The Recording Academy has extended membership invitations to more than 3,900 music professionals spanning diverse backgrounds, genres and disciplines, underscoring the academy's commitment to inclusion and representation. This year's class of 2024 invitees is 45% women, 57% people of color and 47% under 40.
“There's no better way to kick off Grammy season than by inviting thousands of diverse and talented music creators and professionals to join the Recording Academy family,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Our members are the heart of the Academy, driving our mission to make lasting, positive impacts on the music community and shape music history. We hope all 3,900+ guests will join us to serve, celebrate and champion the voices of music creators all year long.”
Among this year's guests is Teddy Swims, whose first Hot 100 single, “Lose Control,” hit No. 1 in March. Tanner Adell, who appears on Beyoncé's Billboard 200; Cowboy Carter; as well as Ashnikko, Grupo Frontera, 310babii, Flavor, Flyana BossGAWD, Girl In Red, Jay Wheeler, Kaash Paige, Raja Kumari, Charm La'Donna, Al Sherod, Xavier Omär, Sech, Leon Thomas and two team members: Ronnie Winter of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Frank Iero of LS Dunes and My Chemical Romance. (Here's a link to one page with quotesprovided by the Recording Academy, by these invitees.)
Invitations must be officially accepted by July 31st in order for recipients to become members of the Recording Academy and participate in the online entry process for the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The academy has invited thousands of new voting members in recent years in an effort to diversify its membership. Last year, it invited 2,800 new voting members. In 2022, it invited more than 2,000 new voting members – as well as more than 600 non-voting professional members.
The academy announced its invitations for the new member class one day after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its own 487-member invitee class. That means the Recording Academy invited just over eight times as many people to join its ranks as the Film Academy.
A comprehensive report on the Recording Academy's class of new members for 2024, along with a detailed breakdown of overall member demographics and craft, will be published later this year after the deadline for 2024 inductees to join the academy .
Last year's breakdown of the Class of 2023 new members was released on November 30, 2023. A record 2,400-plus diverse music creators participated in last year's class, with the academy reporting that 50% of the incoming class were people of color, 46% were under 40 years old and 37% were women.
The Recording Academy's membership model is community-based and peer-reviewed to create a more diverse and engaged member base.
The academy also revealed on November 30 that, since implementing the new membership model in 2019, participation among people of color has increased significantly, from 24% to 38%, and that the percentage of female members has also increased, albeit with slower rate rate, from 26% to 30%. The academy further noted that it was 98% of the way to its goal of adding 2,500 women to the right to vote by 2025, and is set to reach that milestone a year ahead of schedule in 2024.
The Recording Academy offers three types of membership: voting membership for music creators, professional membership for music business professionals, and GRAMMY U for those aspiring to a career in the music industry. (GRAMMY U follows a separate application process.)
Each year, interested musicians and professionals must apply to participate by March 1st. Their submissions are reviewed in the spring by a peer review panel made up of existing Recording Academy members active in the music industry. If accepted, applicants are invited to enroll in the Recording Academy.
Members of the Recording Academy – artists, songwriters, producers, engineers and others in the music industry – are eligible to vote for the annual Grammy Awards. In addition, members may submit product for consideration by the Grammy Awards, propose amendments to the Grammy Awards rules, run for a position on a Recording Academy board or committee, vote in chapter elections, support fellow musicians through advocacy efforts and MusiCares and work with the Producers and Academy Engineers Wing, Songwriters & Composers Wing, Black Music Collective and more.
The first round voting period for the 67th Grammy Awards begins on October 4th and ends on October 15th. The telecast is set for February 2, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/recording-academy-invites-3900-artists-members/