ACADEMY INVITES 2,300 NEW MEMBERS

The Recording Academy has invited more than 2,300 established music professionals to join the org.

The class of invitees is 48% female, 21% African American/African descent, 8% Hispanic and 3% Asian American and Pacific Islander.

"We are proud of the strides we've made toward ensuring our membership is diverse and inclusive, which is reflected within this new pool of invitees," said Harvey Mason Jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Academy. "While this progress signifies meaningful impact, there's still more work to be done. We'll continue to fight to achieve inclusive representation across gender, race, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and beyond within our community. Furthermore, we're excited to see how the contributions of the incoming new member class will help inspire meaningful change within the music industry."

The more than 2,300 new invitations were extended under the Academy's community-driven and peer-reviewed membership model that was implemented in 2018. The Academy's Peer Review Panel of music creators met in April to evaluate new member submissions; they considered a range of criteria, including craft, genre and overall diversity. The Academy is aiming for 2,500 new women voters by 2025.

"Building out our membership body is a process that encourages inclusivity from start to finish, and it's a privilege to extend invitations to the 2020 class of invitees that represent the wide-ranging backgrounds and crafts that makes the music industry so unique," said Senior Director of Member Outreach Kelley Purcell. "These individuals will become the driving force behind the Recording Academy, and it's encouraging to see how our membership continues to evolve each year as we take steps toward building a more inclusive and vibrant community."

To participate in the process for the upcoming Grammy Awards, new members have to accept their invitations by 9/15. The first voting ballot opens 9/30 and closes 10/12.