The Recording Academy announced Wednesday (June 10) a series of changes that will affect the 63rd Grammy Awards.
The changes to Grammy categories affects the categories of Best New Artist, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Engineered Album, as well as changes in the Musical Theater and the Latin Urban genres. The rules for the Recording Academy’s nomination review committees have also been updated.
“I’m excited to announce our latest changes, as we’re constantly evaluating our Awards process and evolving it to ensure the GRAMMY Awards are inclusive and reflect the current state of the music industry,” said Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “The Academy accepts proposals for rule changes from members of the music community throughout the year that are carefully reviewed and, if accepted, ultimately ratified at our annual Board meeting, a process that we are proud to have continued in this challenging year.”
“As a peer-driven and peer-voted award, members of the music community are directly involved in the growth and preservation of the GRAMMYs® process,” said Bill Freimuth, Chief Awards Officer at the Recording Academy. “Each year we receive a number of rule change proposals from artists, producers and songwriters asking us to reevaluate our process to better reflect the current state of the music industry and how it’s evolved over the past 12 months.”
In the Best New Artist Field, the upper limit rule will be removed and will rely on the expertise of the Core and Genre Screening Committees to make the determination as to whether or not an artist had attained prominence in a prior year. An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape. Minimum releases to meet eligibility are five singles/tracks or one album. While there will be no specified maximum number of releases, the screening committees will be charged with determining whether the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence prior to the eligibility year. Such a determination would result in disqualification. An artist may not enter into this category more than three times, including as a performing member of an established group.
The Best Urban Contemporary Album category will be renamed Best Progressive R&B Album. For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B. This category is intended for artists whose music includes the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music. It may also incorporate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk and alternative.
The Best Rap/Sung Performance will be renamed Best Melodic Rap Performance. This category is intended for performances that use the delivery of rap and melody over modern production. This performance requires a strong and clear presence of melody combined with rap cadence, and is inclusive of dialects, lyrics or performance elements from non-rap genres including R&B, rock, country, electronic or more. The production may include traditional elements of rap or elements characteristic of the aforementioned non-rap genres. Both the song and melody should be considered to fit these criteria to be accepted in this category.
The Latin Pop Album has been renamed Best Latin Pop or Urban Album, and Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album has been renamed Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album, to migrate the genres of Latin urban and represent the current state and prominent representation in the Latin urban genres. The Best Latin Pop or Urban Album category is intended to recognize excellence in Latin pop or urban music recordings that utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of Latin pop music style and culture. The category includes recordings from balladeers and commercial Latin music and is not limited to any one region. The Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album category is intended to highlight Latin rock or alternative music recordings that utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of the Latin music style and culture.
The Best Engineered Album Categories will allow hi-res audio (greater than rebook audio-44 khz/16bit to be considered in submissions for both Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Engineered Album, Classical.
There are also several substantial changes to the Nominations Review Committee, including:
Term Limit Changes.
The term limit for nominations review committee chairs and members have been further limited, to three years on and one year off for committee members, and three years on/two years off for Chairpersons. Committee members may serve a maximum of five consecutive years, if they served on the committee first and were then elected to be chair. Two years off still applies in these cases.
Changes To Discourage Potential Conflicts Of Interest.
At the time of invitation to participate on a Nominations Review Committee, a conflict of interest disclosure form will be provided. Each person invited to be a member of such a committee must disclose to the best of their knowledge whether, in connection with any recording that may be entered in the current year’s GRAMMY Awards process, (a) the person would be in line to receive a GRAMMY nomination or win for any recordings being considered in a particular category, (b) the person would have any direct or indirect financial ties to the recordings or creators under consideration, (c) the person has immediate familial ties to any of the artists in the top voter selections, and/or (d) any other conflict of interest, actual or perceived.
If a recording listed by the invitee presents a conflict of interest, the Academy will notify the committee member that they cannot participate on the committee that year.
If, in the unlikely event that, despite these pro-active efforts a conflict is discovered during the committee meeting, that person will be notified and recused from the meeting.
Failure to voluntarily disclose any conflict of interest will result in the person being barred from future Nominations Review Committee participation
For the full list of rule amendments for the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, which were voted on and passed at the Recording Academy’s most recent semiannual Board of Trustees meeting held in May 2020, click
here.
Follow Up Panel (Tomorrow): A Conversation on Being African-American in the Nashville Music Industry
/by Lorie HollabaughA followup discussion to last week’s powerful conversation, “Follow-Up Q&A: Being African-American in the Nashville Music Industry,” will be held via Zoom this Thursday (June 11) from 5:00-6:30 p.m. CT.
The purpose of this panel is to present an opportunity to both listen and learn how to be an advocate and ally.
Panelists will include Charlene Bryant, Founder of Riveter Management; Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Mickey Guyton; Gina Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Entertainment One (Nashville); Shannon Sanders, 2x Grammy-winning producer and Program Director of 102.1 The Ville; Kortney Toney, Corporate Partnerships Manager for the Nashville Symphony; and Candice Watkins, VP, Marketing for Big Loud.
The panel will be moderated by Middle Tennessee State University’s Sekou Franklin (Ph. D., MTSU Department of Political Science) and Beverly Keel (Dean of MTSU College of Media and Entertainment).
The conversation is open to everyone who would like to attend with an open heart and mind, and those interested can register here.
Guests will receive the link by email to attend after registering. Questions for the panelists can be submitted in advance here.
The June 11 virtual panel discussion is sponsored by Change the Conversation, Digital Divas, Entertainment One Music Nashville, Middle Tennessee State University, mtheory, the Music Business Association, the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment Nashville, Quinton Digital, the Recording Academy Nashville Chapter, and 102.1 The Ville.
Organizers of the panel want to provide a safe space for their panelists and attendees. While they welcome sharing what you learn from the panelists, journalists are asked to reach out to nashvillemusicequality@gmail.com before publishing or attributing specific content from the conversation in published articles.
Ruston Kelly Debuts First Taste Of Upcoming Album ‘Shape & Destroy’
/by Lorie HollabaughThe new album, which was co-produced by Kelly and longtime collaborator Jarrad K and recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in upstate New York, documents Kelly’s journey through maintaining his sobriety and dealing with his past. He addresses these experiences and setbacks with unvarnished honesty, grace and conviction in the 13 new songs including the stirring track, “Brave.”
“Making this record definitely taught me that I don’t want to be selfish: I want to channel something larger than myself and give myself to the process as fully as possible, because these songs also become the story of whoever hears them,” said Kelly. “Whatever someone might get out of listening to this record and hearing me express myself in this way, it’s completely theirs.”
Kelly gets some help from his father Tim “TK” Kelly on steel guitar and backing vocals on the new album, which also includes special guests Gena Johnson, Abby Kelly and Kacey Musgraves on background vocals.
Margo Price’s ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’ To Release July 10
/by Jessica NicholsonMargo Price. Photo: Bobbi Rich
Margo Price‘s upcoming album has a new release date. Price and her team previously made the decision to delay the release of her upcoming album That’s How Rumors Get Started, which will now release July 10 (Loma Vista Recordings).
“This album is a postcard of a landscape of a moment in time. It’s not political but maybe it will provide an escape or relief to someone who needs it. Sending love to everyone out there and hope I see you down the highway,” said Price, who also recently penned an essay for Vogue, detailing her decision to delay the album release and chronicling her family’s experiences over the past few months, as tornadoes ravaged their neighborhood in east Nashville in March, and her husband Jeremy Ivey endured weeks of sickness and symptoms that were consistent with COVID-19.
In conjunction with the album announcement, Price has released a new song, “Letting Me Down,” along with a music video, which was directed by Kimberly Stuckwisch, who drove an RV from Los Angeles to Nashville to film in Margo’s home and an abandoned hospital where she performs a stunning dance sequence choreographed by her sister Kylie.
“We bought a cheap ’80s travel trailer with a bathroom, kitchen, and a propane powered refrigerator, so we wouldn’t have to go inside anywhere for food or bathrooms,” Stuckwisch says. “We were able to abide by the 6-feet social distance CDC recommendation as we set up a remote head for the camera that we operated from a closet outside of the room. We wore masks the entire time and Margo supplied us with multiple bottles of hand sanitizer and spiked seltzers. We parked our RV in her driveway and worked solely out of there and the room we were filming in. We wanted to speak to what was going on at that moment, to a world that was/is shut down, to the fear we all feel, and to the hope of breaking free,” said Stuckwisch.
Price penned “Letting Me Down” alongside Jeremy Ivey; the track follows “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Stone Me,” the first song released from the new album. She will perform “Letting Me Down” on Saturday, June 13 and sit for an interview with Anthony Mason on CBS This Morning: Saturday. Price recently released the live album Imperfectly Perfect at the Ryman.
That’s How Rumors Get Started is Price’s third studio project, following her 2016 debut Midwest Farmer’s Daughter and 2017’s All American Made, which earned Price a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
Recording Academy Announces Changes To Grammy Awards, Nominations Review Committees
/by Jessica NicholsonThe changes to Grammy categories affects the categories of Best New Artist, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Rap/Sung Performance, Best Engineered Album, as well as changes in the Musical Theater and the Latin Urban genres. The rules for the Recording Academy’s nomination review committees have also been updated.
“I’m excited to announce our latest changes, as we’re constantly evaluating our Awards process and evolving it to ensure the GRAMMY Awards are inclusive and reflect the current state of the music industry,” said Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “The Academy accepts proposals for rule changes from members of the music community throughout the year that are carefully reviewed and, if accepted, ultimately ratified at our annual Board meeting, a process that we are proud to have continued in this challenging year.”
“As a peer-driven and peer-voted award, members of the music community are directly involved in the growth and preservation of the GRAMMYs® process,” said Bill Freimuth, Chief Awards Officer at the Recording Academy. “Each year we receive a number of rule change proposals from artists, producers and songwriters asking us to reevaluate our process to better reflect the current state of the music industry and how it’s evolved over the past 12 months.”
In the Best New Artist Field, the upper limit rule will be removed and will rely on the expertise of the Core and Genre Screening Committees to make the determination as to whether or not an artist had attained prominence in a prior year. An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape. Minimum releases to meet eligibility are five singles/tracks or one album. While there will be no specified maximum number of releases, the screening committees will be charged with determining whether the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence prior to the eligibility year. Such a determination would result in disqualification. An artist may not enter into this category more than three times, including as a performing member of an established group.
The Best Urban Contemporary Album category will be renamed Best Progressive R&B Album. For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B. This category is intended for artists whose music includes the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music. It may also incorporate production elements found in pop, euro-pop, country, rock, folk and alternative.
The Best Rap/Sung Performance will be renamed Best Melodic Rap Performance. This category is intended for performances that use the delivery of rap and melody over modern production. This performance requires a strong and clear presence of melody combined with rap cadence, and is inclusive of dialects, lyrics or performance elements from non-rap genres including R&B, rock, country, electronic or more. The production may include traditional elements of rap or elements characteristic of the aforementioned non-rap genres. Both the song and melody should be considered to fit these criteria to be accepted in this category.
There are also several substantial changes to the Nominations Review Committee, including:
Term Limit Changes.
The term limit for nominations review committee chairs and members have been further limited, to three years on and one year off for committee members, and three years on/two years off for Chairpersons. Committee members may serve a maximum of five consecutive years, if they served on the committee first and were then elected to be chair. Two years off still applies in these cases.
Changes To Discourage Potential Conflicts Of Interest.
At the time of invitation to participate on a Nominations Review Committee, a conflict of interest disclosure form will be provided. Each person invited to be a member of such a committee must disclose to the best of their knowledge whether, in connection with any recording that may be entered in the current year’s GRAMMY Awards process, (a) the person would be in line to receive a GRAMMY nomination or win for any recordings being considered in a particular category, (b) the person would have any direct or indirect financial ties to the recordings or creators under consideration, (c) the person has immediate familial ties to any of the artists in the top voter selections, and/or (d) any other conflict of interest, actual or perceived.
Brad Paisley Surprises Best Friends After Unity Post Goes Viral
/by Lorie HollabaughA couple of New York buddies who were encouraging the world to unwind a bit in the midst of all of the recent unrest got a shoutout from an unexpected place recently when Brad Paisley had some beer delivered to them and got on a Zoom call to say hello.
The interracial friends, Marcus Ellis, a black man, and Benjamin Smith, a white man, had set up a front yard makeshift bar/hangout in Pittsford, New York, where they toasted traffic next to signs reading “Black or white, relax and have a beer.” Their gesture inviting people to stop in for a beer and conversation was spot on with Paisley’s latest single, “No I In Beer,” and Paisley inspired by their act of solidarity.
“I’m so inspired by you, and we thought we should deliver more beer than you could possibly drink,” Paisley said during the Zoom call to the duo. “I’m trying to hear out my friends in the black community. That’s what you guys are doing … together, the same thing.”
Tanya Tucker To Hold Warehouse Sale To Benefit Music Health Alliance, ACM Lifting Lives
/by Jessica NicholsonTanya Tucker will sell off stage outfits, jewelry, antiques, furniture and more as part of a warehouse sale beginning Wednesday (June 10), all to benefit Music Health Alliance and ACM Lifting Lives.
The warehouse sale will be held June 10-13 at 2484 Park Plus Drive in Columbia, Tennessee. The sale also includes music, books, shoes, dishes, bedding, designer handbags and more.
Sale hours are as follows:
Wednesday, June 10: 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday, June 11: 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Friday, June 12: 12 p.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, June 13: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Tucker launched her career in 1972 at age 13 with “Delta Dawn.” Since then, she released 23 Top 40 albums, and earned 56 Top 40 country singles, including 10 No. 1 country hits. “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane,” “It’s A Little Too Late,” “Trouble,” and “If It Don’t Come Easy” are among her signature hits. She’s also earned two CMA Awards, two ACMs, and three CMT Awards. Earlier this year, she earned two Grammy Awards for Best Country Album (While I’m Livin’) and Best Country Song (“Bring My Flowers Now”).
Mojo Music And Media, Neil Medley Extend Co-Publishing Relationship
/by Jessica NicholsonNeil Medley. Photo: Blu Sanders
Mojo Music and Media has extended its exclusive co-publishing partnership with songwriter Neil Medley.
Medley has had songs recorded by Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Tyler Farr with Jason Aldean and more. He has co-written two singles currently at country radio, including “I Don’t Love You” (Lindsay Ell) and “Made For You” (Jake Owen).
“Neil’s lyrical prowess and true song sense combined with his always grinding work ethic makes for a great fit here at Mojo,” said Mojo Sr. Creative Director, Keithan Melton. “Our team is thrilled Neil continues to trust his career and songs to us and we look forward to what lies ahead.”
Medley added, “It was an easy decision to extend my partnership with Mojo. I am proud of the opportunities, the success, and most importantly, the catalog of music this team and I have built
in just three short years. I believe we are on to something very special.”
Butch Baker, Mojo Sr. VP adds, “We are so excited to continue our relationship with Neil. We’ve already started this year with a bang and I believe this will be his best year yet. His commitment to a great lyric teamed with a unique melody is only matched by an incredible work ethic. Can’t wait to see what the future holds and I know it will be bright!”
Mojo Music and Media’s Nashville roster also includes Mike Walker, Joe Clemmons and writer/producers Bart Butler and Lalo.
Sony Music Nashville/Villa 40 Sign Drew Green
/by Jessica NicholsonDrew Green. Photo: Ford Fairchild
Sony Music Nashville and Villa 40 have signed Drew Green to a label deal, as part of a long-term joint venture between Sony Music Nashville and the Villa 40 imprint, which was co-founded by industry execs Joe Fisher and Brad Margolis.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” Green says of Villa 40/Sony Music Nashville. “It’s been a long journey, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Over my five years songwriting, I realized it’s all about hard work, and I’m so excited to be surrounded by a group that believes that and believes in me.”
Green, a McMinnville, Tennessee native, earned a slot as the singer for Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge’s house band. He also continued writing songs and inked a publishing deal in 2018 with Brett James’ Cornman Music, a co-venture with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. James is also Green’s manager.
In 2019, Florida Georgia Line cut “Colorado,” which Green co-wrote with Hunter Phelps and Michael Hardy (HARDY), for their album Can’t Say I Ain’t Country. On June 11, Green will release his own debut track, “Little More Be Alright,” at all streaming platforms and digital retailers.
Citadel Country Spirit USA Festival Rescheduled For 2021
/by Lorie HollabaughThe three-day country festival was originally scheduled for Aug. 28-30 at Ludwig’s Corner Horse Show Grounds in Chester County’s Brandywine Valley, but will now take place Aug. 27-29, 2021 at the same location.
“We were hopeful the COVID-19 situation would improve significantly and rules would be relaxed enough for us to stage a spectacular event in August,” Alan Jacoby, executive producer of Impact Entertainment, said. “Unfortunately, the governor’s proclamation as well as health and safety circumstances beyond our control are prohibiting mass gatherings this summer. Our festivals are not social-distancing-oriented events. They are thousands and thousands of like-minded country music fans coming together for a big celebration. While disappointing for this year, we’re committed to producing a phenomenal fest in 2021.”
Previously purchased three-day passes, single-day tickets and parking upgrades will be honored for the 2021 dates. Refund options are also available, and more information and updates can be found at countryspiritusa.com. An updated artist lineup for the 2021 festival will be announced in coming weeks; the 2020 lineup was to include Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young, Carly Pearce, RaeLynn, and more.
The Cadillac Three, Michael Ray, Tenille Townes To Play ‘Nashville Meets London’ Virtual Concert
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville Meets London has teamed with London’s Royal Albert Hall for a virtual concert set for July 18, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. CT, as part of the venue’s recently-launched livestream series Royal Albert Home.
The Cadillac Three, Michael Ray, Tenille Townes and Yorkshire native Twinnie are all set to take part in the free event, which will be hosted by Country Hits Radio, as well as Mainly Music radio presenter Matt Spracklen.
The event will be livestreamed at the Royal Albert Hall YouTube channel and at royalalberthall.com.
The show aims to raise funds for the Royal Albert Hall, which is closed for the first time since World War II. Like all arts venues across the UK, the Hall is in financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. Since closing its doors on March 17, its online concerts – featuring artists including Rufus Wainwright, KT Tunstall, Richard Thompson and Ayanna Witter-Johnson – have been streamed more than a million times, inspiring donations totaling over £50,000.
Lucy Noble, Artistic Director of the Royal Albert Hall, said, “This series has spotlighted an incredible collection of world class talents working in an extraordinary array of genres. Since we launched on 9 April, we’ve featured everything from Baxter Dury to Bach cello suites, from spoken word to homegrown soul. Now we’re absolutely delighted to announce the first country music concert as part of Royal Albert Home, showcasing four fantastic acts who’ll bring a little bit of Nashville into your living room. The line-up illustrates just how exciting and eclectic the world of country is right now, and we can’t wait to share this show with you.”