Grammys tighten nominations for top categories

For the past two years, the Recording Academy has expanded the field of nominees for its “big four” categories — Album, Song, and Record of the Year, as well as Best New Artist — from eight candidates to 10. The institution will return to the old number in 2024, the New York Times reports and raise the bar for Album of the Year eligibility, now requiring featured artists, producers, songwriters, and engineers to be credited on at least 20 percent of a nominated album to qualify for an award. That change also follows a relaxing of the rules in 2022 that dropped the standard of participation from 33 to 0 percent, meaning any credited contributor could be listed as a nominee.

Earlier this week, the Academy announced the addition of three new categories earlier this year: Best Pop Dance Recording, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best African Music Performance, the latter of which Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. teased at a September press conference in Ghana. Two existing categories — Producer and Songwriter of the Year, nonclassical — have been moved to the general field, giving all voting members of the Academy a say in who wins.