New Grammy Rules (Finally) Acknowledge Videogame Music

Among the many changes the Recording Academy has made to the eligibility rules for Grammy Awards is a tweak that will make it easier for music in videogames to be nominated.

Specifically, the Academy has added videogames as a category of “visual media,” meaning music created for games will be considered alongside that of soundtracks for existing visual media formats like movies and TV. So the Grammy categories that now consider videogame music include:

– Music for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
– Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
– Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)
– Best Song Written for Visual Media (Motion, Television, Video Game Music, or Other Visual Media)

The move comes after the song “Baba Yetu” in February became the first song written for a videogame to win a Grammy — Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. While originally written for the 2005 computer videogame “Civilization IV,” it didn’t become eligible for a Grammy until composer Christopher Tin included it in an album of other work, 2010’s “Calling All Dawns.” (Read Billboard.biz’s interview with Tin about his Grammy win right here.)

While this move does not give music for videogames its own category, which many in the gaming press and community would prefer, it is a significant step toward recognizing videogames as a mainstream entertainment medium worthy of equal consideration to more traditional far as feature films and TV shows.

Source: Billboard