The Recording Academy has released the latest updates to the rules and guidelines for the Grammy Awards.
The latest changes, detailed on Wednesday, follow revisions that were previously unveiled back in April. Nearly all of the changes are effective immediately, meaning they will be in play for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, which is set for January of next year. An updated album eligibility rule, however, won’t go into effect until the 2023 edition of the awards show.
“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,” Harvey Mason Jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said Wednesday. “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 updates, per Mason, are a “direct result” of the Academy’s collaborative process.
“We’re thankful for the music community’s continued support every step of the way,” Mason said.
Among the approved rule amendments are the expansion of nominee and recipient eligibility for the Album of the Year category, a renaming of the Best Dance Recording category to Best Dance/Electronic Recording, the allowance of singles in five classical field categories, clearer limits to the number of people who can be awarded in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category, clarification on eligibility for music film field categories, the adding of a second Technical Grammy Award, and—perhaps the one that’s of most interest to fans—a redefining of what qualifies an album to be a contender in crucial album field categories.
Now, in order to be eligible for Grammy award consideration, an album must contain greater than 75 percent playing time of newly recorded (i.e. within five years of the release date) and previously unreleased recordings. The previous eligibility rule was 50 percent. Select album-specific categories—including, for example, Best Compilation Soundtrack—are not required to meet this threshold.
As for the nominee and recipient eligibility changes for the Album of the Year category, all credited artists (included featured artists)—as well as songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers—will now be eligible to be nominees and recipients. Previously, the rule only allowed nominees and recipients that were credited with at least 33 percent or more of playing time on an album.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the Weeknd would still be boycotting the Grammys despite an April-announced rule change about “secret” nomination review committees.
