The 26th Latin Grammy Awards has added a new field and two categories, the Latin Recording Academy announced Tuesday.
Visual Media will now be recognized as its own field, intended to reward original music created to “accompany and enrich the storyline of movies, television series, video games and other visual media,” per the Academy. “This includes music that, through its creativity and originality… [elevates the viewer’s experience].” The award in this category is officially titled Music for Visual Media.
The upcoming Latin music ceremony will also now recognize a Best Roots Song, “given to the songwriters of new, unpublished recordings, both vocal and instrumental, that reflect the traditions and roots of various communities, cultures, or social groups, especially those of Hispanic American origin.” The sound should range from tango to folk, flamenco, and other traditional subgenres, excluding tropical music.
Additional category amendments include the renaming of pop, urban fusion and children’s music categories. Eligibility criteria was also updated in the Best Urban/Urban Fusion Performance category so that remixes are now only eligible if the original version of the song was released within the same eligibility year.
The Songwriter of the Year category also reduced the minimum song threshold from six songs to four. Songwriters with a minimum of four newly written songs will be credited as a songwriter or co-writer, provided they are not also the performer, producer or engineer.
See additional rule changes and specific regulations for each category below.
New Field: Visual Media
Category: Best Music For Visual Media
The category of Music for Visual Media recognizes original music created to accompany and enrich the storyline of movies, television series, video games and other visual media.
This includes music that, through its creativity and originality, significantly enriches the narrative and atmosphere of movies, series, documentaries, video games, and other visual media, elevating the viewer’s experience. For a project to participate in this category, it must: A) feature Latin rhythms recognized as genres participating in the annual Latin GRAMMY awards; or B) be composed by someone of Ibero-American descent. A fundamental condition is that the music be original and created specifically for the visual media project. To qualify, the total duration of the production must be at least 15 minutes of the original music and not different versions of it, and it can include songs with lyrics and vocals in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or regional dialects, or it can be instrumental. The award is presented to: Composer(s) and Artist(s) with significant contributions, Producer(s), Arranger(s), Recording Engineer(s) and Mixing Engineer(s) for 51% or more of the total recording time of the album.
New Category
Best Roots Song – Singles Or Tracks Only (Traditional Field
This award is given to the songwriters of new, unpublished recordings, both vocal and instrumental, that reflect the traditions and roots of various communities, cultures, or social groups, especially those of Hispanic American origin, whether in Spanish, Portuguese or in indigenous languages or dialects. Eligible genres include tango, folk, flamenco, and other traditional subgenres, excluding tropical music and its derivatives, and must be in Spanish, Portuguese or in indigenous languages or dialects. If another language is included, the recording must contain at least 60% of its lyrics in Spanish, Portuguese or in an indigenous language, be completely original, and have been released during the current eligibility period. The recording can be part of an album (tracks) or presented as a single. Covers, remixes, and recordings that use interpolation or samples from other previously released recordings will not be considered. The award is given to the songwriter(s), and Special Certificates (Publisher’s Certificates) are awarded to the music publishers.
ADDITIONAL CATEGORY AMENDMENTS
Category Name Changes:
Best Pop Vocal Album category will now be named Best Contemporary Pop Album. The Pop Field is eliminating the word “Vocal” from the categories within its field, therefore, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album will now be called Best Traditional Pop Album
Best Urban Fusion/Performance category will now be named Best Urban/Urban Fusion Performance (Urban Field). Best Latin Children’s Album category will now be named Best Children’s Album (Children’s Field).
Amendment To Eligibility Criteria:
Eligibility criteria was updated in the Best Urban/Urban Fusion Performance category (Urban Field). Remixes are eligible only if the original version of the song was released within the same eligibility year. Plus, the required percentage of urban elements is increasing from 51% to 60% to qualify in this category.
The Songwriter of the Year category reduced the minimum song threshold from six (6) songs to four (4). Songwriters with a minimum of four (4) newly written songs will be credited as a songwriter or co-writer, provided they are not also the performer, producer or engineer.
Eligible videos in the Best Long Form Music Video category must have a minimum duration of 12 minutes. Additional eligibility criteria: the duration of the credits will not be counted as part of the video’s length unless they contribute to the creative process.
The Producer of the Year category (Production Field), recognized as a cran category, will now be screened and voted on by a specialized committee in addition to the membership screening and voting process.
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