Recording Academy CEO Mason shares how to win Grammy award: “streams, sales do not matter”
The head of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr has opened up about the criteria the Academy uses to pick its Grammy award winners.
Harvey, the first Black CEO of the company, noted that sales and topping charts were not even on the list of ways one can secure the coveted music recognition award. According to Harvey, one could have a multitude of fans globally and sell millions of records but that did not guarantee that they’d secure the golden award.
“First you have to understand, that the only way to win a Grammy is to have the Membership of the Academy vote for you,” started off the 55-year-old Grammy Awards CEO.
He went on to clearly outline what goes into the selection process as he confirmed that only the USA creatives were allowed to make the global decision.
“In order to be a member of the Academy you have to be a music professional working in the United States, for now. For now, it’s only in the United States of America, hopefully, we grow then. Right now, if you are a working professional in the USA you can become a member of the Recording Academy,” Mason candidly added.
Harvey, who happens to be a 5 time nominee himself (must be weird headlining a committee and never winning) as a producer and a songwriter went on to add;
“Once you are a member of the Academy, all the music is submitted the members listen to it and they evaluate it based on the quality of the art not the sales, not the streams not on the followers or how many fans… it is purely on the art.
It’s purely on the opinion and as you all know it is very hard because it is subjective. There is no best song, best record it is just the opinion of the Membership in that particular year. That is how you win a Grammy and that is it.
The voters vote, there is no committee, there is no journalist, no labels just music professionals voting for their peers, period,”
Speaking during a previous interview before the Sunday’s award show Harvey Mason noted he shares in the frustrations of fellow creatives as he has also been dying to officially have the title of a Grammy Record winner.
“As much as I try and live my life so that I am really in the moment, l will say that by the fifth nomination I received I was really keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a win! Because it’s always been a dream of mine to win a Grammy.
It starts off with being very excited to be there. And that evolves to: ‘Oh, man, I sure would like to win!’ Now, six years since my last nomination, I’m at the point of: ‘Man, I’m overdue and I want one of those on my mantel’,” said the music producer.
