Not too long ago, Chance The Rapper co-signed a petition to allow free music to be considered for GRAMMY nominations. With Chance releasing 10 Day, Acid Rap, Surf, and more recently Coloring Book, for free, this is something that directly affects his chances of winning awards. Why should artists miss out for giving fans free music?
Thankfully, the GRAMMYs have listened to the public outcry and decided to make some changes to the system today. Streaming-only releases will now be eligible for the awards with immediate effect, meaning should Coloring Book be deemed good enough, we might see it pop up in the nominations when the 58th annual event goes down next February.
This is what Bill Freimuth, Senior Vice President of Awards for The Recording Academy, had to say about the move:
“The GRAMMYs aren’t just peer-awarded, they’re peer-driven. Throughout the year, members of the music community come to us asking to make changes to the Awards process, and we work with them to figure out how those changes might work. I’m proud of this year’s changes because they’re a testament to the artists, producers and writers — the people who rolled up their sleeves to shape the proposals and, in turn, the future of the GRAMMYs. It’s exactly what they should be doing. It’s their award.”
To find out some of the other changes made to the awards, click HERE.