GET YOUR GRAMMY DUCKS IN A ROW

With the 9/30 Grammy product eligibility deadline and the ensuing committee process rapidly approaching, wise industryites are dotting their I’s and crossing their T’s. Managers and artists: Don’t sleep, as first-round ballots go out on 10/14. With all the new rules, you’ll want to have a series of checks and balances in place to ensure you don’t have a head-slapping moment such as that experienced last year by Cash Money after they failed to submit Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” one of the biggest songs of the year. You don’t want to see a shot at Grammy gold fall victim to a “clerical error.” Another instance of a rule change making a big difference: the so-called Lady Gaga Rule. The meat-clad one was deemed ineligible for Best New Artist because she had been previously nominated in a lesser category. After the resulting outcry, the rule was adjusted to stipulate that you were only ineligible for BNA if you'd won.

As a manager or artist you need to clarify which categories your label is placing you in for consideration. In prior years, #1 Alternative acts Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Shins were considered not Alternative and consigned to other genres. Don Henley's Nashville project Cass County, meanwhile, was deemed not Country but Americana by committee members. Right, wrong or indifferent, this is what happens; the more you know about rules and process going into Grammy season, the better your odds.

You still have time, but not that much. Refresh your familiarity with the rule updates here.