NEW YORK — Over the past few years Grammy Awards have made a concerted effort to diversify their electorate. In 2024, the Recording Academy reported significant changes to its evolving voting body, saying that 66% of voters had joined in the previous five years, some of whom were women and people of color. This year there is even more movement: for the first time all Latin Grammy Voting Participants have been invited to join the Recording Academy as part of the new 2025 class of members.
The Latin Grammys are a licensee of the Grammy Awards and use a similar voting process. But while the Grammys are aimed at the U.S. market, the Latin Grammys have global goals. in accordance with Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abood. The Recording Academy also has a number of members on the board of directors of the Latin Grammys.
The results are remarkable: the Recording Academy will add 3,800 new members in 2025. Half—50%—are people 39 years of age or younger, 58% are people of color and 35% identify as women.
And there are about 2,900 new Grammy voting members in this group. Nearly half, 49%, are 39 years old or younger; 60% are people of color and 30% identify as women.
Latin music has exploded in popularity over the past few years and is regularly listed as one of the most popular. fastest growing streaming genres in the United States.
“The addition of many voting members to the Latin Recording Academy underscores that music has no boundaries and that our mission to serve musical people no matter where they come from is stronger than ever,” Harvey Mason Jr., the academy’s president and CEO, wrote in a statement. “I can’t wait to see the passion and hard work of our members shine through in this year’s nominations.”
The reform of the Recording Academy began with the creation task force focused on inclusion and diversity after the previous CEO, Neil Portnow made comments derogatory to women during the height of the #MeToo movement. In the past, the Grammys have been criticized for their lack of diversity, with artists of color and women left out of major awards; rap and modern R&B stars are ignored.
In 2024, Mason Jr. told the Associated Press that the Recording Academy sought to increase voices by reaching out to diverse, underrepresented communities. “Let's take the time to understand why these people aren't engaging with us and figure out how we can fix it,” he said. “And once we fix that, let's invite them or ask them if they want to be part of our organization. So, it's been a multi-step process.”
