RECORDING ACADEMY INVITES 900 NEW MEMBERS

Responding to a call for greater diversity among the people who determine Grammy Awards nominations and wins, The Recording Academy has invited 900 new members and shifted the composition of two key committees.

The Nominations Review Committee is now 51% female, up from 28% last year, and 48% people of color, a rise from 37%. The National Governance Committee is now 48% female and 38% people of color; last year, those figures were 20% female and 30% people of color.

Invitations were extended to music creators, pre-qualified by the Recording Academy, based on recommendations from the Academy’s Task Force On Diversity & Inclusion. Those who accept their invitations to join by 11/15 will have the opportunity to participate in the final round of voting for the 61st annual Grammy Awards.

"Our invite initiative is a first step to reach out to the diverse, talented individuals who make up the music community," said Tina Tchen, Chair of the Task Force that was formed in May. "The Recording Academy should reflect the scope and scale of the music industry and recognize the creative and artistic endeavors that enable it to thrive. Having a truly diverse membership is the foundation for any change.”

With input from the Task Force, the Recording Academy has developed a new membership model, which will go into effect 11/19, to build a more diverse and relevant community over time.

The new model will center on community-driven recommendations, and also include a Peer Review Panel, which will convene in the spring to evaluate all new member submissions. The new community-driven membership model aims to drive greater diversity across genre, discipline, gender, ethnicity, and age while helping ensure relevance through an active membership base.

"A key goal of the new membership model is to continue increasing diversity across the Recording Academy," said Laura Segura Mueller, Vice President of Membership & Industry Relations for the Recording Academy. "Just as we do with our awards process, we want to hear from the music community directly. This evolved model puts the power in the hands of music professionals to recommend who among their peers they think should be a member and will help ensure the Academy represents the breadth and depth of talent synonymous with the recording industry."