NEW YORK (AP) — In the previous few years, the Grammy Awards have made a concerted effort to diversify its citizens. In 2024, the Recording Academy revealed vital modifications to its evolving voting physique, saying 66% of voters joined within the earlier 5 years, quite a lot of whom had been ladies and folks of colour. This 12 months, there’s much more motion: For the primary time ever, all Latin Grammy voting members had been invited to hitch the Recording Academy as a part of its 2025 new member class.
The Latin Grammys are a licensee of the Grammys and observe an analogous voting course of. However whereas the Grammys deal with the U.S. market, the Latin Grammys have international issues, based on Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abud. The Recording Academy additionally has quite a lot of members on the Latin Grammys board.
The outcomes are notable: There are 3,800 new Recording Academy members in 2025. Half — 50% — are 39 and beneath, 58% are folks of colour and 35% establish as ladies.
And in that group, there are roughly 2,900 new Grammy voting members. Practically half, 49%, are 39 and beneath; 60% are folks of colour and 30% establish as ladies.
Over the previous few years, Latin music has been skyrocketing in reputation, routinely celebrated as one of many quickest rising streaming genres in america.
“The addition of many Latin Recording Academy voting members underscores that music has no borders and that our mission to serve music people, regardless of where they are from, is stronger than ever,” Harvey Mason jr., academy president and CEO, wrote in an announcement. “I can’t wait for our members’ passion and hard work to shine through in this year’s nominations.”
Reform on the Document Academy dates again to the creation of a activity power centered on inclusion and variety after a earlier CEO, Neil Portnow, made feedback belittling ladies on the peak of the #MeToo motion. Previously, the Grammys have been criticized over an absence of variety — artists of colour and girls unnoticed of high prizes; rap and up to date R&B stars ignored.
In 2024, Mason jr. instructed The Related Press that the Recording Academy sought to extend its voting physique by reaching out to totally different, underrepresented communities. “Let’s take the time to understand why those people aren’t engaging with us, figure out how we can fix that,” he stated. “And once we fixed it, then let’s invite them or ask them if they would like to be a part of our organization. So, it was a multi-step process.”
