The Recording Academy continues to be the messiest in the biz. Literal minutes before the major 2022 Grammy nominations were announced on November 23, the Academy revealed it is expanding the number of nominees from eight to ten in its big-four categories: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and board-of-trustees chair Tammy Hurt sent a letter out to the Academy’s members on Tuesday, which was published in full on The Wrap, justifying the last-minute category change with arguments like “Many other Award shows, including the Latin Grammys and the Oscars, already honor ten nominees for their big categories, with far fewer submissions than we receive.†The letter reads in part:
The growth in music and your extraordinary engagement obligated us to seek this change. Perhaps in the past, the leadership would have waited for the next Awards cycle to make a change. But one thing that we’ve heard loud and clear from you is that you are tired of waiting for big changes. You asked for — and you deserve — an organization that is as nimble and brave as you. In that spirit, we went to the Board of Trustees and made the case for this direction, and just minutes ago, they adopted it.
You’ve got minutes to update your nominee predictions accordingly.