As it does every year, the Recording Academy has updated its rules and guidelines following its semiannual board of trustees meeting, and while three new categories were announced earlier this week, one major change was unveiled today among several less-impactful ones: The four top categories — album, song and record of the year and best new artist —have been reduced to eight categories from 10.
An AI-related rule was also introduced, which effectively states that only human creators are eligible for awards, but, like all things AI, requires an extensive series of caveats to cover the vast possibilities that the technology makes possible in this still-developing area (the full list appears below.)
The number of nominees for those categories were suddenly expanded from eight to 10 in November of 2021, just before the 2022 nominees were announced —a surprising and confusing turn of events, as such changes usually take place after the annual board meetings. While Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told PvNew at the time that the change was “an incredible opportunity for us to honor more artists and shine a light on more great music, and potentially offer a greater opportunity for more genres of music to be honored,”some suspected that it was done to ensure that Taylor Swift received a best new album nomination for her album “Evermore” and thus increase the chance that she would appear on the show and boost its ratings; however, that accusation, which was soundly refuted by the Academy, was undercut by the second album that benefited from the expansion: “Donda” by Kanye West, whose controversial behavior has endeared him to few.
Be that as it may, there’s little question that after two years, it became clear that 10 nominees in those major categories was unwieldy, at the very least: It lengthened the show, diluted the honor, and perhaps most of all, skewed the winners in a way that probably had not been anticipated, which was similar to the results of the 2018 Grammys. In that year, both Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, arguably the world’s two greatest and most influential rappers, were both up for album of the year and other major awards, and neither won. Many felt that such a difficult choice in the same musical genre actually split the vote, and consequently Bruno Mars swept all three of the top categories.
The move reflects the Academy’s greater openness to change in recent years, which has been a hallmark of Mason’s tenure. Where in the past it took years if not decades to effect major changes, the board is now far more willing to recalibrate — and, in this case, reverse —policies that it feels aren’t working.
The other updates, which are significant — particularly the fact that but not as major, follow in full, per the Academy’s announcement:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols
The GRAMMY Award recognizes creative excellence. only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award. A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any Categories. A work that features elements of A.I. material (i.e., material generated by the use of artificial intelligence technology) is eligible in applicable Categories; however: (1) the human authorship component of the work submitted must be meaningful and more than de minimis; (2) such human authorship component must be relevant to the Category in which such work is entered (e.g., if the work is submitted in a songwriting Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the music and/or lyrics; if the work is submitted in a performance Category, there must be meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship in respect of the performance); and (3) the author(s) of any A.I. material incorporated into the work are not eligible to be nominees or GRAMMY recipients insofar as their contribution to the portion of the work that consists of such A.I material is concerned. De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance; so minor as to merit disregard.
General Field: Two Existing Categories Moved Into the General Field (Previously Announced)
The existing categories of Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical have been moved to the General Field. These categories will continue to feature five nominees.
General Field: Number of Nominees In Four Categories Updated
The number of nominees in the General Field categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist has been reduced from 10 to eight.
General Field: Update To Nominations Requirements In Album Of The Year Category
In Album Of The Year category, the baseline for earning a nomination has been raised to 20% of the album’s playing time for credited artists, featured artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers and mastering engineers.
Jazz, Traditional Pop, Contemporary Instrumental, & Musical Theater Field: Best Jazz Performance
The Category formerly known as Best Improvised Jazz Solo has been renamed and redefined to Best Jazz Performance.
Latin, Global, Reggae, & New Age, Ambient, or Chant Field: Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)
The Category formerly known as Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) has been renamed Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano).
Visual Media, Music Video/Film Field: Threshold Change In Best Music Film
In Best Music Film category, the previous requirement of 51% performance-based material requirement has been removed. This Category recognizes excellence in concert/performance films or music documentaries released for sale to the public for the first time or first appearing on television or online during the current eligibility year. This Category includes music-focused and individual music videos that together create a visual album (if videos are packaged and entered together as one cohesive film). While dramatic feature films and biopics are not eligible, films with fictional elements are eligible.
