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Grammy Eligibility Year to Close Early Due to Scheduling

Austin Rasmussen

If you’re working to earn a Grammy next year, it’s time to stop procrastinating and get to work! The Recording Academy announced earlier this week that the eligibility year for the 2020, 62nd Grammy Awards show will close on August 31. This is one month earlier than the usual cut off period artists are accustomed to. What’s the point of shortening the eligibility period by a month?

The alteration was made due to the early airing of the 2020 telecast. In order to not clash with the Academy Awards, next years Grammy Awards will air on Jan. 26, about two weeks earlier than usual. Speaking of the Academy Awards, the Motion Picture Academy announced last September that their 2020 telecast would also be moved up two weeks. With all these changes, how will it affect artists and their music releases?

With the period of eligibility now at 11 months rather than 12, to have a chance for the 2020 Grammy Awards, recordings must be released between Oct 1, 2018, and August 31, 2019. Moreover, recordings released after September 1, 2019, will be looked at for the 2021 awards. Interestingly, this is only the second time in history that the eligibility period has shortened. Back in 2009, the eligibility year was cut short to avoid competing with the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympics.

It’s unlikely that the modified dates will hinder the music quality or fairness of the competition. The Recording Academy has announced these date changes early enough, allowing artists to plan ahead. On the other hand, we can expect more music to be released this summer, as artists want to be ahead of the Aug. 31 cut off date. Be sure to save those dates!

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