[Editorial] Why Does the Grammy Awards Overlook K-Pop? Despite Being Fully Eligible by "General Distribution," Discrimination Appears to Play a Role

Photo from Shutterstock. BTS, with members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM (formerly known as Rap Monster), Jimin, V, and Jungkook, attended the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on May 20, 2018, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

BK Park

NjT Senior Edtor

Seoul, Korea — The 66th Grammy Awards ceremony took place on February 5th at the Crypto.com Arena, previously known as Staple Center, in Los Angeles. A glance at the list of Grammy winners reveals a glaring omission: not a single K-Pop star or song. This oversight has been consistent for several years. Why is this the case?

Experts point to several barriers making it difficult for K-Pop artists to break into the Grammy Awards due to the awards' complex and varied rules and guidelines.

One such barrier is the requirement for a "general distribution" of music works, meaning the work must be widely distributed within the United States.

The following is what the General Distribution Requirement means: 

For a recording to qualify, it must be made available nationwide through physical stores and online platforms, including third-party retailers and suitable digital streaming services. The qualified streaming services must offer a paid subscription model, provide full access to their catalog, and support on-demand streaming or limited downloads. These services should have been operational in this capacity within the United States for at least one year before the submission deadline. Additionally, every recording submitted for consideration is required to be assigned an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC).

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Additionally, all nominated works must be commercially released within a specific timeframe. Although K-pop artists seem to meet these general distribution requirements, the voting members do not appear to see it that way.

The Grammy's focus on the English-speaking American music industry challenges non-English-speaking artists. The language barrier makes it difficult for K-Pop artists to enter and be recognized by the Grammy Awards. However, K-Pop music in English, such as BTS's "Butter" and "Dynamite," has enjoyed immense success in the U.S. market yet failed to win awards.

Despite K-Pop music's global consumption across various streaming platforms, the availability or market penetration of specific streaming services may hinder recognition by the Grammy Awards, which some experts argue is merely an excuse. K-Pop has made significant strides, ranking highly on all streaming services worldwide.

Structural elements related to the Grammy voting process are also cited as reasons K-Pop artists and music fail to gain recognition. For instance, the approximately 10,000 Grammy Academy voting members may struggle to fully appreciate and evaluate the artistry and innovation of K-Pop, mainly because most members are middle-aged white men.

Furthermore, networks and influence within the music industry play a crucial role in whether K-Pop artists receive recognition at the Grammy Awards.

For K-Pop to be recognized by the Grammy Awards, a multidimensional approach is needed, addressing not only artistic and technical achievements but also industry networks, structural characteristics of the voting process, and cultural and linguistic barriers.

What would you think if Ohtani Shohei performed exceptionally well but did not receive MVP or Cy Young Awards because he is a foreigner? BTS is akin to Ohtani in popular music, and it's peculiar that they haven't received a Grammy Award.

To address this issue, efforts from K-Pop stakeholders are essential, along with changes and openness in the Grammy Awards' rules, guidelines, and voting membership, which needs to show more diversity. Fortunately, such efforts are currently underway within the Grammys.

The late Reverend Billy Graham was once asked by a journalist, "If God promised to remove one thing from America, what would you request?" He replied, "Racial discrimination." The entertainment industry, a stronghold of such discrimination, has recently seen this barrier begin to crumble, and the Grammy Awards are expected to follow suit. This shift aligns with the spirit of the times.