Grammys tout improvements in diversity and gender representation in 2024 membership report

The Recording Academy that hands out the Grammy Awards has released its 2024 membership report, which touts their progress in areas of diversity and representation. This year alone the academy has added more than 2,800 new members, half of whom identify as people of color and nearly half of whom (45%) are under the age of 40. In addition, the academy has added more than 3,000 women voters to the organization since 2019.

There is progress yet to be made, however. Though women are half the population, they still make up only about a third (32%) of academy members and an even smaller share of voting members (29%). Meanwhile, 64% of members and 66% of voting members are still over age 40. As for the ethnic makeup of the entire academy, 39% are people of color, while voting members are 38% people of color.

The academy also reported on its musical diversity. Pop is on top with 27% of voters representing that genre. Perhaps surprisingly, jazz is next in line with 19% of voters (remember that the next time an Esperanza Spalding or Samara Joy shocks us). R&B (17%), rock (17%), American roots (13%), and alternative (13%) follow closely behind. Almost half of all voters (46%) are songwriters or composers. 33% are producers. 33% are instrumentalists. And 32% are vocalists.

“We are not at our ultimate destination yet, but the Recording Academy membership has never been more reflective of the music community than it is today,” said Harvey Mason Jr., Recording Academy CEO. “It has more women, more people of color, and a broad representation of diverse genres and crafts. It represents a dynamic and vibrant body of music creators who push the boundaries of a rapidly changing musical ecosystem while driving our culture forward and deciding Grammy outcomes. It’s the most diverse, representative Grammy electorate ever.”