Grammy 2025: Everything You Need To Know About The New Rules

The Recording Academy has announced that there will be no new categories for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set to take place on February 2, 2025. Here is everything you need to know about the new rules.

The number of categories remains at 94, the same as last year. The categories have varied in recent years, increasing from 84 in 2021 to 94 in 2024.

Historical context

When the Grammy Awards began in 1959, there were just 28 categories. This grew to 47 by 1975. The highest number ever was 110 categories in 2008 and 2009.

Recent amendments

During the semiannual board of trustees meeting held from May 22-24 in Laguna Niguel, California, several amendments were approved and are effective immediately.

The Recording Academy’s awards and nominations committee, composed of voting members, reviews and suggests updates to the categories, procedures, and eligibility rules annually. These recommendations are then ratified by the trustees.

Important dates

First-round voting: October 4-15, 2024

Nominations announcement: November 8, 2024

Final-round voting: December 12, 2024, to January 3, 2025

The awards ceremony will be hosted at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount.

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Summary of rule changes

Recognition for Featured Artists: Featured artists with less than 50% playtime on genre albums will now receive winners’ certificates.

Submission Fees: The cost for media companies to enter recordings has increased from $120 to $180.

Category-specific updates:

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: The category now includes songwriters who perform or produce. The minimum number of songs required for submission is reduced from five to four, and songwriters can now submit up to five songs where they are also credited as primary or featured artists.

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album: This category has been renamed to best dance/electronic album and now requires at least 50% of the album to be dance/electronic music.

Best Remixed Recording: This category has been moved to the pop & dance/electronic field.

Best Pop Dance Recording: Renamed to best dance pop recording.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: The scope of this category has been expanded to include theatrical-style compositions and musical theatre songs that are not part of a unified narrative. Albums must contain over 75% newly recorded performances.

Best Traditional R&B Performance: The criteria now emphasise recordings that exhibit classic R&B/soul elements, distinguishing them from contemporary styles.

Best Children’s Music Album: Entries must now include lyrics and English translations, with the target audience defined as infants to 12-year-olds.

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media: Now requires that more than 50% of the music comes from new episodes or programming released during the eligibility year.

Conjunto Music: This genre is now included in the best regional roots music album category, rather than the best música Mexicana album category.