Chose the 56th GRAMMY Award Winners

Did you ever wonder who chooses the GRAMMY winners each year. Well they have an academy that selects and votes, there are 12 chapters in different states including : New York, Miami, Washington D.C, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

To become a voting member you must meet one of the following qualifications:

Recording Released On Line Only:

• Recordings commercially released in the U.S through recognized online music retailers.
• Must have 12 qualifying physical or digital tracks or equivalent duration of content.
• One qualifying track must have been released within five years of receipt of application.
• Releases must be currently available for purchase through recognized online music retailers.
• Recordings must be accompanied by verifiable documentation, e.g. liner notes, allmusic.com.

Recordings Released Through Physical Distribution:

• Recordings commercially released in the U.S through physical distribution outlets.
• Must have six physical tracks or equivalent duration of content.
• One qualifying track must have been released within five years of receipt of application.
• Qualifying tracks must be currently available for sale through physical music retailers.
• Recordings must be accompanied by verifiable documentation, e.g. liner notes, allmusic.com.

GRAMMY Nomination:

• If you were nominated for a GRAMMY Award within the previous five years.

Endorsement By Recording Academy  Voting Members

• Applicants who do not fully qualify in any of the above categories may request the necessary endorsement forms from Member Services.
• Applicants must be endorsed by two current, Voting Members of The Recording Academy.
• Application will be reviewed by Member Services and may be sent to a local Chapter committee for additional review.

Eligibility may be subject to career substantiation through the following documentation. The Academy recommends that applicants submit as much documentation as possible.

• Recordings available for streaming/download through recognized music aggregation
• Documented sales/chart information
• Established, active website/social media/online presence  including:
• Current or historical touring dates/performance
• Fan base interaction
• Current band/artist information
• Music videos
• Music/media player with current releases available
• Active marketing and promotion efforts
• Print material
• Press releases/EPK
• Review of performances by print or online magazines
• Press interviews

For more details visit the official GRAMMY website

Faith Evans provides a detailed account of the GRAMMY voting process on HipHopDX