No document deal, supervisor, or publicist?
No Gold or Platinum certification from the RIAA?
No music movies on YouTube with 1,000,000,000+ views?
You possibly can nonetheless win a Grammy, the most prestigious award within the music trade. Sure, you!
A powerful variety of unbiased musicians win Grammy awards yearly, and on this step-by-step information, I’ll present you the right way to:
- Change into a voting member of the Recording Academy
- Be eligible for a Grammy nomination
- Run a “For Your Consideration” marketing campaign
- Enhance your probabilities of profitable
However earlier than we discover the chronological steps it is best to take to win a Grammy, listed here are a number of big-picture issues to bear in mind.
Overlook the televised awards
You might want to have real looking expectations.
The precise awards you most likely consider everytime you hear “Grammys” — Greatest New Artist, Album of the Yr, and many others. — yeah, these are doubtless NOT the awards you’ll be capable of win as an unbiased musician.
The Grammy Awards course of is a small trade unto itself, with its personal customs and networks of affect. And to place it merely: If it’s an award they announce on TV, that statuette might be going house with a significant label artist.
Nevertheless, there are many different awards which are given out earlier within the evening earlier than the prime-time TV broadcast. Goal for THOSE awards!
WHY attempt to win a Grammy?
There are a variety of causes you may want a Grammy, or perhaps a Grammy nomination.
Validation. Your mates, household, followers, and the broader trade might take larger discover of your abilities and achievements.
A celebration. Of your individual arduous work, and the assist your followers have shared with you.
A resumé-builder that opens new income alternatives, higher live shows, collaborations, or placements.
However be warned…
It nonetheless entails advertising
Everytime you need your music to realize recognition, it’s essential to get the eye of the proper folks. That normally takes music advertising.
Within the case of the Grammys, you’re making an attempt to persuade a distinct type of particular person to like your music. You’re not searching for followers within the conventional sense.
As a substitute, you need the eye of voting members of the Recording Academy — most of whom are fellow music-makers and trade professionals.
That’s going to take work. Within the type of a “For Your Consideration” marketing campaign that I’ll define later on this article.
You MUST observe the principles
There are a variety of particulars, eligibility timelines, and deadlines. If you wish to win a Grammy, you need to observe all the principles in the official rulebook.
One huge one: You CANNOT ask somebody to vote for you!
This course of isn’t for each artist
On condition that the Grammy course of entails advertising, networking, and attainable promoting or PR bills, it’s not for everybody. It might take a variety of money and time.
It’s additionally doubtless not for artists who’re at first of their careers. “Greatest New Artist,” after all, goes to a debut act. However whenever you’re aiming for a extra area of interest, genre-based award, you usually tend to win as an unbiased artist in case you have a resumé of success and a optimistic popularity amongst your friends.
Lastly, you need to be making nice music. A mediocre album just isn’t going to garner the respect (and votes) of Grammy members. So be sure it’s a document you’re extraordinarily happy with, with nice songs, preparations, performances, manufacturing, and mixing. Plus an ideal story. The story is commonly the way you’ll appeal to preliminary consideration for the music.
A fast overview of the Grammy course of
What most individuals know of the Grammys is what they see on TV yearly. However there’s loads that occurs within the yr prior, constructing as much as the large evening.
The method begins lengthy earlier than the awards present when members of the Recording Academy, media corporations, and document labels submit entries — about 20,000 entries per yr — in the course of the OEP (on-line entry course of).
What makes a track or album eligible for a Grammy?
In line with the Grammy’s web site:
- Recordings should be launched in the course of the eligibility yr. For instance, for the 2025 Grammys, recordings launched between September 16, 2023 and August 30, 2024 are eligible.
- Recordings should be obtainable for buy or streaming, and meet the trade commonplace of 16-bit, 44.1 kHz.
- Every track will need to have correct metadata, together with songwriters and producers, and an Worldwide Commonplace Recording Code (ISRC).
- Albums will need to have a complete enjoying time of quarter-hour with at the very least 5 tracks, or half-hour with no minimal variety of tracks.
- For albums, greater than 75% of the recordings should be new and never beforehand launched.
Every submission is then screened by The Recording Academy Awards Division to verify its eligibility.
After that, genre-based screening committees — comprised of 300+ specialists — evaluation submissions to position them within the applicable class.
These teams don’t make important or merit-based judgements at this level; they’re merely guaranteeing the submissions are eligible and correctly categorized.
First-Spherical Voting for Grammys
Following that step, there’s the “First Spherical” poll. On this first spherical of voting, members of the Academy in good standing (that means they’ve paid their dues) undergo entries of their respective fields of experience, serving to to find out the 5 finalists in every class.
These voting members are, in line with the Grammys:
Energetic artistic professionals concerned within the recording course of, resembling performers, songwriters, producers, and engineers.
Every voting member can vote in as much as ten classes throughout three style fields, plus the six classes within the “Common Area,” together with:
- File of the Yr
- Album of the Yr
- Music of the Yr
- Greatest New Artist
- Producer of the Yr (Non-Classical)
- Songwriter of the Yr (Non-Classical)
If you happen to’d prefer to turn into a voting member of the Recording Academy, go HERE.
Ultimate-Spherical Voting for Grammys
After the First Spherical voting determines the 5 finalists in every class, there’s a last voting course of to determine who wins the Grammy.
Once more, members are directed to vote solely in classes the place they’re friends of the nominees and have related genre-expertise.
The voting is managed by a agency (Deloitte & Touche LLP) who retains the outcomes secret till the day of the Grammy Awards, when sealed envelopes are delivered with the names of the winners.
NOTE: Sure “Craft” classes that acknowledge a really specialised discipline of experience have a barely totally different voting course of, so for all the main points, see the Grammy rulebook.
These envelopes carry us to the ultimate step within the course of…
The Grammy Awards Present
The recording with essentially the most votes wins! Within the case of ties (fairly uncommon), the tied nominees are each thought-about winners.
Nominees obtain a medallion and certificates. Winners are given the Grammy award statuette, so long as they comply with these phrases.
The subsequent present — the 67th Annual Grammy Awards — is going on on February 2, 2025 on the Crypto.com Space in LA. It would additionally air reside on CBS.
Many of the awards are introduced BEFORE the televised portion, however you’ll be able to reside stream the entire thing on reside.grammy.com and YouTube.
Any recording that wins an award in 2025 may have entered the web submission course of the prior summer time (between July 17, 2024 – August 30, 2024), and may have had a launch date between September 16, 2023 and August 30, 2024.
Your step-by-step information to profitable a Grammy
Okay, now that you just’re accustomed to the method at a excessive degree, let’s offer you a chronological motion plan.
Stage 1: Change into a voting member of the Recording Academy
(24 months earlier than Grammy submission, if attainable)
Not solely will this assist you to later submit your album for Grammy consideration, it’ll additionally offer you an insider’s take a look at your entire course of.
As a voting member, you’ll higher perceive the timelines and necessities, and also you’ll have first-hand information of what will get the eye of voting members. This may empower you to run a more practical “For Your Consideration” marketing campaign a yr or two down the road.
- Community with current Grammy members. Attend Grammy meetups, each IRL and on-line. Get energetic in your native music scene and ask round to see who may already be a member.
- Get two robust suggestions from voting members. You possibly can’t simply “be a part of.” And you may’t submit your self. You should be really useful to the Recording Academy by musical friends (so long as you meet these necessities). In the event that they’re current members, that’s finest — and so they can fill out a suggestion for HERE.
- As soon as the Academy has acquired the 2 nominations, you’ll be able to fill out an artist profile. It should be accomplished by March 1st to be thought-about for that yr’s class. You’ll get an e-mail notification when it’s time to fill out the profile. Simply ensure each individuals who really useful you for membership use the identical e-mail tackle for you.
- A peer evaluation panel will then take into account you for membership. You’ll be notified by July if you’re accepted, and also you’ll have till that yr’s voting interval to just accept.
- If accepted, be energetic in all nomination and voting processes, in addition to any networking alternatives.
- Maintain paying your dues! You need to stay in good standing when it’s time to submit your individual music for a Grammy.
Stage 2: Pre-Launch Preparation
1. Plan for a Grammy-worthy album
(12-24 months earlier than Grammy submission)
- Choose the very best songs, gamers, engineer(s), and producer(s). Members of the Recording Academy are inspired to vote for music based mostly on excellence, not reputation. Guide your artistic staff effectively upfront to make sure they’re obtainable.
- Collaborate with former Grammy-nominees and winners (if attainable); chances are you’ll increase your music’s visibility and acquire perception concerning the Grammy nomination course of.
- Analysis the Grammy classes most carefully related along with your sound.
- Make clear your target market and style beforehand so your recording periods are centered in the proper course.
2. Make the music
(6-18 months earlier than submission)
- Now it’s time to place your Grammy ambitions apart for a bit, and simply make nice music. Your pre-recording prep helped you create parameters for the undertaking, however Grammy awards are finally given to artists who put the artwork first and made nice artistic selections, not those who most carefully adhere to current stylistic conventions.
- Make sure that your music is professionally blended and mastered.
- Create a visible identification on your music, together with memorable album paintings, press pictures, and extra.
- Shoot behind-the-scenes video of your recording course of, in addition to interviews concerning the that means of the songs, or anything that may assist inform the story of the music.
3. Construct knowledgeable staff
(6-12 months earlier than submission)
- Don’t spend your entire funds on the recording. Save a large quantity of your funds to rent any administration consultants, promoters, PR specialists, or advertising businesses that you just need to assist your launch. In case your publicist has expertise working “For Your Consideration” campaigns on behalf of earlier Grammy-nominees, that’s an enormous profit right here.
- Work with these execs to craft the story of your album. Whereas a few of your efforts might be centered on fan-facing promo, make sure to write a model of your story that may attraction to voting members of the Recording Academy.
Stage 3: The music Launch Technique
(3-12 months earlier than Grammy submission)
1. Set a launch date inside the eligibility window
- That window has closed for the 2025 Grammy Awards, which suggests you’re now 2026 or past.
- Plan your album or single launch early sufficient to permit ample time for promotion and engagement earlier than the subsequent OEP (“on-line entry course of”).
2. Distribute your music
3. Construct buzz
- Whereas Grammy voting is predicated on high quality and never reputation, the extra public consideration your music receives, the extra doubtless voting members might be to know who you might be. The extra conscious they’re upfront, the much less work you’ll must do in FYC introductions.
Stage 4: Submit your music for Grammy Consideration
(Throughout the subsequent OEP)
- Once more, pay shut consideration to all of the submission deadlines and eligibility standards. However as a member, you’ll most likely be effectively knowledgeable. Often, the primary spherical of submissions begins in late summer time and closes in early fall.
Stage 5: Launch the “For Your Consideration” Marketing campaign
(When you’ve submitted your music)
Time to make voting members conscious of your music, and that you just’d like them to hear and take it into consideration as they put together to solid their first-round ballots. To start:
1. Create a FYC touchdown web page in your artist web site.
It may be public (for comfort), however ought to NOT be accessible through the highest navigation bar. In different phrases, you need voting members to simply entry the web page, nevertheless it’s not meant for followers.
The web page ought to include:
- Grammy-related language resembling “GRAMMY®” or “GRAMMY Awards®” — so voting members know they’re in the proper place
- Embedded behind-the-scenes video or promo reel
- A concise and charming story concerning the music
- Brief artist bio with profession highlights
- Hello-res paintings and press pictures associated to the undertaking
- Clear description of the music
- Listing of collaborators and credit
- Hyperlinks to your album on streaming and associated content material (not simply Spotify!)
- Contact information for media inquiries
The web page ought to NOT:
- Comprise any trash-talking about different nominees, artists, or albums
- Exaggerate any particulars concerning the undertaking
- Use the Grammy brand
- Embody a private signature or a direct request to vote for the undertaking
Learn that final one once more. You CANNOT ask voting members to vote for you. You possibly can’t bribe them. No gifting. No vote-trading. You possibly can solely ask them to CONSIDER your music.
And though this information offers fairly thorough instructions, it’s all the time advisable to learn the newest Grammy rulebook every year, as a result of there could also be different stipulations about whether or not or not you’ll be able to point out gross sales numbers or streaming metrics, and many others.
2. Get the FYC messaging on the market
(Beginning in October)
You need related voting members to see your launch. If in case you have an skilled publicist, they’ll be an enormous assist.
- Don’t spam or DM voting members. You possibly can run e-mail and social campaigns geared toward voting members, nevertheless it should embrace an opt-out (and observe all different Grammy guidelines).
- Leverage any trade networks you’ve constructed up thus far — and remind them to hearken to your music, and please take into account it for the primary spherical of voting.
- Attend Grammy occasions and mixers.
- Run focused PR and advert campaigns specializing in FYC messaging in Billboard, Selection, and different commerce publications. In reality, Billboard has an annual print version devoted to FYC campaigns.
- Digital and print advertisements ought to look clear, use paintings that aligns with the FYC web page and album branding, have concise advert copy, spotlight why it deserves consideration inside the style, together with the music’s story or distinguished collaborators.
- Host your individual FYC occasion in case you have the cash. Once more, observe the Grammy guidelines as a result of you’ll be able to’t bribe, reward, or commerce your manner into votes.
- Listing your music on the Recording Academy’s FYC web site for max visibility.
Then it’s time to watch voting, cross your fingers, and maintain getting the FYC phrase on the market!
Stage 6: Ultimate Grammy Voting
(November – January)
You’ve been waiting for these nominations. Did you obtain one? In that case, it’s not time to relaxation. It’s time to step on the gasoline on your last consciousness marketing campaign main as much as the awards present.
- Change your messaging. Your FYC language might want to shift from outreach and introductions to a last case on your music and story.
- However maintain a lightweight contact. Once more, no ASKING for votes. However now you can confidently place your self as a nominee within the last spherical of consideration. Nevertheless, you continue to need to be sure the message highlights the journey on the middle of your album, and the worth of your music, over any particular nomination, accolades, or metrics. Do not forget that voting members are largely artists themselves.
- Amplify your PR efforts by doing extra interviews, live performance dates, and many others.
Stage 7: Go to the present!
(February)
If you happen to can attend the Grammys in particular person, do it.
If not, there could also be Grammy-related occasions in your space.
However c’mon, in the event you’re nominated for a Grammy, get to that awards ceremony to signify your work and achievement!
Have a short speech prepared in case you win. Don’t tempt the sound-person to start out enjoying music over your rambling remarks.
Stage 8: Afterwards
Whether or not you win or not, this second is price celebrating.
- Be ready for additional PR to speak concerning the expertise.
- Do an audit in your internet properties and press blurbs so as to add “Grammy-winning” or “Grammy-nominated” wherever it belongs!
- Don’t let your dues lapse. Maintain energetic within the Recording Academy so you’ll be able to construct extra relationships, vote on subsequent yr’s nominations, and increase your individual probabilities of future recognition.
And that’s it!
This guidelines solely spans two full years. Straightforward. Haha.
Hopefully it’s been an excellent overview of every part it takes to qualify for a Grammy.
Cleary it’s essential to plan upfront and be actively engaged within the Recording Academy.
So the very best place to start your Grammy journey is on the Grammy web site itself.
