Grammy Eligibility Deadline Moved Up After Telecast Date Changed

The race for the golden gramophones has shifted its finish line for the first time in nearly a decade.

On Monday, the Recording Academy announced that projects and artists who wish to be recognized at the 2020 Grammy Awards must submit their work before Aug. 31, 2019. This is one month ahead of their original deadline, as well as being the first time a date moved in the past nine years.

According to reports, the change is rooted in the ceremony's telecast. To avoid competing head-to-head with the Oscars on Feb. 9, 2020, the Grammys conceded the date to the 92nd Academy Awards electing to air their show two weeks earlier on Jan. 26, 2020. As a result, everything has been pushed ahead, including the end of the submission process.

This is only the second time in Grammy history that the eligibility deadline strayed from its Sept. 30 date. Like this move, both were the result of conflicting televised events. The previous change came in 2009 when the 2010 Winter Olympics impeded on the Recording Academy's traditional schedule.

Although the deadline adjustment seems like a minor inconvenience, this change has a major impact on what works can even qualify for contention. Because the process was cut short, the musical year for 2019 is now 11 months instead of 12. This means artists who want to be a part of this ceremony have to have something out that will be impactful or has already proved its staying power before Aug. 31. In the weird world of music, that month might force artists to readjust their release dates to reaffirm that their affairs are in order.