Grammys Adds New Categories for Next Year's Show, Including Songwriter of the Year & Best Song for Social Change

justjared.com:

There are some changes being made to the Grammys. THR writes that this year’s upcoming ceremony will feature five new categories. Click inside to read more… The annual show is adding a special song for social change award, songwriter of the year, best spoken word poetry album, alternative music performance, Americana music performance and score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media.

The academy said that the new non-classical songwriter category will recognize one individual who was the “most prolific” non-performing and non-producing songwriter during the year, marking a difference from song of the year, which is awarded to the songwriter or songwriters who wrote the lyrics or melodies to one song. “This new category is truly for an expert person at the songwriting craft,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told The Associated Press.

In order to be eligible, songwriters must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited “solely” as a songwriter or co-writer. “Somebody who writes their own music and records it would not be eligible,” he said. “They would have to be doing songs for others.

We want to highlight the craft of writing songs professionally for artists.” “Songwriters are at the heart of our business and industry,” he continued. “Nothing happens without songwriters.