The Grammy Awards has decided to make changes to their operation and nomination process after the singer The Weeknd accused them of corruption. The Recording Academy announced yesterday that it has made significant changes to the Grammy Awards process.
The changes done includes the elimination of nearly all of the controversial “secret” nominating committees. These secret committees made final decisions nominations in certain categories including the “Big Four” General field of Album, Song, Record of the Year and Best New Artist.
In addition, the Academy has changed the number of categories in which Academy members can vote. Other than that, they also decided to add two new awards. According to them, it is done to “reflect its ongoing commitment to evolve with the musical landscape and to ensure that the GRAMMY Awards rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable.”
Besides, the Academy also announced that nominations for the next Grammy Awards in January 2022 will be selected by its more than 11,000 voting members. The committees of 15-30 industry experts, whose names were not revealed, will not be a part of the process.
Additionally, two new categories have been added, taking the total category count to 86- Best Global Music Performance (Global Music Field) and Best Música Urbana Album (Latin Music Field).
Last November, The Weeknd called the Grammys corrupt via tweet when he got no nomination despite his critically acclaimed album “After Hours” becoming the one of the best sellers of 2020. He wrote, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.” Many other singers also commented against the secret committee. Halsey called the nomination process “elusive”, while Zayn Malik demanded an end to the secret community and bring transparency.
The Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason jr. said, “It’s been a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Recording Academy, and I’m immensely proud to be able to continue our journey of growth with these latest updates to our Awards process… This is a new Academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community. While change and progress are key drivers of our actions, one thing will always remain — the Grammy Award is the only peer-driven and peer-voted recognition in music. We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the Awards process.”
Other than these changes, additional rules amendment proposals will be discussed and voted at a Recording Academy meeting in May. The meeting is presumed to give the name of a new CEO, and the full rulebook for the 2022.
