How To Vote In Grammy Social Change Award

The Recording Academy is introducing several awards to the 2023 Grammys.

On Thursday, the governing body behind the ceremony revealed the 65th annual ceremony will feature five new categories, including for Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album and Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media.

However, most of the buzz is surrounding two specific honors, with the first being Best Song for Social Change. Chosen by "a Blue Ribbon Committee and ratified by the Recording Academy Board of Trustees," this Special Merit Award is focused on songs featuring lyrical content pertaining to a current social issue in a way that "promotes understanding, peacebuilding and empathy."

According to the New York Times though, the most significant new award is for Songwriter of the Year, which "recognizes the written excellence, profession and art of songwriting" across non-classical compositions. As we all know, Song of the Year has always been one of the most notable prizes at music's biggest night, though songwriters have been asking the Academy for an award honoring their contributions.

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The Grammys Introduce Best Song For Social Change Award

MUSIC

The Grammys Introduce Best Song For Social Change Award

Sandra Song09 June

The Recording Academy is introducing several awards to the 2023 Grammys.

In response to this request, the Academy added songwriters on the ballot for Album of the Year in 2018. At the time, only songwriters who contributed at least 33% to a record were able to be listed, though this requirement was scrapped for this year's Grammys. This means any credited songwriter can be a nominee, even if the songwriters behind samples used in the winning work aren't eligible.

“The intent with this new category is to recognize the professional songwriters who write songs for other artists to make a living,” Recording Academy Chief Executive, Harvey Mason Jr., said in a statement. “This dedicated award highlights the importance of songwriting’s significant contribution to the musical process, and as a non-performing songwriter myself, I’m thrilled to see this award come to life.”

These five new awards come after the Academy dropped gendered categories in 2011 in addition to several awards within classical and Latin categories. However, the Grammys also recently added two new awards, namely for Best Global Music Performance and Best Música Urbana Album.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Award recognizes a song that has had profound social influence and impact.

Submissions should contain lyrical content that: a) addresses a timely social issue; b) explores a subject impacting a community of people in need; and c) promotes awareness, raises consciousness, and builds empathy.

The Award is given to the songwriter(s).

The Award honors singles or tracks only, in any musical genre.

The song must include melody and lyrics.

The song must have been commercially released within the last five GRAMMY eligibility years.

The song may reference previous work and may include previously recorded or published lyrical material; in addition, a significant degree of new creative and lyrical content is required. The songwriters of the new material are eligible to receive the Award; determination of songwriter eligibility for previously recorded or published lyrical work will be at the discretion of the Academy.

Recordings featuring samples or interpolations are eligible; however, in alignment with GRAMMY Awards rules, songwriters of sampled or interpolated material are not eligible to receive the Award. (A sample is defined as an element of a previously-released recording incorporated into a new recording. Samples can be entire parts of earlier recordings or isolated sections of earlier recordings including, but not limited to, tracks with vocals removed, hooks, riffs, basslines, or background vocals).

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SELECTION CRITERIA

Selection criteria include the lyrical content of the song, the artistic quality of the composition, and the perceived impact of the song in delivering an empowering message that brings awareness about social issues that affect the world.

The criteria to select Best Song for Social Change will be guided by the principle that social good is “an action that will result in a benefit being available to the general public”, which may include songs that affirm the basic humanity of all people.

In this context, the new Award will recognize a song that promotes:

Understanding - educates and /or raises awareness of other people’s experiences, advocacy, and tolerance.

Peacebuilding - measures intended to create or sustain peace or freedom from dissention.

Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Being Positive - a good, affirmative, or constructive quality or attribute. In contrast, songs containing hate speech or advocating violence or terrorism would be deemed ineligible.

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