In some big news from the music industry, the organisers of the Grammy awards have now scrapped the secret voting process that goes into selecting winners.
The Recording Academy – the organisation behind the awards – said that next year’s awards would be selecting by votes from all their members, which run into the thousands.
Why the change?
Earlier this year, R&B artist The Weeknd created a bit of an uproar about the racism and unfairness that seemed to permeate the selection process. The Canadian singer accused the awards for corruption after his song – Blinding Lights – was snubbed for a nomination even after spending 52 weeks in the US Top 10, a record in its own right.
Zayn Malik, who has never been nominated for a Grammy also lashed out at the Grammys, just a week before they took place.
Following the tweet, Zayn clarified that he was concerned “about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process”, saying the current system “allows favouritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting”.
While the voting process for the Grammys is complex, it boils down to some 15-30 anonymous peers who select winners across the 72 categories.
However, this is not the first time that such accusations have come up. Last year, Deborah Dugan, then Chief Executive of The Recording Academy said that she had proof of serious discrepancies in the voting process. She was subsequently put on administrative leave.
What’s next?
Harvey Mason, the interim President of The Recording Academey, said that the selection of nominees and winners was being “placed back in the hands of the entire voting membership body”. He added that more than 90% of its members would go through a “requalification process” to ensure that the voting body “is actively engaged in music creation”. The number of categories will also be reduced and two new categories may also be added.