Grammy Elects National Board, Updates Awards Process

The Recording Academy has elected new members to its Board of Trustees. Producer/ engineer/ songwriter John Poppo was elected Chair of its Board of Trustees and A&R Executive Ruby Marchand was elected Vice Chair at the organization’s annual Spring Board of Trustees meeting. Grammy and Emmy-winning engineer Eric Schilling was elected for a second term as Secretary/Treasurer, and Grammy-nominated TV/video producer George J. Flanigen IV was re-elected Chair Emeritus.

“Once again, the Board of Trustees meeting has produced meaningful discussions about the vital role that The Recording Academy plays in the music community, along with a new group of accomplished and intelligent leaders,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “I am excited to begin collaborating with the newly elected officers and integrating the fresh vision they will bring to our organization, in addition to continuing to work jointly with our reelected officers who will maintain their strong leadership roles.”

•••••

Several Awards Process updates have been announced, including changes to the Country Field.

Country Field – New Guidelines

There had never before been a definition/screening guideline written for the Country Field. This newly adopted language applies to the Country Solo Performance category, the Country Duo/Group category, the Country Song category and the Country Album Category:

This category recognizes country music recordings, both vocal and instrumental, which utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of country music style and culture. The intent is to recognize country music that remains reminiscent of its culture’s legacy while also engaging contemporary forms that “push the boundaries” but still are relevant in the collective country music culture.

See the complete list of changes involving Credit Changes, Contemporary Instrumental Field, Featured Artist, and Music Video/Film Field.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)

• LOCASH Plots ‘LET THE COUNTRY MUSIC PLAY TOUR’ - July 21, 2026
• Whitefish Songwriter Festival Returns To Montana For Sixth Year - July 21, 2026
• Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen Extend ‘Still Gettin’ Away With It Tour’ - July 21, 2026