Grammys change eligibility period. Awards to feel even more dated?

The Recording Academy has changed the eligibility period for it Grammy Awards, shortening the window by one month. In conjunction with the change, the annual awards gala has been moved up one week to the end of January. The 2010 Grammy Awards will air live for the East Coast on CBS, and once again be held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

A Recording Academy press release states that the eligibility period was shifted to “accommodate an earlier date.” This year, the 51st Grammy Award were held on Feb. 8. Moving the date of the telecast up a week, therefore, has resulted in a four-week difference in what albums will be considered.

Such a move will have a noticeable effect on the telecast. The music industry tends to release some of its biggest albums during the holiday season, and in 2008, a number of major artists released albums too late to be represented on the Grammy telecast. Last year, Grammy eligibility ended on Sept. 30, and releases from such artists as Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Fall Out Boy, the Fireman, Brad Paisley, Britney Spears and Q-Tip, among many others, were not eligible for the 2009 Grammys.

Had the eligibility period ended on Aug. 31, 2008, here's a sampling of the albums that would not have been nominated for this year's awards:

• Metallica's "Death Magnetic," nominated for best rock album, released Sept. 12.

• Jazmine Sullivan's "Fearless," nominated for best contemporary R&B album, released Sept. 23.

• T.I.'s "Paper Trail," nominated for best rap album, released Sept. 30.

• Raphael Saadiq's "The Way I See It," nominated for best R&B album, released Sept. 16.

• Kings of Leon's "Only by the Night," nominated for best rock album, released Sept. 23.

The Grammy Awards went out of their way to return to relevancy in 2009, stacking a performance heavy telecast that overall saw a rise in television ratings. Pop & Hiss has argued that the Grammys should change their eligibility period, but has pushed for the Recording Academy to extend it to Dec. 31 rather than pull it back to August, thereby preventing the telecast from feeling a bit dated. Pop & Hiss has a call in to the Recording Academy to discuss such issues.

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Metallica, whose "Death Magnetic" would not have been up for Grammy consideration under the new eligibility period. Credit: Jamie Rector / For The Times

Comments

[JK]

I thought Kings of Leon WON Best Rock Album for the grammy this year.