The Chief Executive Officer of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., has revealed what he describes as the real pathway to winning a Grammy Award, stressing that popularity and streaming numbers do not determine winners.
Mason made the clarification in one of his past interviews that has since gone viral after resurfacing again, especially following conversations around the outcome of the 68th Grammy Awards, where several globally successful artists went home without trophies.
Addressing widespread assumptions about how winners are selected, Mason said membership in the Recording Academy is central to the process.
“The first thing you have to understand is that the only way to win is to have membership in the Academy,” he said.
He explained that becoming a member requires professional involvement in the music industry.
“To become a member, you need to be a professional working in music in the United States — for now, it’s limited to the US, though hopefully it will grow in the future,” Mason stated.
According to him, once music is submitted, it is judged strictly on artistic merit rather than commercial performance.
“Once you are a member, all submitted music is listened to and evaluated based on the quality of the art — not on sales, streams, number of fans, or followers,” he said.
Mason also acknowledged that the process involves personal judgment from voting members.
“It’s purely based on the opinion of the members, and it can be very subjective. There’s no ‘best’ song or record — winning a Grammy depends on the judgment of the Academy members, not on popularity. That’s how you win a Grammy,” he added.
His comments have sparked fresh debate online about how global music, especially from regions outside the United States, fits into the Grammy voting system.