The Recording Academy has changed who can become a voting member for the Grammys

The Recording Academy is responsible for handing out the Grammy winners each year. The winners are determined by its voting members. We found it interesting that they recently changed their rules to expand who is eligible to become a voting member of the Academy.

The short version is if you've played or performed on at least 12 tracks and/or songs (this means you could have 12 individual singles you played on or one full 12 song album or any other combination) or have had two full-length albums delivered into most of the stores TuneCore services (like iTunes, AmazonMP3, Rhapsody, eMusic etc), you are eligible to apply for a voting membership in the Recording Academy.

The Grammy Awards are only a small part of being a member of the Recording Academy, but there's something irresistible about casting a vote for one of the most prestigious prizes in any industry.

MORE ABOUT THE ACADEMY (from their Website):

Nearing 50 years of celebrating music through the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy continues its rich legacy and ongoing growth as the premier outlet for honoring achievements in the recording arts and supporting the music community. The GRAMMYs are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.

In order to accomplish this mission, The Recording Academy has developed a unique network of field offices across the country to provide industry service and program development, maintaining 12 fully staffed Academy Chapters to serve the more than 16,000 members and ensure a truly national scope to Academy endeavors. The Academy has also launched the Producers & Engineers Wing (the first of several planned wings) and an ambitious program of regional outreach, both aimed at serving members along professional and geographic lines.

For an overview of the Recording Academy, click here: http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Overview/

For a full breakdown of membership services and what it means to be part of the Academy, click here: http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Member_Services/

To get your application for membership in the Recording Academy, click here: https://www.grammy.com/PDFs/Members/naras_app.pdf

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Robert directly at the Recording Academy at Roberta@grammy.com