Grammy Voters Better Act Fast: Standard Entry Pricing Ends Friday

Are you a Grammy voter? Are you trying to watch your spending? You need to act fast to take advantage of “standard pricing” during the online entry period for the 68th annual Grammy Awards. After Friday (Aug. 22) at 11:59 p.m. PT, the per-entry charge for members (after they use up their five courtesy entries) jumps from $75 per to $125.

The media company registration period also ends on Friday Aug. 22. Media companies must apply for registration with the Recording Academy to submit recordings.

All voting members and non-voting “professional” members of the Recording Academy receive five courtesy entries each year. If they want to make more than five entries, they have to pay.

The “early entry pricing” ship has sailed. From July 16 to Aug. 1, members paid just $40 per entry (after using up their five courtesy entries). Media companies paid $65.

We are now nearing the end of the “standard pricing” time frame. From Aug. 2 to Friday (Aug. 22), members pay $75 (after using up their final courtesy entries), while media companies pay $95.

After Friday, we enter the “final deadline pricing” time frame. From Aug. 23-Aug. 29, members pay $125 per entry (after using up their five courtesy entries). In this final time frame, media companies pay the same rate.

Until recent years, the Recording Academy allowed members to make unlimited entries without a fee. They cast their decision to charge for each entry beyond five courtesy entries as a move to try to get members to be more thoughtful and selective in the process. “The per-entry fee structure encourages entrants to consider the value of each entry and make mindful decisions to put forward work that they truly believe is Grammy worthy,” the academy says in the 68th Grammy Awards Rules & Guidelines handbook.

But, as in years past, they add: “Any member who would be burdened by the entry fees can request the fees be waived by contacting the awards department.”

The 68th Grammy Awards covers recordings released between Aug. 31, 2024 and Aug. 30, 2025. First-round voting runs from Oct. 3 to Oct. 15. This round of voting determines the Grammy nominees, which will be announced on Nov. 7.

Final round voting runs from Dec. 12, 2025 – Jan. 5, 2026. This round of voting determines the winners, which will be announced when the 68th Grammy Awards are presented on Feb. 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This will be the final Grammy telecast broadcast on CBS, the Grammys’ home since 1973. In October 2024, the Recording Academy announced a new, 10-year global deal for the Grammys to be exclusively simulcast on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027.