative music performance (331), best pop solo performance (314) and best American roots performance (310). These categories could also stand a trim, either by this committee or by committees closer to these genres and fields of endeavor.
A small point, but just so there’s no confusion, voters are tasked with picking their five favorites in the Big Four categories, even though there are eight eventual nominees in those categories. That slight numerical difference doesn’t matter, but presenting the voting members with a reasonable task does.
On Thursday (Oct. 3), one day before first-round voting opens for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy released its 2024 Membership Report. The most eye-popping statistic: 66% of the current Grammys electorate has joined since the Recording Academy introduced its new membership model in June 2019. Under that model, the academy invites large new member classes to join, with an eye on boosting the numbers of women, people of color and people under 40 in the academy.
Thus, the voting membership that delivered album, record and song of the year to Adele in 2017 and those same three awards to Bruno Mars in 2018 is much different today. We started to see a shift in voting patterns in February 2019, even before the new membership model was introduced, when Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” became the first hip-hop hit to win record or song of the year. (It won both.) That same year, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour won album of the year.
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Since 2019, approximately 8,700 creators have become voting members of the Recording Academy. Of that total, more than 2,000 joined just this year. There are now more than 13,000 total voting members, according to the Academy.
Other key takeaways from the report include:
Boosting Numbers of Women
In 2019, the Recording Academy set an ambitious goal to add 2,500 women voting members by 2025. With a year to go, the Academy has already surpassed this goal, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. Since 2019, the percentage of women voting members has grown by 27%.
Increasing Racial Diversity
The Academy reports that the percentage of people of color has grown by 65% since 2019 among voting members. Since 2019:
The percentage of Black or African American+ members has grown by 90%.
The percentage of Hispanic or Latin+ members has grown by 43%.
The percentage of AAPI+ (Asian American or Pacific Islander) members has doubled, reflecting a 100% increase.
The current voting membership, counting the new voting members added this year, is 49% white or Caucasian; 38% people of color; and 13% prefer not to disclose or unknown. That “people of color” slice breaks down like this: 19% Black or African American+; 10% Hispanic or Latin+; 4% Asian or Pacific Islander; 2% prefer to self-describe; and other smaller slices.
The current voting membership is 66% men; 28% women; 6% prefer not to disclose/unknown; and other, smaller slices.
Too Much Jazz. Not Enough Country
By genre, the current voting membership is 27% pop; 19% jazz; 17% R&B; 17% rock; 13% American roots; 13% alternative; 12% classical; 10% global music; 10% Latin music; 10% other; 10% rap; 9% dance/electronic; 9% country; 8% gospel/Christian; 8% visual media; 7% contemporary instrumental; 5% new age; 4% children’s; 4% musical theatre; 3% reggae; 3% spoken word; and 1% comedy. (Members could select more than one genre.)
Jazz and classical are overrepresented, relative to their share of the music market. Country lags behind its share of the music market.
By area of specialization, the current voting membership is 46% songwriters/composers; 33% producers; 33% instrumentalists; 32% vocalists; 19% engineers; 12% arrangers; 6% other; 4% music video; 3% album packaging; 3% album notes writers; 2% music supervisors; 2% conductors; 2% spoken word.
In a letter accompanying the release of the report, Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in part: “The Recording Academy membership has never been more reflective of the music community than it is today. It has more women, more People of Color, and a broad representation of diverse genres and crafts. But we’re not just celebrating numbers. Our organization has been fundamentally transformed by this extraordinary infusion of new talent, making us an unquestionably better, stronger, more successful, and more impactful organization.
“And we’re not done yet. Even though we’ve made huge strides towards creating a diverse and representative membership body, there is still much work to be done. We want to recruit more young voters, because the future of music is in their hands. We want to see an increase in the percentage of women and people of color, because our goal must always be to accurately represent our community.
“And as we globalize our mission, we want a membership body that reflects every corner of the music world.”
Mason added some specifics in an interview with Billboard this week. “It’s been a very intentional effort to try and make sure that our membership is the most relevant, the most diverse. …We’re not just trying to build numbers. We’re looking at, what is the music community made up of? … A big goal for us is to make sure that we’re matching or coming close to the community that makes music. That’s not the same as the general population of our country. We know that R&B/hip-hop is roughly 33%-34% of all music created and consumed. We know what the numbers are for Latin music, women, and other groups. We have a rough idea of what the numbers feel like.”
On July 26, Mason sent a pointed letter, via email, to the Academy’s voting members, “It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!,” he implored. “There should be no other rationale for voting. If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job.”
Talking to Billboard, Mason expressed a little more sympathy for members who may be inclined to take other factors into account, though he again said he hoped the focus would be on the music. “Voters have their own ideas around how they vote and what they chose to vote for and we want to give them some latitude to be able to do that but it’s my hope and I believe it’s the Academy’s desire that our voters will evaluate the music based on the merit of that music exclusively. It’s not about past sins [of the academy]. It’s not about genre representation. It’s really about the quality of the music. My hope is that people listen to the music and evaluate it based on the merits.”
At another point in the conversation, he said “The whole idea of this membership [drive] is not just to hit numbers, it’s to try to get the right results and the right outcome.”
Asked to be more specific about that statement, Mason said, “I’m not saying the positive result is any specific album or genre winning any specific award. I’m just looking for accuracy and relevance and making sure the outcomes are reflective of what’s happening in music. I don’t care what genre that is. I’m definitely not looking at making reparations [for past Grammy outcomes]. I’m just saying the outcomes for our academy … are all driven by our membership and if we have the right membership, we’re a better organization.”
First-round voting for the Grammy Awards opens on Friday Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. PT, and closes on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. PT. Grammy nominees will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting will be held from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3. All voting members, including those welcomed in the 2024 new class, are eligible to participate in the voting process. The 67th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The host has yet to be named. Trevor Noah hosted the last four Grammy telecasts.
The 66th annual Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, Feb. 4. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins were executive producers. Hamish Hamilton directed. The show received a Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding variety program (live), but lost to The Oscars (which was also executive produced by Kapoor). The Recording Academy has yet to announce the host, producer or director of the 2025 show.
Harvey Mason Jr. quietly re-upped with the Recording Academy in September for another four years as CEO. Mason first assumed the role of permanent CEO on May 13, 2021, after having served on an interim basis for the previous 16 months. His three-year contract with the academy ran through July 31 of this year.
There was no announcement in September about Mason’s decision to stay in his job. “It was kind of right in the middle of a lot of things that were going on with us at the academy,” he explained in an interview with Billboard about the academy’s new member class. “We’re doing a lot of things that we’re excited about that I felt probably deserved more attention than [my contract extension]. I just want to keep my head down and do the work.”
Under Mason, the academy has undergone dramatic changes since it officially terminated former president/CEO Deborah Dugan on March 2, 2020, after she had been placed on administrative leave six weeks earlier. Dugan, who served only five months in the job, took over from longtime president/CEO Neil Portnow.
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Mason said he’ll continue to have the freedom to do outside music projects. “Luckily, I’m allowed to continue to be very creative — run my business, make music, be in the studio. So, it actually gives us a different perspective. I think it’s a good thing for the CEO of the Grammys and the Recording Academy to be in the studio working.”
As late as Feb. 27, when Billboard interviewed Mason about the success of Bob Marley: One Love, on which he was credited as executive music producer, he said wasn’t sure if the was going to stay at the academy. “I don’t think either side has made a commitment yet or firm decision as to what’s going to take place after July,” he remarked at the time.
Before he became CEO, Mason received five Grammy nominations — three of them for his work in film and TV, on the soundtracks to Dreamgirls, Pitch Perfect 2 and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
But he has taken himself out of Grammy contention as long as he is CEO. “I’ve committed to not putting my name on the ballot because I wouldn’t want my job at the Academy to influence how somebody viewed a project or voted for a project,” he said in February.
But other people who work on those projects can submit their own names. “I don’t want to punish people that do great work. So, others can submit, I won’t submit and I will not be getting a nomination or win while I’m in this role.”
On another topic, Mason said the academy has made no decision about what to do about the Salute to Industry Icons Award that Sean “Diddy” Combs received in January 2020, in light of his current legal woes.
Federal prosecutors on Sept. 17 unsealed a criminal indictment against Combs over sweeping allegations of sexual abuse, accusing him of running a racketeering conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.
Mason said that if Combs is convicted, “We’d have to take a look at that, as it was an honorary award. So, it’s a little bit different than a Grammy. I don’t think we would be in the business of retracting people’s Grammys, but I don’t think I’ll speculate on an honorary award and how we would handle that until I see what happens going forward.”
The Recording Academy is gearing up for Music Advocacy Day, its new name for District Advocate Day, which is set for Oct. 1 with Mark Ronson as this year’s Music Advocacy Day Artist Ambassador. A letter with Ronson’s signature was emailed Thursday (Sept. 5) to the Recording Academy’s 22,000 members, including voting, professional and GRAMMY U student members, urging them to join him in this nationwide rally.
“The music industry is changing faster than ever, and with those changes come challenges—whether it’s navigating the impact of artificial intelligence or tackling the issues surrounding live event ticketing,” Ronson wrote. “But these challenges are also our opportunities to shape the future of music.
“Music Advocacy Day is your unique opportunity as an Academy member to share your perspective on policies to prevent the misuse of A.I., protect your voice and likeness, and stop predatory ticketing practices to ensure we creators are getting equitably paid.”
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Ronson was in Washington, D.C., on May 1 for the Academy’s Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, at which time he and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), among others.
“I saw firsthand the impact of sharing our stories with the people who represent us,” Ronson wrote in this letter. “Those conversations helped lead to meaningful outcomes on Capitol Hill, including the passage of the TICKET Act in the House, and the introduction of the NO FAKES Act in the Senate. Now, on Music Advocacy Day, we can build on the progress we’ve made and speak with our Congressional leaders at home in our local communities to ensure they hear our concerns.”
Recording Academy members can sign up for Music Advocacy Day by checking their inboxes for registration information or reaching out to their local chapter. But they don’t have much time to act. Registration closes on Friday (Sept. 6). The Academy notes that non-members can also participate by reaching out to their legislators through the Academy’s music advocacy action page.
Key issues that members of the Academy will address with legislators in their hometowns this year include:
Artificial Intelligence: Advocating for the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act, which is designed to protect Americans from fraudulent AI replicas.
Live Event Ticketing Reform: Advocating for the Fans First Act, legislation that safeguards artists and consumers from deceptive practices, provides transparency and restores integrity to the ticketing marketplace.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Music Advocacy Day, which the Academy calls the largest grassroots advocacy movement for music. On last year’s Music Advocacy Day, more than 1,700 Academy members engaged in nearly 100 meetings with lawmakers, according to the Academy.
Music Advocacy Day has helped achieve several legislative victories. Efforts from previous years have led to the enactment of the Music Modernization Act, which reformed music licensing for the streaming era, and the Save Our Stages Act, which provided needed financial support to music venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, advocacy efforts contributed to the passage of the CASE Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, further protecting music creators and consumers alike.
Ronson, 49, has won eight Grammys, including two awards for record of the year — one as producer of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and the other as artist and co-producer of his own megahit “Uptown Funk!,” featuring Bruno Mars. He also won an Oscar for co-writing the Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper hit “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.
Here’s the complete text of Ronson’s letter to Recording Academy members:
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years in the studio, it’s that music has the power to move mountains. It’s more than just beats and lyrics; it’s the heartbeat of our culture. That’s why I’m reaching out to you today about something that’s close to my heart.
October 1st marks Music Advocacy Day, a day where we, as creators and members of the Recording Academy, come together across the country to make sure our voices are heard. The music industry is changing faster than ever, and with those changes come challenges—whether it’s navigating the impact of artificial intelligence or tackling the issues surrounding live event ticketing. But these challenges are also our opportunities to shape the future of music.
In this time of industry transformation, I am honored to serve as this year’s Music Advocacy Day Artist Ambassador and work alongside you to inspire a positive impact on our community. Earlier this year, I had the chance to speak with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. during GRAMMYs on the Hill, and I saw firsthand the impact of sharing our stories with the people who represent us. Those conversations helped lead to meaningful outcomes on Capitol Hill, including the passage of the TICKET Act in the House, and the introduction of the NO FAKES Act in the Senate. Now, on Music Advocacy Day, we can build on the progress we’ve made and speak with our Congressional leaders at home in our local communities to ensure they hear our concerns.
Music Advocacy Day is your unique opportunity as an Academy member to share your perspective on policies to prevent the misuse of A.I., protect your voice and likeness, and stop predatory ticketing practices to ensure we creators are getting equitably paid. On this day, you’re representing the millions of artists and producers – your peers – that need safeguards and protection. The Recording Academy will be with you every step of the way to provide resources and guidance.
I know how busy life gets, but this is a moment where our voices can truly make a difference. If you haven’t signed up for Music Advocacy Day yet, I urge you to do so. We’re a community of innovators and pioneers, and together, we can protect human creativity for generations to come.
Looking forward to championing the cause with you,
Mark Ronson”
There are just two more days for current voting and professional members of the Recording Academy to enter recordings for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The submission window closes Friday (Aug. 30) at 6 p.m. PT.
The entry process has changed in recent years. There used to be no limit to the number of entries members could make. Some members took advantage of that liberal policy and submitted a large number of entries, causing the entry list to bloat. The Academy now allows each voting or professional member just five “courtesy entries” before charges apply.
Furthermore, in an effort to get procrastinators to make their entries in timely fashion, those entry fees escalate the closer we get to the eligibility cut-off. The charge for members was $40 per entry from July 17-July 31 (what the Academy calls “early bird pricing”) and $75 per entry from Aug. 1-Aug. 22 (standard pricing). In this final week, it is $125 per entry (final deadline pricing). (In all cases, these are the charges for entries beyond the five courtesy entries.)
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In its rules, the Academy notes: “There will be no refunds for any entries once submitted to the Recording Academy, including those entries found to be ineligible.”
Media companies may also enter entries, but they don’t get five courtesy entries. And their charges were higher for the first two submission submission periods – $65 through July 31 and $95 through Aug. 22. The final deadline pricing charge for media companies is the same as for members – $125 through Aug. 30.
The Recording Academy defines a media company as “a legitimate business entity whose core business function is to create, aggregate and promote audio and/or video content for multiple artists for commercial purposes, and must have product in national U.S. commercial distribution on our approved streaming platforms within the current eligibility period. It cannot just be an imprint in name only for the artist.” Media companies pay an annual $180 registration fee.
It is the submitter’s responsibility to provide streaming links or physical product in some cases. “Without streaming links or commercially released product (if applicable), your entries cannot be screened or verified, which can result in disqualification,” the Academy notes.
Physical product must be submitted for consideration in five craft categories – best recording package, best boxed or limited edition package, best immersive audio album, best album notes and best historical album. Rules note “If you made entries in craft categories that require physical product, you will receive a separate email detailing the product required and further shipping instructions. Include a copy of the packing list with shipped product. Send in as soon as possible but no later than Sept. 6.”
No physical product is necessary in six other craft categories – best engineered album, non-classical; best engineered album, classical; best immersive audio album; best instrumental composition; best arrangement, instrumental or acapella; and best arrangement, instruments and vocals.
The Academy notes “Prior to the first round of voting [which opens on Oct. 4], we will be sending each submitter an email showing final category placement of their entries.”
The eligibility period for the 67th Grammy Awards is Sept. 16, 2023 – Aug. 30, 2024. First-round voting runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 15. Nominees will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3, 2025. The Grammys will be presented on Feb. 2, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Recording Academy has issued an emailed call to action for its voting members on Monday (Aug. 5) to submit smartphone videos in which they answer such questions including, “Why do you take the time to vote in the Grammy Awards each year?” The academy will then combine excerpts from the submitted clips to create […]
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email on Friday (July 26) to the Academy’s 12,000 voting members urging them to take their job as voting members seriously. The Subject Line: “Vote with Purpose This Grammy Season.”
“The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices,” Mason wrote in the letter obtained by Billboard. “As such, you owe it to your peers to vote intentionally, deliberately, with pride and with purpose.”
Mason added a personal aside to bring the point home. “Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say they hadn’t taken a specific artist seriously since a performance they saw more than 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by that. There is no place in our organization for such bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting. It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
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“There should be no other rationale for voting. If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job.”
Mason also implored Grammy voting members to start thinking about their choices now. “I hope that you begin prioritizing your responsibility now, and not wait until Grammy season is here.” The first-round voting period runs from Oct. 4-15. Final-round voting extends from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3, 2025.
Mason is wise to advise members to start thinking about their picks now. The Grammy entry list is long. This year, there will be 94 categories (same as last year). Many categories have large numbers of entries. On last year’s entry list, there were 615 candidates for record of the year, 476 for album of the year, 642 for song of the year and 405 for best new artist. To conscientiously wade through such long lists and thoughtfully make your selections would take hours. That is one reason that “brand name” artists – long-time Grammy favorites – often lead the nominations year after year. Mason is trying to get members to break that habit of just checking off names of artists who are top-of-mind.
On the line “The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices,” Mason linked to this Grammy.com post from May 1, which includes a section titled “What Is the True Value of a Grammy?” It gives more than a dozen examples of artists whose careers were boosted by Grammy wins.
The Academy’s tally of 12,000+ voting members doesn’t include the 3,000+ potential new voting members that it has invited as part of this year’s new member class. (It has also invited 900 professional (non-voting) members, for a total of 3,900+ new members.)
Here is Mason’s letter to voting members, in full:
Dear Grammy voters,
Normally you don’t hear from me about Grammy voting until our ballot is live but this year is different. I want to make sure you understand how critically important it is for you to vote, and to vote with intention and integrity.
We all know the Grammy is music’s most coveted award because it is an honor that comes from one’s peers. It’s not a popularity contest. The nominees and winners are not chosen by the critics, fans, or the staff of the Academy. They are chosen by you—the 12,000+ music creators who are the voting members of the Recording Academy.
You are the Grammy electorate. Your votes are tallied by Deloitte, and then announced publicly, celebrated, and recorded by history as the very best in music for that year. The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices. As such, you owe it to your peers to vote intentionally, deliberately, with pride and with purpose.
Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say they hadn’t taken a specific artist seriously since a performance they saw more than 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by that. There is no place in our organization for such bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting. It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
There should be no other rationale for voting. If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job. I know most of you already do but please, just listen to the music, and evaluate it! You are the reason the Grammy Award is so special.
Music is a force for good in the world. It changes moods, opens hearts and minds and unites the world. It moves us to act. And the Grammy is the way to honor the people who work so hard to make it. Next February, all across the globe, the people who make music and all the people who love music will be watching to see who the Grammy voters have chosen to honor. All eyes will be on you, on us.
I hope you view your vote as important. I hope that you begin prioritizing your responsibility now, and not wait until Grammy season is here. I hope that you evaluate the music carefully, and prepare yourself to vote with care and purpose, and that you encourage your fellow voting members to do the same. Your peers in music are counting on you.
Respectfully yours,
Harvey