The Grammys Are Considering a Category for Free Music

Screenshot via YouTube

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is listening to the kids for once.

In the past week, we’ve seen a surge of interest for a Grammy category that honors free releases. To date, only commercial releases are eligible for the high honor. Chance The Rapper, perhaps music’s foremost proponent for projects that don’t cost a dime, spearheaded a petition that hopes to instate an award for artists who aren’t charging listeners to consume what they create. The request quickly garnered coverage from media outlets and vocal support from fans.

International Business Times reports that the institution responsible for the Grammys has an ear to the streets/internets: talks might be underway to make the long-overdue category for free releases a reality.

“The Grammy Awards process is fluid and, like music, continues to evolve,” an academy spokesperson emailed IBT. “As a peer-voted award, the awards process is also peer-determined. Each spring, music creators in the community work with Recording Academy staff to prepare and submit proposals, which are then reviewed by the Board and announced shortly thereafter.”

There’s still work to be done. If you have yet to, sign the official petition through Change.Org, which is approaching 28,000 signatures at press time.

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