The Recording Academy is issuing invitations to more than 4,000 music creators and industry pros to join its membership. The invitations are going out on Thursday (July 9). This is the third consecutive year that the Academy has invited 3,500 or more new members — and the largest class of invitees to date.
It’s part of a concerted push to expand and diversify its membership. This year’s class includes more than 3,100 who are invited to join as voting members and more than 900 who are invited to join as non-voting Professional members. In terms of demographics, 50% are under 40, 43% are women and 55% are people of color.
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To put these numbers in context, the Academy currently has nearly 15,000 voting members and over 3,700 professional members. (These totals do not include those invited this year. As the Academy points out, “Invitations must be formally accepted for invitees to become Grammy members.”)
“Every year, we look forward to welcoming a new group of dedicated music creators and professionals through our membership invitations,” Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “Our membership is the engine of the Grammys, and we’re excited for invitees to join our vibrant community, engage with their peers and help shape the future of the music industry.”
