The Grammy music awards is one of the biggest award shows in the world. Almost like winning the Olympics, artists who are lucky enough to receive one or many feel like they have reached the height of their career. But recently, the Grammys have been losing credibility from fans who note that there is not enough diversity regarding who is nominated and who wins. For example, only ten black artists (three of which female) have been awarded the prestigious album of the year award since 1959.
It’s important to understand the Grammy voting process. First, record labels submit albums/songs/music videos that were released during the eligibility period to The Recording Academy (which presents the Grammy Awards annually). The submitted work is then placed into appropriate categories (pop, rock, country, etc). Eligible voters then choose what to nominate in their areas of expertise. To be an eligible voter you must meet one of the following conditions: have won a Grammy before, have received a recommendation from an already eligible voter, have at least 12 physical or digital tracks released, or have 6 credits that are on released tracks in physical copies. After nominations are set and have been announced, voters can vote in up to ten categories and are again asked to vote in their general field of expertise.
About a year ago, The Recording Academy changed the name for the category World Music (the category for international submissions) to Global Music to be a “more relevant, modern and inclusive term” and “to embrace a truly global mindset”. Though changes were made, the category remains exclusive, continuing to nominate the same artists over and over again. Only 12 different countries have had an artist win in this category. The Global Music category represents such a vast region of the world, yet fails to nominate a diverse enough range of artists. Not a single Middle Eastern artist has ever won. Almost 80% of African countries have yet to even score a nomination.
When people discuss the lack of diversity in relation to the Grammys, they generally note the main categories (album of the year, best new artist, etc). Although, the lack of diversity is even more prominent in the categories that are meant to represent the world!
It is important to talk about what the Grammys have done to improve conditions in all categories so far. One important change was the removal of most special selection committees. These committees reviewed the nominations and made changes “as needed”. This is just inherently unfair, to let a small group of people have the final say in who gets nominated and who gets taken off the list. The Grammys removed these committees due to public backlash but kept them for certain, less controversial, categories.
Additionally, the Grammys partnered up with Color of Change, a racial justice organization. This partnership has a purpose of giving justice to Black creators who have been undervalued in the music industry. Through this collaboration, the Recording Academy has also committed to an Inclusion Rider, which encourages diversity by having the academy hire voters from racially diverse backgrounds. Hopefully through this partnership and the Inclusion Rider, the Grammys will improve in regards to more diverse nominations in all categories.
Starting this year, the Grammys has increased the limit for the Big Four categories from eight nominations to ten, also allowing for more diversity there. In the album of the year category for the 2022 show, three women of color (HER, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat) have been nominated. This is typical for the Grammys, not bad but not great. Again, the award show has a long way to go. Sure, they have made improvements and have shown proof of effort in becoming a more diverse representation of the music industry, but the academy has to be more transparent in their process. They have to make more of an effort to include international artists, and award more artists of color in the general field categories to earn respect from the general public.
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