The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY) are accolades presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize excellence in the music industry. Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in music, the awards are often referred to as "music's biggest night." The award statuette features a gilded gramophone, a nod to the original idea of naming them the Gramophone Awards.

Television/radio coverage
Awarded for	Outstanding achievements in the music industry
Country	United States
Presented by	The Recording Academy
First award	May 4, 1959; 65 years ago
Website	grammy.com
Network	NBC (1959–1970) ABC (1971–1972; 2027) CBS (1973–present)

The Grammys are the first of the major annual American music award shows organized by the Big Three television networks. They are also one of the four major American entertainment awards, alongside the Academy Awards (film), Emmy Awards (television), and Tony Awards (theater). The inaugural Grammy Awards ceremony took place on May 4, 1959, recognizing musical achievements from 1958. In 2011, the Recording Academy implemented a major overhaul of the award categories, significantly reshaping the structure of the Grammy Awards starting with the 2012 ceremony. The 67th Annual Grammy Awards, featuring 94 categories, were held on February 2, 2025.

After more than five decades of being broadcast on CBS, it was announced on October 30, 2024, that the Grammy Awards would transition to ABC, Disney+, and Hulu under a ten-year broadcast agreement between the Recording Academy and The Walt Disney Company.

History

The Grammy Awards originated from the Hollywood Walk of Fame project during the 1950s. As recording executives on the Walk of Fame committee compiled a list of notable figures in the recording industry, they realized that many influential individuals would not qualify for a star on Hollywood Boulevard. To address this, they decided to create a set of industry-recognized awards similar to the Academy Awards (Oscars) and the Emmy Awards.

When determining a name for the awards, one early suggestion was the Eddie, in honor of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph. However, the final name was selected through a mail-in contest, where approximately 300 participants suggested Grammy, referencing Emile Berliner’s gramophone. The earliest postmarked entry came from Jay Danna of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the name was officially adopted.

The first Grammy Awards ceremony took place on May 4, 1959, at two simultaneous locations: the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. A total of 28 awards were presented. Over the years, the number of categories expanded, at one point exceeding 100, before being restructured with additions and removals.

The second Grammy Awards were also held in 1959, marking the first time the event was televised. However, the awards were not broadcast live until the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971.

Latin Grammy Awards

The Latin Grammy Awards were established to recognize outstanding achievements in Latin music recorded in Spanish or Portuguese. The concept was first proposed in 1989 as Latin music's prominence grew too large to be accommodated within the main Grammy Awards. In response, the Recording Academy created the Latin Recording Academy in 1997, leading to the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards in 2000.

The Latin Grammys honor recordings released in Ibero-America, the Iberian Peninsula, and the United States, but eligibility extends to any Spanish or Portuguese-language music worldwide.

COVID-19 Impact 2021–2022

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, originally scheduled for January 31, 2021, were postponed to March 14, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the music industry.

Similarly, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, set for January 31, 2022, were delayed until April 3, 2022, because of health concerns related to the COVID-19 Delta Cron hybrid variant. The ceremony was also relocated from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as the original venue had scheduling conflicts with sports events and concerts during that period.

Gramophone Trophy

The Grammy trophy, a gold-plated statuette of a gramophone, is handcrafted by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990, the design was updated to replace soft lead with a stronger alloy, making the trophy larger and more durable. Billings Artworks later developed Grammium, a trademarked zinc alloy used in the trophies.

Since award recipients are not known until the announcement, engraved trophies are prepared after the ceremony, while stunt trophies are reused annually for the broadcast. By February 2009, a total of 7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded.

Ceremonies and Venues

The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles has been the primary venue for the Grammy Awards since 2000.

Early Years

Before 1971, Grammy ceremonies took place in multiple cities on the same day. Initially, New York City and Los Angeles hosted the awards, with Chicago joining in 1962 and Nashville in 1965.

The 1971 ceremony, held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, was the first Grammy Awards broadcast live from a single venue. Subsequent locations included:

• 1972 – Madison Square Garden's Felt Forum New York City
• 1973 – Tennessee Theatre Nashville
• 1974–2003 – Various venues in Los Angeles and New York City, including:
  • Los Angeles: Shrine Auditorium, Crypto.com Arena, Hollywood Palladium
  • New York: Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall

Permanent Move to Crypto.com Arena

In 2000, the Crypto.com Arena formerly Staples Center, 1999–2021 became the permanent home of the Grammy Awards.

To commemorate Grammy history, the Grammy Museum was established at L.A. Live, across from the Crypto.com Arena. The museum features bronze sidewalk plaques, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring each year’s top winners in Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

Since 2000, the Grammy Awards have only left Los Angeles three times:

• 2003 & 2018 – Madison Square Garden New York City
• 2022 – MGM Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas

Due to the annual Grammy ceremony at Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles Kings NHL, Los Angeles Lakers NBA, and Los Angeles Sparks WNBA must play extended road games during the event.

Categories

The Grammy Awards feature multiple categories recognizing various aspects of musical achievement.

General Field Awards

The General Field consists of six awards that are not restricted by genre:

• Album of the Year – Presented to the performer, featured artists, songwriters, and/or production team of a full album if different from the performer.
• Record of the Year – Awarded to the performer or production team of a single song.
• Song of the Year – Given to the songwriter(s) of a single song.
• Best New Artist – Presented to a promising performer (or group) whose first major recording establishes their public identity.
• Producer of the Year, Non-Classical – Recognizes a producer for a body of work released during the eligibility period. Introduced in 1974 and added to the General Field in 2024.
• Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical – Awarded to an individual who primarily works as a songwriter. Introduced in 2023 and added to the General Field in 2024.

Artists Who Have Won All Four Major Awards

To date, three artists have won all four of the original General Field awards:

1. Christopher Cross (1981) – Won all four in the same year.
2. Billie Eilish (2020) – Won all four in the same year, becoming the youngest artist (18 years old) to achieve this.
3. Adele – Won Best New Artist in 2009, then Album, Record, and Song of the Year in 2012 and 2017.

Genre-Specific Awards

Beyond the General Field, awards recognize performance, production, and artistic contributions across various genres, including pop, rock, country, rap, R&B, jazz, classical, gospel, Latin, and alternative music.

Televised vs. Non-Televised Awards

Due to the large number of award categories (94 as of 2024), only about 10 to 12 awards—primarily the General Field and popular genres—are presented during the live broadcast. The remaining trophies are awarded in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the day.

Category Overhaul (2012)

On April 6, 2011, the Recording Academy announced a major category restructuring for the 2012 Grammy Awards, reducing the number of awards from 109 to 78. Key changes included:

• Elimination of gender-specific categories (e.g., separate awards for male and female soloists).
• Merging of certain performance categories, such as:
  • Best Rock Instrumental Performance eliminated.
  • Hard Rock and Metal Album categories combined.
  • Best Rap Soloist & Best Rap Duo/Group merged into Best Rap Performance.
  • Best Contemporary R&B Album merged into Best R&B Album.
  • Traditional & Contemporary Blues, Folk, and World Music categories consolidated.
  • Regional American music categories (Hawaiian, Native American, Zydeco/Cajun) merged into Best Regional Roots Music Album.

In the Classical Field, the Best Classical Album category was discontinued, making classical recordings eligible for Album of the Year instead.

The Gospel field was renamed Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) to reflect the evolving nature of the genre.

Further Adjustments (2012–2024)

Since 2012, the number of categories has fluctuated:

• 2012 – Categories reduced from 109 to 78.
• 2017 – Increased to 84 categories.
• 2020 – Several categories renamed amid the George Floyd protests.
• 2022 – Expanded to 91 categories, adding awards for video game music, spoken word poetry, and Americana and alternative music performance.
• 2023 – Three new categories introduced for the 66th Grammy Awards (2024), bringing the total to 94 (the highest since 2010).

Additionally, the total number of fields was consolidated from 26 to 11 to ensure voting members could exercise their full genre voting rights.

Nomination & Voting Process

Entry Process & Nomination

• Members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) (both media companies and individuals) can submit recordings for consideration.
• Review sessions with over 150 industry experts ensure correct category placements.
• Voting members nominate recordings in the General Field and up to nine other categories.
• The top five recordings in each category become nominees, though ties may lead to additional nominations.

Unlike the Oscars, where members receive screeners, Grammy voters do not receive nominated recordings. Instead, they access a private online listening service.

Final Voting

• Voting members receive final ballots and can vote in the General Field plus ten genre categories across three fields.
• Members are encouraged (but not required) to vote in their areas of expertise.
• Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, an independent accounting firm, tabulates votes.
• The recording with the most votes wins; in case of a tie, multiple winners are declared.

Voting Ethics

• Members must vote based on quality alone—without consideration for sales, chart performance, personal relationships, regional preferences, or company affiliations.
• Gifts from entrants are prohibited to maintain integrity.
• Media companies may submit entries but do not vote.

Certificates

• Participation Certificates are issued to contributors ineligible for a Grammy but who played a role in a winning recording.
• Eligible contributors can apply for their certificate after the ceremony

Special Honors

Grammy Legend Award

The Grammy Legend Award (also known as the Grammy Living Legend Award) is a special merit award presented to individuals who have made ongoing contributions and influence in the recording industry. As of 2018, the award has been given to fourteen solo musicians and one band.

Salute to Industry Icons Award

The Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award honors individuals who have made innovative contributions to the music industry. Notable recipients include:

• Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss
• Irving Azoff
• Martin Bandier
• Richard Branson
• Clive Davis
• Prince
• Ahmet Ertegun
• David Geffen
• Berry Gordy
• Lucian Grainge
• Jay-Z
• Debra L. Lee
• Doug Morris
• Mo Ostin
• L.A. Reid
• Sean "Diddy" Combs
• Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman
• Rob Stringer
• Jon Platt

Leading Grammy Winners

Most Grammy Wins (Solo Artist)

• Beyoncé holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won by any artist, with 35 Grammy wins.

Most Grammy Wins (Group/Band)

• U2 holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won by a group, with 22 wins.

Reactions to Nominations and Awards

The Grammy Awards have faced criticism for perceived snubs of certain nominated artists. According to the Recording Academy, nominees and winners are determined solely by voting members, who are active professionals in the recording industry, including performers, songwriters, producers, and engineers.

Following the 37th Grammy Awards, nomination review committees composed of anonymous industry figures were introduced in response to criticism regarding the Album of the Year nominations. The winner that year, Tony Bennett's MTV Unplugged, competed against The Three Tenors in Concert 1994, Seal's second eponymous album, and albums by Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton. However, albums such as Illmatic by Nas, Definitely Maybe by Oasis, Live Through This by Hole, Grace by Jeff Buckley, and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan were not nominated, despite later being regarded as influential works. The nomination review committees were later abolished in 2021 following controversy over the lack of nominations for the Weeknd's After Hours.

At the 38th Grammy Awards, Mariah Carey received six nominations for her album Daydream, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for "One Sweet Day." Despite expectations of multiple wins, Carey did not win in any category, which surprised both critics and the artist herself. Similarly, in 2011, the exclusion of Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy from the Album of the Year category at the 54th Grammy Awards was widely criticized. Los Angeles Times journalist Randall Roberts described it as "the most critically acclaimed album of the year" and criticized the Grammys for being outdated and disconnected from evolving trends in music consumption. Journalist Touré, writing for Time, expressed confusion over the Grammy selection process and compared it to Kremlinology, highlighting a tendency to favor "pop-friendly" hip-hop albums over more mature works.

In a 2011 interview with The New York Times, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver expressed skepticism toward the Grammys, stating that he did not consider award recognition to be of great importance. He remarked that many artists compromised their art due to a desire for Grammy validation and questioned the legitimacy of the selection process. Despite his skepticism, Bon Iver received four nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards, and upon winning, Vernon acknowledged his discomfort with the award system, emphasizing the inherent value of making music over industry recognition.

Criticism of Grammy voting practices has persisted over time. Journalist Jon Caramanica of The New York Times argued that Grammy voters tend to be "conservative," favoring familiar and traditional choices over innovative music. He pointed to the repeated awarding of young female singer-songwriters, such as Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, and Adele, as a recurring pattern. Music executive Steve Stoute also criticized the Recording Academy for being out of touch with contemporary popular culture, citing the snubbing of culturally impactful albums such as Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP and Kanye West’s Graduation in the Album of the Year category. He argued that while artists like Steely Dan and Herbie Hancock were talented, their wins over commercially and critically successful artists like Eminem and West reflected an institutional failure to recognize shifting cultural significance in music.

In 2020, Canadian artist the Weeknd was notably absent from the nominations for the 63rd Grammy Awards despite the critical and commercial success of his album After Hours and its single "Blinding Lights." The omission was met with backlash from fans and critics, with the Weeknd himself calling the Grammys "corrupt" on social media. Speculation arose that his upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance and classification issues between pop and R&B categories contributed to the snub. Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, responded by stating that the nominations were determined before the Super Bowl announcement and reaffirmed the Academy’s commitment to recognizing musical excellence through its peer-voted system.

Racial Bias

Critics argue that Black artists have been sidelined or miscategorized, as seen when Drake's Hotline Bling was nominated in rap categories despite not being a rap song. Beyoncé's Lemonade controversially lost Album of the Year to Adele's 25, prompting Adele to acknowledge Beyoncé's superiority in her acceptance speech. The Grammys have also been accused of underrepresenting Hispanic and Latino artists, often shifting their work to the Latin Grammys. Additionally, the omission of Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar from the 2022 In Memoriam segment sparked accusations of Western bias. However, Beyoncé has won more Grammys than any artist in history, and Kendrick Lamar won multiple major awards in 2025.

Gender Bias

The Grammys have been criticized for their treatment of female artists. In 2018, Lorde was denied a solo performance despite being an Album of the Year nominee, and Neil Portnow, then-president of the Recording Academy, sparked outrage by saying women needed to "step up" to win awards. Ariana Grande withdrew from the 2019 ceremony over creative disputes, and Nicki Minaj accused the Grammys of blackballing her after her 2012 performance. Deborah Dugan, a former CEO, alleged a rigged voting system favoring certain artists, leading to her dismissal.

Other Controversies

The Grammys have faced backlash for awarding controversial figures like Louis C.K. and Dr. Dre, despite their histories of misconduct. The Recording Academy was also criticized for redirecting charity funds and allegedly favoring industry insiders.

Despite past criticisms, female artists dominated the 2021 Grammys, and some Black artists have made historic wins. However, concerns over bias and favoritism persist.

TV Broadcasts and Ratings of the Grammy Awards

The first Grammy telecast aired on November 29, 1959, as part of NBC's Sunday Showcase, before transitioning to a live telecast in 1971 on ABC. CBS acquired the rights in 1973 and held them for 54 years.

In 2011, CBS signed a 10-year deal with the Recording Academy, which included a nominations concert special until 2016, later replaced by a press release format. The Grammys began airing live across all U.S. territories in 2016 and are broadcast in over 150 countries.

Since 2004, the ceremony was typically held on the second Sunday of February, except in Olympic years, when it moved to late January. In 2020, the Oscars’ shift forced the Grammys to move permanently to late January.

In 2024, the Recording Academy announced a new 10-year deal with Disney, moving the Grammys to ABC, Disney+, and Hulu in 2027, ending their long-standing partnership with CBS.

References