The Latin Recording Academy has announced several major updates to its eligibility guidelines on Wednesday (March 19) for the 26th annual Latin Grammy Awards.
Among the updates is the addition of a new field for visual media and the introduction of two new categories: best music for visual media and best roots song — singles or tracks only, with the latter falling under the traditional field.
These changes aim to reflect the Latin Academy’s “commitment to evolve with the ever-changing musical landscape, and to best serve its membership body of music creators and professionals,” as noted in the press release. These updates take effect immediately for the awards scheduled for November.
The category of music for visual media will recognize “original music created to accompany and enrich the storyline of movies, television series, video games and other visual media.” To qualify for this category, a project must either incorporate Latin rhythms that are recognized as eligible genres for the annual Latin Grammy Awards, or be composed by an individual of Ibero-American heritage.
Meanwhile, the best roots song award will be given to the songwriters of “new, unpublished recordings, both vocal and instrumental, that reflect the traditions and roots of various communities, cultures, or social groups, especially those of Hispanic American origin, whether in Spanish, Portuguese or in indigenous languages or dialects,” notes the release. It will highlight works in genres like tango, folk, flamenco, and other traditional subgenres.
Other amendments include category renaming. In the pop field, “best pop vocal album” will now be called “best contemporary pop album”; in the children’s field, “best Latin children’s album” is being renamed to “best children’s album”; and in the urban field, “best urban fusion/performance” will be named “best urban/urban fusion performance.” The later category will now require 60% urban elements for eligibility, rather than 51%. “Remixes are eligible only if the original version of the song was released within the same eligibility year,” states the official announcement regarding the urban field.
Additionally, the songwriter of the year category reduced its minimum song threshold from six to four, while producer of the year will now undergo screening “by a specialized committee in addition to the membership screening and voting process.”
For more information, visit LatinGRAMMY.com.
