The Recording Academy recently announced several changes and updates to its nomination process, giving more producers and songwriters a better chance at winning the top award. These changes affect album of the year and the categories of dance/electronic music, classical, music for visual media and music video/film.
The Grammys announced that any producer, songwriter, engineer or featured artist on an album nominated for Album Of The Year will also earn a nomination — even if the said creator co-wrote just one song for the project. Till now songwriters or producers would need to be credited with at least 33% or more playing time on the album to be eligible for nomination, according to a a rule implemented in 2017.
The update effects pop, rap, R&B categories in a massive way since songwriters and producers typically vary throughout the project, as opposed to country and rock albums, where there are fewer creators involved from the get-go.
The category formerly known as best dance recording has been renamed 'best dance/electronic recording,' which is intended for recordings with significant electronic-based instrumentation generally based around a rhythmic dance beat. There are some other significant updates in vote trading, album eligibility, technical award addition, classical field, usic for visual field and more. The announcement comes a month after the academy voted to remove its nomination review committees, which were anonymous groups that determined the major contenders for key awards.
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 & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said. "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. These updates are a direct result of our collaborative process, and we're thankful for the music community's continued support every step of the way."