Grammys (Finally) Shift To Online Voting
In a bid to increase member participation in the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy is changing its voting procedure to allow ballots to be cast online.
The changes to the ballot system, unveiled this week, will see the Academy shift to online voting, effective immediately. The organization said the changes to the voting system would provide greater flexibility for touring artists, eliminate the possibility of invalid ballots, and protect further against fraudulent voting.
"As an Academy, it's imperative that we continue to meet the needs of music creators everywhere, and this year's transition to online voting is an enormous step forward in the evolution of our voting process," said Bill Freimuth, Senior Vice President of Awards for the Recording Academy. "We work diligently to ensure we’re keeping up with our ever-changing industry and team up with music people year round, across all genres and disciplines, to make sure we are doing everything we can to support the creative community."
Other changes enacted by the Recording Academy include categorical changes that will broaden the scope of an album to create more opportunities in the classical, dance, and jazz categories. As well, nomination committees will now be created and implemented for the Rap, Contemporary Instrumental, and New Age Fields, the organization said.
The 2018 Grammy Awards will recognize recordings released between Oct. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2017. The 2017 awards ceremony is set for Jan. 28, 2018, and will be held at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
via Celebrity Access
