The Recording Academy now bans the inclusion of sales and charts figures in ‘For Your Consideration’ ads

Image by Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

The Recording Academy recently updated their rules and guidelines book. Amongst the key changes in the 63 page book is a new rule that bans the inclusion of chart numbers and sales figures in “For Your Consideration” packages to the Academy. The rules around what can and cannot be included in “For Your Consideration” advertisements sent by record labels in hopes of scoring a nomination have always been fairly strict. This new addition will come into play for the upcoming 64th Grammy Awards. 

This year, the book of rules and guidelines clearly states, “FYC communications cannot include chart numbers, number of streams, sales figures, or RIAA awards.” According to an article published by Billboard, this addition to the rules is likely a move by The Recording Academy to ensure voters focus on the merit of the music and are not influenced by sales and commercial success. This may prove problematic for labels and management, who have long used the commercial success of their artists’ music as an influencing factor for a Grammy nod. Additionally, the Academy’s Voter Code of Conduct now states that “voters shall not allow their choices to be suggested, directed or influenced by anything other than their own analysis of merit, including, but not limited to: personal friendships, company loyalties, regional preferences, or sales volume/popularity.”

A number of significant changes have recently been underway for the Academy. Last month, they revealed their new class of voters for 2021. The new group is arguably the Academy’s most diverse yet, with most of the voters being women of colour and under the age of 40. The full book of rules and guidelines for The Grammys is available to read via their website here.