Grammy Awards scrap secret voting committees

The organisers of the Grammy Awards have scrapped their secret and anonymous voting committees following allegations of rigging, favouritism and racism, according to the New York Times. The Recording Academy voting members - which run into thousands - would instead select next year's nominations and winners. The Grammys voting procedure had been notoriously complex, with committees made up of 15-30 "highly-skilled music peers" having the final say in 72 categories. This meant they could overrule the votes of rank-and-file members. The Academy said it was also reducing the number of categories in which voters may vote, and adding two new award categories - Best Global Music Performance and Best Música Urbana Album.