Grammy Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grammy
Presented by	The Recording Academy
Country	United States
First awarded	May 4, 1959; 66 years ago (1959-05-04) (as Gramophone Award)
Television coverage
Network	NBC (1959–1970) ABC (1971–1972) CBS (1973–present)

The Grammy Awards, often just called the Grammys, are special prizes given out by the Recording Academy in the United States. They celebrate amazing achievements in the music industry. Many people think they are the most important music awards in the world.

The awards were first called the Gramophone Awards. This is because the trophy looks like a shiny gold gramophone, which is an old-fashioned music player. The Grammys are one of the four main yearly American entertainment awards. The others are the Academy Awards (for movies), the Emmy Awards (for TV shows), and the Tony Awards (for theater). The first Grammy Awards show happened on May 4, 1959. It honored music from 1958. The most recent show, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, took place on February 4, 2024, and had 94 different award categories.

History of the Grammys

Most recent Grammy Award winners

← 2021–22 Best in 2022–23

Award Album of the Year Record of the Year Winner Taylor Swift (Midnights) Miley Cyrus ("Flowers")   Award Song of the Year Best New Artist Winner Billie Eilish ("What Was I Made For?") Victoria Monét

Previous Album of the Year Harry's House Album of the Year Midnights

The Grammys started in the 1950s because of the Hollywood Walk of Fame project. Music leaders realized that many important people in music would not get a star on the Walk of Fame. So, they decided to create their own awards, like the Oscars for movies.

They had a contest to name the awards. About 300 people suggested the name 'Grammy'. This name was chosen because it's a shorter way to say "gramophone," which was invented by Emile Berliner. The first Grammys were given for music from 1958.

The very first Grammy Awards show happened in two places at the same time on May 4, 1959. These were the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Twenty-eight Grammys were given out that night.

Over the years, the number of awards grew, sometimes reaching over 100. Categories were added or removed. The second Grammy Awards in 1959 was the first to be shown on TV. However, it wasn't shown live until the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971.

Latin Grammy Awards

In 1989, people thought that Latin music recorded in Spanish or Portuguese was too big for the regular Grammy show. So, in 1997, the Latin Recording Academy was created. The first separate Latin Grammy Awards were held in 2000. These awards honor music in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere in the world.

How COVID-19 Affected the Grammys (2021–2022)

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were supposed to happen on January 31, 2021. But they were moved to March 14, 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards were also moved. They went from January 31, 2022, to April 3, 2022. This was due to health concerns about new COVID-19 variants. The show also moved from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This was because the Los Angeles venue had many other events scheduled.

The Grammy Trophy

The Grammy trophies are gold-plated and look like a gilded gramophone. They are made by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990, the trophy's design was updated. They started using a stronger metal alloy called Grammium, which is a zinc alloy. This made the trophy bigger and less likely to break.

The trophies with the winners' names are not ready until after the show. So, special "stunt" trophies are used during the live broadcast. By February 2009, over 7,500 Grammy trophies had been given out.

Grammy Ceremonies

The table below shows details about past Grammy Awards ceremonies, including the date, location, host, and how many people watched.

Grammy Award Categories

There are four main Grammy awards that are not limited to a specific type of music. These are often called the "General Field" awards:

• Album of the Year: Given to the main artist, featured artists, songwriters, and production team of a full album.
• Record of the Year: Given to the main artist and production team of a single song.
• Song of the Year: Given to the songwriter(s) of a single song.
• Best New Artist: Given to a new artist who has made a big impact with their first major release.

Only three artists have won all four of these awards. Christopher Cross in 1981 and Billie Eilish in 2020 won all four at once. Billie Eilish was only 18, making her the youngest to do so. Adele won Best New Artist in 2009, and her other three awards in 2012 and 2017.

As of 2024, two more awards were added to the "General Field":

• Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Given to a producer for all the work they did during the year.
• Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: Given to a songwriter for all the songs they wrote during the year.

Other awards are given for different music types, production, artwork, and music videos. There are also special awards for artists who have made long-lasting contributions to music.

Because there are so many award categories (94 in 2024!), only about 10 to 12 of the most popular awards are shown during the live TV show. This includes the four general field categories and a few from popular music types like pop, rock, country, and rap. Most other Grammy trophies are given out at a "Premiere Ceremony" before the main TV show.

Changes to Categories Since 2012

On April 6, 2011, the Recording Academy announced big changes to many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The number of categories was reduced from 109 to 78. A major change was removing separate awards for male and female singers or groups in many music types (like pop, rock, R&B, country, and rap). Also, some awards for instrumental solo performances were stopped.

In rock, the hard rock and metal album categories were combined. In R&B, the contemporary R&B album category was combined with other R&B albums. In rap, the awards for best rap soloist and best rap group were combined into one new award.

The roots music categories saw the most changes. Awards for specific regional American music, like Hawaiian or Native American music, were combined into a new "Best Regional Roots Music Album" award. This also included polka music.

Awards for traditional and contemporary blues, and traditional and contemporary folk music, were combined into one award for each type. This was because there were not enough entries and it was hard to tell the difference between "traditional" and "contemporary" songs.

In classical music, the main "Best Classical Album" award was stopped. This was because most winners in that category also won other classical awards for the same album. Classical recordings can now win the main Album of the Year award.

Some category names were also changed to be clearer. For example, the "gospel" music categories were renamed "Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music" to include more modern Christian music.

Since 2012, there have been smaller changes to the categories. The number of categories has gone up from 78 in 2012 to 94 in 2024. In 2020, some urban, rap, and Latin music categories were renamed. In 2022, new categories were added for Americana and alternative music, video game scores, and spoken word poetry albums. A songwriter award (non-classical) and a song for social change award were also added.

In 2023, three new categories were announced for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, bringing the total to 94. Also, the "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical" and "Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical" awards were moved into the main "General Field" awards.

How Nominees Are Chosen

Members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) can suggest recordings for awards. These suggestions are made online. Experts in the music industry then review these suggestions to make sure they are in the right category.

Next, lists of eligible entries are sent to voting members. Each member can vote to nominate in the four general fields (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist). They can also vote in up to nine other categories from 30 different fields. The five recordings with the most votes in each category become the nominees. Sometimes there are more than five nominees if there is a tie in votes.

Unlike the Oscars, where members get copies of nominated films, NARAS members get access to a private online service to listen to the nominated music.

Final Voting for Winners

After the nominees are chosen, final voting ballots are sent to NARAS voting members. Members can vote in the general field and cast ten votes in other music categories. They are encouraged to vote in areas they know best. An independent accounting firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, secretly counts the votes.

The recording with the most votes in a category wins. It is possible for two or more nominees to tie, and in that case, they all win. Winners receive a Grammy Award, while nominees who don't win get a medal for their nomination.

In both voting rounds, members must vote based only on quality. They should not consider sales, popularity, friendships, or company loyalty. Members are not allowed to accept gifts. The goal is to keep the awards fair and honest.

For the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards, music released between October 1, 2022, and September 15, 2023, was eligible. The 2024 Grammy Awards were held on February 4, 2024.

Certificates

In many categories, people who helped create a winning recording but are not eligible for a Grammy Award can receive a certificate. These are called Participation Certificates or Winners Certificates. People can apply for these certificates after the Grammy ceremony.

Special Honors

Grammy Legend Award

A special Grammy Award is sometimes given to honor someone's "ongoing contributions and influence in the recording field." This award is known as the Grammy Legend Award or Grammy Living Legend Award. As of 2018, fourteen solo musicians and one band have received this honor.

Salute to Industry Icons Award

The Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award honors people who have made new and important contributions to the music industry. Some of the people who have received this award include:

• Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss
• Irving Azoff
• Martin Bandier
• Richard Branson
• Clive Davis
• Prince
• Ahmet Ertegun
• David Geffen
• Berry Gordy
• Lucian Grainge
• Jay-Z
• Debra L. Lee
• Doug Morris
• Mo Ostin
• L.A. Reid
• Sean Diddy Combs
• Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman
• Rob Stringer
• Jon Platt

Grammy Ceremony Locations

The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles has been a main venue for the Grammy Awards since 2000.

Before 1971, Grammy Awards shows were held in different cities on the same day. Originally, New York City and Los Angeles were the host cities. Chicago joined in 1962, and Nashville became a fourth location in 1965.

The 1971 ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles was the first time the show happened in just one place. In 1972, it moved to Madison Square Garden in New York City, then to Nashville's Tennessee Theatre in 1973. From 1974 to 2003, the Grammys were held in various places in New York City and Los Angeles.

Since 2000, the Crypto.com Arena (which was called the Staples Center until 2021) has been the main home for the awards. The Grammy Museum was built across from the Crypto.com Arena to keep the history of the Grammy Awards alive. Bronze disks, like those on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, are on the sidewalks near the museum. They honor each year's winners for Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Since 2000, the Grammy Awards have only been held outside of Los Angeles three times. New York City's Madison Square Garden hosted the awards in 2003 and 2018. The MGM Grand Garden Arena hosted the show in 2022. When the Grammys are held at the Crypto.com Arena, sports teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Lakers have to play their games away from home.

Artists with the Most Wins

Beyoncé holds the record for the most Grammy wins, with 32 awards. The band U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards, which is the most for a group.

TV Broadcasts and Viewership

Before the Grammys were shown live on ABC in 1971, there were yearly TV specials in the 1960s called The Best on Record on NBC. The very first Grammy Awards TV show was on November 29, 1959, as part of an NBC show called NBC Sunday Showcase. Until 1971, awards were given out in both New York and Los Angeles.

Television producer Pierre Cossette bought the rights to broadcast the show and organized the first live TV event. CBS bought the rights in 1973. The American Music Awards were then created for ABC.

On June 21, 2011, the Recording Academy made a new deal with CBS to keep the awards show on that network for another 10 years. As part of this deal, CBS also aired a "nominations concert" where the nominees were announced. This concert ended after 2016. Since 2017, nominations have been revealed in different ways, including during CBS Mornings and through press releases. Since 2016, the Grammys have been shown live in all U.S. territories. For many years, the Grammys, along with the Academy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and Tony Awards, have been shown live in over 150 countries worldwide.

From 2004 to 2019, the Grammys were usually held on the second Sunday of February. There were exceptions if that day was Valentine's Day or if it was a Winter Olympics year. Starting in 2020, the Academy Awards moved to the second Sunday of February. This made the Grammys move back to the last Sunday of January to avoid conflicts. To prepare for this, the deadline for eligible music was moved from September 30 to August 31. This meant the 2020 awards covered a slightly shorter period of 11 months.

Viewership by year

See also

In Spanish: Premios Grammy para niños

• List of Grammy Award winners and nominees by country