Breaking News: Grammy Awards shake up voting process, ditching controversial committees!

After facing allegations of rigging, favouritism, and racism, the organisers of the Grammy Awards have announced major changes to their voting process. The anonymous voting committees that were responsible for selecting nominations and winners have been eliminated, with the voting members now being directly involved in the decision-making process.

Artists such as Zayn Malik and Halsey have spoken out against the previous selection process, citing unfairness and lack of transparency. The lack of diversity and representation in the nominations has been a long-standing issue within the music industry, particularly for artists of colour.

Earlier this year, The Weeknd criticized the Grammy organisers for their alleged corruption after being snubbed in the nominations, despite his hit single spending a record-breaking 52 weeks in the US Top 10. The Recording Academy has acknowledged the need for change and is implementing measures to address these concerns.

More than 90% of the voting members will undergo a requalification process to ensure active participation in music creation. Additionally, the Academy will be reducing the number of categories in which voters can participate and introducing two new award categories to promote inclusivity.

Harvey Mason, chair and interim president of the Recording Academy, expressed the organization’s commitment to transformation and meeting the needs of the music community. He described this as a “year of unprecedented, transformational change” for the Academy.

The previous Grammy voting procedure involved small committees of “highly-skilled music peers” having the final say in 72 categories, potentially overruling the votes of other members. Last year, former chief executive Deborah Dugan raised concerns about irregularities in the voting process, leading to her being placed on administrative leave.

Notably, Zayn Malik took to Twitter before this year’s ceremony to criticize the nomination process, questioning the role of gifts and networking in the selection process. He highlighted the lack of transparency and the potential for favoritism and racism to influence the outcomes.

The Weeknd, known as Abel Tesfaye, also raised issues of racism within the Grammy Awards, pointing out the limited number of Black artists who have won album of the year throughout the history of the awards.

These changes mark a significant shift in the Grammy Awards’ approach to voting and nominations, aiming to address concerns of bias, lack of transparency, and inequality within the music industry. The Recording Academy is determined to create a more inclusive and fair process for recognizing musical talent across diverse backgrounds and genres.