Voting and Solicitation Guidelines

VOTE SEASON PROTOCOL

Recording Academy Voting Members play a crucial role in ensuring that the GRAMMY Awards, the only peer-voted award in music, is a true reflection of the music community at-large. The Recording Academy respects its Voting Membership body and trusts that each member will uphold the GRAMMY standard of excellence by voting with integrity and discipline.

Recording Academy Voting Members are entrusted to:

  • Only select and vote in the Fields and categories in which they work, day to day

  • Cast their votes based solely on the artistic and technical merits of eligible product

During the GRAMMY Vote Season, the Recording Academy is:

  • Encouraging and expecting that its Voting Members are voting with integrity and following all Voting and Solicitation Guidelines

  • Continuing to celebrate music and music makers to the general public through its public-facing platforms as part of its overall mission to reflect the importance of music in society

  • Ensuring that all member-facing programming, events, and communications, including membership emails, will not specifically promote or spotlight any product submitted for GRAMMY Award consideration to the Academy’s Voting Member body

  • Continuing its work with Academy Members on advocacy and service in support of the music community at-large

PRESERVING THE INTEGRITY OF THE GRAMMY AWARDS PROCESS

It is the goal of the Recording Academy to ensure the GRAMMY Awards process is led in a fair and ethical manner and that voting members make their choices based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible recordings. In an effort to maintain a high degree of integrity and transparency, it is crucial that the following guidelines be understood and followed by all Voting Members.

If any activity is determined to work in opposition to the Recording Academy’s guidelines, the Academy may take any corrective actions, including disqualification of entries.

Furthermore, any member who has authorized, executed, or otherwise enabled a voting solicitation activity that is deemed to have undermined the letter or spirit of these regulations may be subject to suspension or termination of Recording Academy membership.

For more information about the Awards rules, eligibility, and submission procedures, click here.

Voter Code of Conduct

  • Voters shall not allow their choices to be suggested, directed or influenced by anything other than their own analysis of merit, including, but not limited to: personal friendships, company loyalties, regional preferences or sales volume/popularity.

  • Voters shall not accept money or anything of value in exchange for votes, access to other members (member lists and contact information are confidential), submission of materials for GRAMMY consideration, or any other privilege of Recording Academy membership.

  • Voters shall not enter into any agreements or understandings on how to vote. This includes without limitation:

    • "Voting Blocs," or groups of voters who agree to vote together. Such groups may include but are not limited to: voters affiliated with a particular record label or management company, or voters linked through social media

    • "Vote Trading," or offering to vote in any manner in exchange for another’s vote

BLOC VOTING

The Academy reserves the right to establish guidelines for its independent accountants to take confidential corrective action on behalf of the Academy as they may deem appropriate.

FINAL VOTING TO SELECT GRAMMY WINNERS

After the announcement of nominations, the final ballot is made available to all current Voting Members to select GRAMMY winners. All ballots, including those from special committees, are tabulated confidentially by an independent accounting firm.

Results of the final voting are not known until the day of the GRAMMY Awards, when Deloitte delivers sealed envelops with names of the winners.

RESCINDMENT OF GRAMMY

The GRAMMY process does not produce a ranked result with a winner and ordered runners-up. In any situation where a GRAMMY Award is withdrawn following the presentation, no award is given in that Category for that year.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (FYC) POLICIES

While FYC-type events, screenings, advertisements, and formal communications are not prohibited outside of the Recording Academy, the numbers specific to an official Awards Category, Field and/or balloting, entry lists and finals lists are proprietary information belonging to the Recording Academy; such information may not be used, disclosed, published, or otherwise distributed in connection with any event, advertisement, or for any other purpose.

FYC COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVERTISEMENTS

For Your Consideration (FYC) marketing communications (“communications”) include, but are not limited to: emails, mailings, invitations, social media, websites, and print ads. Such communications are prohibited unless they include an opt-out option. Members or their designated publicists are restricted to promoting only their own recordings. There shall be no lobbying on behalf of other members. Also, be advised that the Recording Academy does not release the contact information of its members, therefore you should exercise caution if doing business with any vendor claiming that the vendor has accurate contact lists of Academy members (see Third-Party Solicitation by Independent Contractors below).

FYC Communications can include the following:

  • Artwork related to product under consideration

  • Brief, unembellished descriptions of the recording or creators

  • Copies or links to product

  • Links to websites that promote eligible recordings

  • Link to Recording Academy website where Voting and Solicitation Guidelines are posted

  • Lists of the creators who worked on the recording

  • Reference to nominations, once nominations are announced. List Category(s) by full name

  • Reference to the GRAMMY Award with proper registered marks. Reference can be made by name only. Use of logo is prohibited, see below:

    • GRAMMY®

    • GRAMMY® Award

    • GRAMMY Awards® (Only the plural GRAMMY Awards gets the ® on Awards.)

    • GRAMMYs®

COMMUNICATIONS CANNOT:

  • Cast a negative or derogatory light on a competing recording. Any tactic that singles out the “competition” by name or title is not allowed

  • Exaggerate or overstate the merits of the music, an achievement or an individual

  • Include any Recording Academy trademarks, logos or any other protected information: https://www.recordingacademy.com/legal.  Logo use is reserved for paid Recording Academy sponsors or partners

  • Include entry list numbers or Category numbers

  • Include chart numbers, number of streams, sales figures, or RIAA awards

  • Include personal signatures, personal regards or personal pleas to listen to the eligible recordings

  • Misrepresent honors or awards, past or present, received by either the recording or those involved with production

  • Reference the year or the telecast number (i.e., 2022 or 65th GRAMMY Awards)

 

BILLBOARD ISSUE FOR MEMBERS

Recording Academy members receive a complimentary copy of Billboard GRAMMY Issues unless they choose to opt out. Featured subjects and content are not determined by the Recording Academy. The Recording Academy does not disclose member contact information to Billboard. The Billboard GRAMMY mailings are handled by an independent third-party mailing house with access to member contact information under a binding non-disclosure agreement. To opt out of receiving the Billboard GRAMMY Issues, sign into your RecordingAcademy.com member account and visit subscriptions.

 

Any member can take out an advertisement in Billboard GRAMMY Issues. Advertising restrictions listed above apply. Special rates exist for independent creators. For more information on ad rates, email membership@recordingacademy.com

 

HOSTING FYC EVENTS

Independent FYC events, programs, or activities may be hosted if they adhere to the guidelines set forth in this document. FYC activities may not include any complimentary meals, alcoholic beverages, gifts, or any other hospitality that could be inferred as a value in exchange for vote consideration. Anything considered by the Recording Academy, in its sole discretion, as unreasonable promotion or gifting is prohibited.

ATTENDING FYC EVENTS

If members are invited to a ticketed FYC event or program, they must purchase tickets at full price (no comps or discounts).

GIFTING SHOW TICKETS

As a normal course of business, talent can provide, and members can accept, individual ticket access and meet-and-greet opportunities through their own personal affiliations. However, widespread gifting of show tickets to members as part of an explicit or implicit FYC/vote solicitation campaign is not allowed. Without limiting the preceding sentence, Recording Academy Chapters may not be used as a conduit for gifting to their members, Governors and/or Trustees. Tickets that are not acquired by members through their own personal affiliations must be purchased at full price (no comps or discounts) — this includes tickets to films and musical theater productions.

ACADEMY OFFICE MAILINGS

Any mailing of FYC product or marketing materials to any of the Recording Academy offices is prohibited, and will not be distributed to members, Governors or Trustees. Such mailings will be disposed of or returned to sender, in the Recording Academy’s sole discretion.

TELEPHONE LOBBYING

Contacting Academy members by phone to promote a GRAMMY-eligible product or achievement is prohibited, even if such contact is in the guise of checking to make sure a sample product or other product was received.

THIRD PARTY SOLICITATION BY INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS

There are several marketing companies that claim to have authorized access to Recording Academy member lists and/or Recording Academy staff. There are no such businesses. If a vendor has obtained, through wrongful conduct, an accurate member list, we will disqualify any entry that used the vendor’s services.

Additionally, marketing companies may not use subscriber-based publications to distribute promotional materials to an Academy member unless the member is a subscriber to those publications. The Academy defines “subscriber” as a member who has taken the intentional step of requesting that a publication be sent to him or her on a regular basis. The member does not necessarily have to pay for that subscription.

Marketers are also urged to familiarize themselves with the Recording Academy’s regulations for using its intellectual properties: https://www.recordingacademy.com/legal.

RECORDING ACADEMY FYC WEBSITE FEATURE

For Your Consideration promotional listings are available on RecordingAcademy.com free of cost. These listings are intended to provide a fair and equal platform for members to showcase their releases that have been accepted as official entries in the GRAMMY Awards balloting process as specified in the Entry List.

The duration for the feature is the first round voting period. This feature is not available for the final round voting period.

Members whose releases have been accepted as official entries, or members who made entries on behalf of others, as specified in the Entry List, are permitted to post a link or upload their entries. These entries may only be posted once in each of the approved FYC categories, as specified in the Entry List. If a release has been accepted in multiple categories as specified by the Entry List, posting the release once in each of the accepted categories is permitted. Duplicate posts of the same entry in a FYC category, entries posted in the wrong category (aka “miscategorized”) and promoting entries outside of the For Your Consideration groups are considered violations of these guidelines. Content will be removed, and members are subject to additional penalties should violations continue.

RECORDING ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP-HOSTED ACTIVITIES

GRAMMY-submitted product cannot be the topic of any Recording Academy voting member-facing activity, event, or communication, including membership emails. Anyone who has submitted product for awards consideration during the then-current voting cycle can be featured by the Recording Academy at voting member-facing events or activities, as long as their submitted product is not the focus of the content.

Once your product has been submitted for Awards consideration, FYC product distribution at Recording Academy-hosted events is prohibited. Anyone who violates this will be asked to leave the event and is subject to additional penalties should violations continue.

FYC INFORMATION CONTACT

For further information about these guidelines and regulations, please contact us: 877-637-6816 / awards@recordingacademy.com

It should not be assumed that any tactics or activities not specifically addressed by these regulations are acceptable. The Recording Academy is willing to review any materials or answer any questions that arise in advance.

We encourage our community to help us monitor violations of these guidelines and ask that you report any findings to: 877-637-6816 / awards@recordingacademy.com

Thank you for your compliance and support in ensuring the integrity of the GRAMMY Award process.