Grammy Awards Voters Urged To “Vote With Purpose” By CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter Friday urging the organization’s 12,000 voting members to cast their ballots with “intention and integrity.”

The eligibility period for the Feb. 2, 2025 Grammys has a month to go. The first-round voting for the 67th annual Grammy Awards run from Oct. 4 to Oct. 15 and final voting will run from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3, 2025.

“The trajectory of people’s careers and lives are altered by your choices,” Mason wrote in the letter, published by Billboard. “If you are taking into account an artist’s older work, or their reputation, or race, or gender, what label they are on, who their manager is, how many friends participated in the project, or anything else like that, you’re not doing your job.”

Mason started his letter by noting that “this year is different.”

“Last Grammy season, I heard a Grammy voter say they hadn’t taken a specific artist seriously since a performance they saw more than ten years ago. I was shocked and disturbed by that. There is no place in our organization for such bias, grudge-holding, or careless voting. It’s about the current year and the quality of the work, period!,” Mason said.

“I hope that you begin prioritizing your responsibility now, and not wait until Grammy season is here,” Mason said. “I hope that you evaluate the music carefully, and prepare yourself to vote with care and purpose, and that you encourage your fellow voting members to do the same. Your peers in music are counting on you.”