American Recording Academy Makes Sharp Rule Changes Ahead of Grammys
Automatic translation. Read the Russian original
The American Recording Academy (RIAA) has announced significant changes to its rules, taking effect ahead of the 68th Grammy Awards on February 1, 2026. The main innovations were dictated by the reaction to the controversial results of the previous award, when Beyoncé received "Album of the Year" for a country record, causing discontent among traditionalists of the Academy. As a result, the Best Country Album category will be divided into Traditional Country Album and Contemporary Country Album. In addition, the category "Best Packaging" absorbed the category "Best Box Set", and "Best Album Cover" became a separate nomination. The new restriction also applies to the Best New Artist category: Artists who have already been nominated for Album of the Year now have to show only 20% of their participation in albums in this category to qualify for victory. The Grammy nominees will be announced on November 7.