Wednesday, March 27, 2019
The Grammy eligibility period for the 2020 show will close 8/31/19—a whole month earlier, when compared to the past nine years. As a result, this means only 11 months worth of releases will be up for consideration.
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards will also air two weeks earlier than the 2019 telecast; it's scheduled for 1/26/20 in an effort to dodge The Oscars, which have been confirmed for 2/9/20.
The only other time the cut-off was moved from its traditional 9/30 date (since 1976) was in 2009, which also saw an 8/31 close. That year, the Grammy telecast was moved to 1/31/10 in an effort to precede the Winter Olympics. However, it's worth noting that when the 60th anniversary show was booked for 1/28/18 in NYC, no changes were made to the eligibility period. So, what gives?
On a related note, the folks at The Recording Academy have revealed their revised voting dates, which can be seen below. The noms announcement remains TBA.