The Recording Academy has officially extended the eligibility period for the forthcoming Grammy Awards by two weeks “after listening to concerns from some members of the music community.”
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. announced the change (which was made “in the spirit of partnership and collaboration”) in a recent letter to members. For reference, the Academy had around February’s end shortened the window during which music could release and still be considered for nominations and awards at the upcoming 66th Grammys.
(Organizers have yet to reveal when exactly the 2024 edition will take place, though the 65th Grammys returned to Los Angeles and marked the first time since 2019 that the happening had occurred in February.)
Specifically, the Recording Academy had shortened the 2024 Grammys’ eligibility period by a full month to August 31st of this year. Now, however, Mason Jr. (who’s coming up on his second anniversary as CEO) has pushed back the deadline by two weeks until September 15th.
“After listening to concerns from some members of the music community, we have decided to amend the end date of the previously-announced eligibility period,” 54-year-old Mason Jr. wrote in a letter to Academy members. “The eligibility deadline for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be extended by two weeks, to Friday, September 15, 2023.”
While logic suggests that the longest-possible Grammys eligibility window would be optimal – namely so projects released during the fourth quarter could be celebrated early the following year as opposed to the year after that – Boston-born Mason Jr. also touched upon the logistical considerations behind the present cutoff.
“Several weeks ago, we communicated some changes to the eligibility period for the 66th Grammy Awards,” Mason Jr. explained of the initial decision to shorten the deadline by a month. “This change benefits our Awards process and grants us some flexibility throughout Grammy season, specifically related to our nominations announcement timeline and the booking of the Grammys telecast, Premiere Ceremony, Recording Academy Honors Presented by the Black Music Collective, and other important celebrations throughout Grammy Week.”
Of course, planning the more than three-hour Grammys telecast (the actual event runs far longer than that), including by booking and preparing for the associated performances, is presumably a tall task in its own right. And an ever-evolving collection of boycotts, public criticism, and no-shows undoubtedly complicates the process for the Grammys, where higher-ups are currently auctioning off items signed by Mick Fleetwood, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, and others in support of their happening’s namesake museum.
On the heels of a years-long viewership falloff that affected a number of award shows, the 2023 Grammys scored a roughly 30 percent larger television audience than the 2022 installment. But notwithstanding the relative rebound, the broadcast attracted fewer watchers than each prior Grammys edition except the 2021 and 2022 shows.
