Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email Friday (July 26) to the Academy's 12,000 voting members, urging them to take their jobs as voting members seriously. The Subject Line: “Vote with a purpose this Grammy season.”
“The trajectory of people's careers and lives is changed by your choices,” Mason wrote in the letter obtained by Advertising sign. “Therefore, you owe it to your peers to vote purposefully, deliberately, with pride and with purpose.”
Mason added a personal touch to drive the point home. “Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say that they hadn't taken a certain artist seriously since a performance they saw over 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by this. There is no place in our organization for such prejudice, rancor or careless voting. It's about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
“There should be no other logic for voting. If you're considering an artist's past work or their reputation, their race or gender, what label they're on, who their manager is, how many friends were on the project, or anything like that, you're not doing your job.”
Mason also implored Grammy voting members to start thinking about their options now. “I hope you start prioritizing your responsibilities now and don't wait until Grammy season comes around.” The first round voting period runs from October 4th to 15th. Voting in the final round runs from December 12 to January 3, 2025.
Mason is wise to advise members to start thinking about their options now. The list of Grammy entries is long. This year there will be 94 categories (the same as last year). Many categories have a large number of entries. In last year's entry list, there were 615 nominees for Album of the Year, 476 for Album of the Year, 642 for Song of the Year and 405 for Best New Artist. To conscientiously browse such long lists and carefully make your choices would take hours. That's one reason “brand name” artists — longtime Grammy favorites — often lead the nominations each year. Mason is trying to get members to break this habit of just name-checking artists who are top.
Along the lines of “The trajectory of people's careers and lives are changed by your choices,” Mason linked to this Grammy.com post from May 1, which includes a section titled “What's a Grammy Really Worth ?” He gives more than a dozen examples of artists whose careers were boosted by Grammy wins.
The Academy's tally of 12,000+ voting members does not include the 3,000+ potential new voting members it has invited as part of this year's new membership class. (It has also invited 900 professional (non-voting) members, for a total of 3,900+ new members.)
Here is Mason's letter to voting members, in full:
Dear Grammy Voters,
Normally you don't hear from me about Grammy voting until our voting goes live, but this year is different. I want to make sure you understand how important it is for you to vote and vote with intention and integrity.
We all know that the Grammy is the most coveted award in music because it is an honor that comes from one's peers. It's not a popularity contest. Nominees and winners are not selected by critics, fans or Academy staff. Chosen by you—the 12,000+ music creators who are the voting members of the Recording Academy.
You are the voting body of the Grammys. Your votes are tallied by Deloitte, and then publicly announced, celebrated and recorded as the best in music for that year. The trajectory of people's careers and lives is changed by your choices. Therefore, you owe it to your peers to vote deliberately, intentionally, with pride and with purpose.
Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say that they hadn't taken a certain artist seriously since a performance they saw over 10 years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by this. There is no place in our organization for such prejudice, rancor or careless voting. It's about the current year and the quality of the work, period!
There should be no other rationale for voting. If you're considering an artist's past work or reputation, race or gender, what label they're on, who their manager is, how many friends were on the project, or anything like that, you're not doing your job. I know most of you already do, but please, just listen to the music and rate it! You are the reason the Grammy Award is so special.
Music is a force for good in the world. It changes moods, opens hearts and minds and unites the world. It spurs us to action. And the Grammys are the way to honor the people who work so hard to make it. Next February, around the world, people who make music and all people who love music will be tuning in to see who Grammy voters chose to honor. All eyes will be on you, on us.
I hope you consider your vote important. I hope you start prioritizing your responsibilities now and don't wait until Grammy season rolls around. I hope you will carefully evaluate the music and prepare to vote with care and purpose, and encourage your fellow voters to do the same. Your peers in music are counting on you.
Yours sincerely,
Harvey
