The most remarkable thing about the new Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year is that it didn’t already exist. Instead, the Song of the Year category — a hallmark honor given to songwriters — may have been seen as fulfilling that recognition. By contrast, producers have been receiving awards since 1975, and the engineered album category has existed since the very first Grammys in 1959.
All of this leaves both Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Grammy-winning songwriter and President of the Academy’s Songwriters and Composers Wing Evan Bogart saying that they are perplexed as to why it has taken so long for the songwriting talents to fend for themselves. . But after several years of lobbying – and breathless frustration – it’s finally here, and while there are some questions about the rules, all parties seem happy.
There are a few fine print though: This isn’t another award for the Taylor Swifts and Paul McCartneys of the world, unless they’ve specifically written songs for other artists. The official rules and guidelines for the 65th Grammy Awards state, “Songwriters must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited ‘solely’ as songwriter or co-writer. Songs in which the songwriter has also been credited as a lead or featured artist, producer, or other supporting role are not eligible to meet a minimum song threshold for consideration.
Bogart points out, “It’s not meant to take away the amazing artists or producers who write their songs. But there really wasn’t a Grammy award that honors people whose job it is to write songs for other people, people who can say, “Hey, I’m not playing the Grammys; I’m not on the cover of Rolling Stone; and you won’t know my name – but you sing my melodies and my lyrics. And some of the songwriters who probably submitted for [the 2023 Grammys] could have five cuts for country artists, two cuts for R&B, one pop single — they span genres and impact the music landscape in a way that almost doesn’t exist in any other craft.
However, the rules do not necessarily exclude all artists and performers, as potential contestants can submit four additional songs on which they performed or produced. Ryan Tedder and Jon Bellion are two well-known artists who also write extensively for others. And if, for example, Ed Sheeran has written at least five officially released songs for other artists that he hasn’t performed or produced himself, “We would absolutely welcome him with open arms into this category based on those rules,” says Bogart.
Although the artist-writer divide seems pretty clear, some have expressed displeasure with the producer’s caveat: especially in pop, hip-hop, and R&B – the most popular and commercially popular genres of music. successful artists today – songwriters often produce their work as well. Bogart responds, “Similar to artists, they could submit five songs where they only wrote, as well as four that they wrote and produced. We didn’t want to create a category that was basically a mirror image of Producer of the Year, and I actually think it would be wonderful if someone qualified for both – it would show how much of an impact they’ve had on the landscape.
Another potential wrinkle is the occasional, usually surreptitious, practice of someone receiving writing credit (and royalties) for commercial reasons, rather than a substantial musical or lyrical contribution – a tactic that dates back to dawn. of the music industry. However, Bogart says there is also a guardrail in place for those.
“That was a contributing factor to the five-song threshold, because a lot of the time it doesn’t happen five times in any given year,” he says. “And even if that’s the case, we have a committee to protect us against all of that.”
Linda Moran, CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, says Variety, “Since ‘it all starts with a song’, it’s hard to believe that it’s taken so long for songwriters to be sufficiently recognized as an integral part of the recording process. Although the award requirements are confusing, even controversial, the Academy should be applauded for creating the award and for its good intentions. Ultimately, every time a songwriter is honored, it’s a moment of celebration!
To be fair, it’s the category’s first year, and under Mason the Academy has shown no hesitation in changing rules that don’t quite work in practice – notably, the decision last year to scrap most “secret” committees. which had previously curated the broader polling body’s slate of candidates. However, committees remain for a handful of specialist “craft” categories, including producer, engineering and artwork – and songwriter of the year.
And if something doesn’t seem to be working, “it’s not set in stone forever, is it?” adds Bogart. “We’re going to get feedback from everyone: Does it fully reflect what’s going on in the music? Was the barrier to entry too high or too low? And I think, as with every new category at the Recording Academy, over the years you’ll see adjustments to address that.