Recording Academy Welcomes More Than 3,800 New Members Ahead Of 2026 GRAMMY Nominations

The Recording Academy's announcement of its 2025 New Member Class, notable for stating exact diversity percentages instead of a general claim about a broader voting body.

Issued by
Recording Academy (GRAMMYs)
Date
Nov 3, 2025
Type
Music
Read it at grammy.com

Checked against the source on Sep 23, 2026.

The release, as issued

551 words, copied from grammy.com on Sep 23, 2026. The text belongs to Recording Academy (GRAMMYs).Found by searching site:grammy.com press 2025 announcement recording academy and reading the November 2025 new member class story

Recording Academy Welcomes More Than 3,800 New Members Ahead Of 2026 GRAMMY Nominations

The 2025 New Member Class reflects the Recording Academy’s commitment to representing today’s vibrant music community. For the first time, all Latin Recording Academy Voting Members were invited to join, creating a more globally representative voting body

Days before the 2026 GRAMMYS nominations are announced, the Recording Academy revealed that more than 3,800 music creators and professionals who are actively working in the music industry have joined the Academy as part of its 2025 New Member Class. The Recording Academy extended its annual membership invitations in July.

The diverse New Member Class expands the pool of qualified voters ahead of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards. Of those in the accepted class, 50 percent are age 39 or younger; 58 percent are People Of Color; and 35 percent identify as women. For the first time ever, invitations were also extended to all Latin Recording Academy Voting Members, helping to build a more globally representative voting body.

See the full statistics surrounding the demographics of the 2025 New Member Class.

How To Watch The 2026 GRAMMY Nominations: Chappell Roan, Doechii, KAROL G, Lizzo, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith & More To Announce The Nominees

- How To Watch The 2026 GRAMMYS Nominations: Chappell Roan, Doechii, KAROL G, Lizzo, Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith & More To Announce The Nominees

"Today marks the beginning of an exciting week — not only are we welcoming this year's incredible new class of Academy members, but we're just days away from unveiling the 2026 GRAMMY Awards nominees," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. "This year's class reflects the vibrancy of today's diverse music landscape. The addition of many Latin Recording Academy voting members underscores that music has no borders and that our mission to serve music people, regardless of where they are from, is stronger than ever. I can't wait for our members' passion and hard work to shine through in this year's nominations."

Recording Academy membership consists of Voting Membership for recording creators and Professional Membership for music business professionals. Voting Members — made up of artists, songwriters, producers, and engineers active in the music industry — are eligible to vote, ultimately determining the GRAMMY nominees and GRAMMY winners of Music's Biggest Night each year.

All Recording Academy members have the opportunity to participate in the organization's year-round initiatives, driving meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion progress through the DREAM Initiative, advocating for creators at the federal and state levels, engaging in programming with the Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing, mentoring the next generation of music industry talent through GRAMMY U, supporting peers across the Academy's 12 Chapter cities, and more.

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- Your Vote, Your Voice: 6 Reasons Why Your GRAMMY Vote Matters

The 2026 GRAMMY Awards nominees will be unveiled at 11:00 a.m. EST / 8:00 a.m. PST this Friday, Nov. 7, during a livestream event on live.GRAMMY.com and YouTube. The full list of nominees will be published on GRAMMY.com immediately following the presentation.

Learn more about the Recording Academy's membership process and requirements, and the key dates for the 2026 GRAMMYS.

The 2026 GRAMMY Awards Nominations are proudly sponsored by City National Bank, Dove and Vaseline.

Headline

Recording Academy Welcomes More Than 3,800 New Members Ahead Of 2026 GRAMMY Nominations

The headline ties the new member count directly to the upcoming nominations, giving a membership update a news hook.

Subhead

The 2025 New Member Class reflects the Recording Academy’s commitment to representing today’s vibrant music community. For the first time, all Latin Recording Academy Voting Members were invited to join, creating a more globally representative voting body

The subhead adds the first ever detail the headline has no room for, giving skimming readers the real news angle.

Lead paragraph

Days before the 2026 GRAMMYS nominations are announced, the Recording Academy revealed that more than 3,800 music creators and professionals who are actively working in the music industry have joined the Academy as part of its 2025 New Member Class.

The lead times the announcement against the nominations calendar, so a reader understands why this update matters right now.

Body

Of those in the accepted class, 50 percent are age 39 or younger; 58 percent are People Of Color; and 35 percent identify as women.

Three exact percentages replace a vague claim of diversity with numbers a reader can check and quote elsewhere.

Quote

This year’s class reflects the vibrancy of today’s diverse music landscape. The addition of many Latin Recording Academy voting members underscores that music has no borders and that our mission to serve music people, regardless of where they are from, is stronger than ever. (Harvey Mason jr., Recording Academy CEO)

The CEO's quote connects the member statistics to the organization's stated mission rather than only celebrating the number.

Each passage above is quoted from the release; the note under it is this site's reading.

Why it works

  1. The headline ties a membership update to the upcoming GRAMMY nominations, giving otherwise routine news a clear reason to matter now.
  2. The subhead states the first ever detail, that all Latin Recording Academy voting members were invited, which the headline has no room for.
  3. Three exact diversity percentages replace a vague claim with numbers a reader can check and quote elsewhere.
  4. The CEO's quote connects the member statistics to the organization's stated mission instead of only celebrating the raw count.
  5. The closing paragraphs explain what membership actually means in practice, voting rights, chapter cities and mentoring programs, instead of leaving the reader to guess.

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