LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Grammy Awards will adopt an inclusion rider that will require producers to recruit and hire more diverse candidates backstage and in front of the camera for next year’s ceremony.
The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that the rider will be added to its agreement with producers staging the 64th annual awards as a way to ensure equity and inclusion at all levels of production.
Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason jr. called the concept a “monumental step” for an inclusive music community. The full inclusion rider will be released publicly on Sept. 16.
The rider requires Grammys producers to audition, interview, and hire onstage and offstage people who have been historically and systematically excluded from the industry.
“As the academy continues its transformational journey, diversifying our industry is at the core of every decision we make,” Mason said in a statement. “We’re dedicated to fostering an environment of inclusion industry wide and hope that our efforts set an example for our peers in the music community.”