Grammy Organizers Finish Controversial ‘Secret Committees’ For Nominations

The Recording Academy introduced on Friday that it has eradicated its controversial Grammy nomination evaluate committees, usually chided as “secret committees,” amongst an inventory of different adjustments.

The Academy revealed that nominations would now be decided by a peer-to-peer vote by its total voting membership physique. Beforehand, nominations for a majority of the Grammy classes, together with style and common fields (File of the 12 months, Album of the 12 months, Track of the 12 months, Finest New Artist), have been decided by a bunch of 15 to 30 music trade voters, whose identities have been stored nameless.

The transfer follows years of criticism over the Grammy nomination course of that was renewed in March, when The Weeknd introduced his vow to boycott future awards exhibits after he didn’t rating a single nod for the 2021 ceremony. His track “Blinding Lights” made historical past this 12 months, changing into the primary track to ever spend a 12 months on the Billboard Sizzling 100’s prime 10, the publication introduced.

“Due to the key committees, I’ll not enable my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” the singer, who has three Grammys from earlier years, instructed The New York Occasions.

Zayn Malik aired related grievances that month, calling out the Grammys for a “lack of transparency of the nomination course of” amid a collection of tweets criticizing the Academy.

The Grammy Awards have lengthy confronted criticism and accusations of racism, together with prices that even when Black artists are nominated, they’ve traditionally been snubbed out of awards.

Final 12 months Nicki Minaj notably referred to as out the Grammys by reminding followers that she didn’t win the Finest New Artist award in 2012 regardless of coming off a string of hits. Beyoncé followers have been equally floored that she didn’t win Album of the 12 months for “Lemonade” in 2017.

John Legend instructed Leisure Weekly final 12 months that he thought it was “virtually unattainable for a Black artist to win Album of the 12 months.” The final Black artist to take action was Herbie Hancock in 2007.

Along with the elimination of the nominations evaluate committee, the Academy introduced that over 90% of its members will undergo a “requalification course of” to make sure the “voting physique is actively engaged in music creation.” (Some nomination committees, referred to as “craft committees,” will stay in place for newly consolidated classes “Bundle, Notes & Historic Discipline” and “Manufacturing Discipline.”)

The Recording Academy introduced different adjustments, together with a discount within the variety of classes a voting member can vote in, and an addition of two new classes: Finest World Music Efficiency (World Music Discipline) and Finest Música Urbana Album (Latin Music Discipline).

“This can be a new Academy, one that’s pushed to motion and that has doubled down on the dedication to assembly the wants of the music group,” Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy chair and interim president-CEO stated in an announcement.

The brand new adjustments go in impact instantly and shall be mirrored within the 2022 Grammy Awards present subsequent January.