Today, the Recording Academy announced that
streaming-only releases will now be eligible for consideration for Grammy nominations, one of five big changes that will be implemented immediately. The 59th annual Grammy Awards are set to take place Feb. 12, 2017.
The streaming news will be welcome to artists such as Chance the Rapper, whose fervent calls for the Academy to consider free music was backed up by his latest release, Coloring Book, which became the first ever streaming-only release to chart on the Billboard 200 in May. Coloring Book, which debuted at No. 8 with all of its 38,000 equivalent album units coming from 57.3 million first-week streams, remained an Apple Music exclusive for two weeks before being released wide to Spotify, Tidal and other services. The rule amendment will make Chance eligible for Grammy consideration for the first time as a lead artist.
And there's a tweak to the Rap field as well, as
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is amended to Best Rap/Sung Performance, a change intended to make the category more inclusive and allow for not just collaborations, but also for solo tracks that blur the line between singing and rapping.
Additionally, the
number of categories that Recording Academy members are allowed to vote for decreased from 20 to 15 (not counting the four main general categories), a move the organization said in a press release is geared to "encourage members to vote only in those categories in which they are most knowledgeable, passionate, and qualified." And the Best Blues Album award has been split in two, one for Best Traditional Blues Album and one for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...y-rule-changes
The best new artist category — often revamped to keep up with the changing music industry — will now allow a performer that releases at least five singles to qualify. Previously, acts would have to release an album. Best new artist isn't only for brand-new acts: Acts qualify until they release three albums or 30 singles.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/n...award-expanded
