Harvey Mason Jr., the head honcho at the Recording Academy, recently dropped some knowledge on how artists actually snag a Grammy. Forget about popularity contests or who’s topping the charts; it all boils down to the votes from people who eat, sleep, and breathe music.
In a recent chat, Mason Jr. cleared up some common misunderstandings about the Grammy selection process. He said that Academy members are the key.
You want a Grammy? Get the Academy members on your side, he explained. To even be a member, you’ve got to be a working music pro in the States, at least for now.
So, once an artist throws their hat in the ring, the Academy members give the music a listen and judge it based on its artistic merit. Things like sales figures, how many times a song has been streamed, or chart positions? They don’t even factor in.
It’s all about how good your art is, Mason Jr. emphasised. Not how many copies you sold, how many streams you got, or how many songs you cranked out. It’s purely what the members think.
He did point out that winning isn’t a walk in the park and can be pretty subjective. No record label execs, journalists, or fans get a say. It’s purely up to the music pros who are in the trenches.
It’s tough because it’s all a matter of opinion, he said. Labels don’t get a vote, journalists don’t get a vote. It’s just music, people.
His comments followed the 68th Grammy Awards, which went down on February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Trevor Noah hosted the show for the last time, wrapping up his run as emcee since 2021.
This year’s event was also a turning point for the Recording Academy. The 2026 ceremony will be the last time the Grammy Awards air on CBS, which has been its home since 1973. Starting in 2027, the Grammys are jumping ship to Disney for a 10-year deal. The awards will be broadcast on ABC, and you can catch the action on Hulu and Disney+.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar stole the show, winning the most awards for the second year running. He took home five awards.
His wins included Record of the Year for Luther, his collab with SZA. He also nabbed Best Rap Album for GNX, adding to his collection of Grammy wins.
The ceremony also made history by celebrating African music. Nigerian music legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti received a special award after his death. This makes him the first African artist to get this kind of award from the Recording Academy. It was a celebration of his lasting effect on music around the world and his role in creating Afrobeat.
