The Recording Academy launched extra particulars about its charge construction for “extra entries” in a memo to all voting members on Friday (July 1).
As beforehand introduced, all skilled and voting members of the academy will probably be allowed to make 5 courtesy entries yearly as a good thing about membership. However members must pay a charge for every entry past the 5 allowed until they can acquire a waiver.
In an effort to get voters to vote promptly — slightly than wait till simply earlier than the voting interval closes, as individuals are inclined to do — the academy has adopted a multi-tier pricing technique. “Early chook pricing” (July 18 – July 31) is $40 per entry (after the 5 courtesy entries). “Commonplace pricing” (Aug. 1 – Aug. 21) is $75 per entry (after the 5 courtesy entries). “Ultimate deadline pricing” (Aug. 22 to Aug. 31) is $125 per entry (after the 5 courtesy entries).
Earlier than this yr, there was no restrict on the variety of entries a member may make. The academy instituted a restrict of 5 entries — until the member is keen to pay the additional cost — this yr for the primary time.
In its letter to members, the academy defined its pondering: “The Academy has enacted a per-entry charge construction this yr to encourage entrants to think about the worth of every entry and make conscious selections to place ahead work that they really consider is Grammy-worthy… The cost system is constructed into the OEP [online entry process] web site and permits for safe cost by bank card.”
The academy does, nonetheless, enable members to enchantment the five-entry restrict. “So that the entry charges not be a barrier to entry within the course of, our members can request further courtesy entries by reaching out to the awards division at awards@recordingacademy.com,” the letter reads.
The academy confirmed related flexibility the final two years in permitting members to enchantment for a waiver of the $100 annual membership dues, in the event that they claimed hardship amid the pandemic. However this yr the academy introduced that the dues waiver is not going to be continued for a 3rd yr.
The letter to members contained two different newsy gadgets. Amongst them, for the primary time, the academy will let entrants know of the “last placement” of their entries after the screening committees have met however earlier than voting begins.
“In an effort to enhance your voting expertise, after our screening committees have met, we will probably be emailing entrants with the ultimate placement of their entries,” the letter reads. “You’ll obtain this info previous to the first-round poll, so that you simply’ll know the ultimate class placement earlier than voting begins.”
The academy should know that it will open the door to last-minute appeals from label executives satisfied that their artist is being mis-categorized within the Grammy course of. Beforehand, the academy may say “The ballots have gone out. There’s nothing we will do at this level.” How the academy will deal with these last-minute appeals now’s unknown.
The letter additionally specified that there will probably be just one entry interval this yr. The academy will open the net entry course of for the sixty fifth Annual Grammy Awards at 9 a.m. PST on July 18 and shut it on Aug. 31.
Eligible recordings should have been commercially launched within the U.S. on one of many accepted streaming platforms or by a nationwide third-party retailer (for craft entries) and have been initially launched inside this eligibility interval: Oct. 1, 2021 – Sept. 30, 2022. That’s the regular eligibility interval, following three consecutive years during which the eligibility interval differed from that.
The eligibility yr for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards closed one month early, on Aug. 31, 2019. That change was the results of the Grammy telecast being moved up two weeks to Jan. 26, 2020, to keep away from going head-to-head with the 92nd annual Academy Awards. The eligibility interval for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards additionally closed one month early, on Aug. 31, 2020. That change was as a result of pandemic making the academy’s screening course of more durable. The eligibility interval for the 64rd Annual Grammy Awards lined 13 months, from Sept. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021, because the academy sought to get again on schedule.
