51st Grammy Awards

Infobox Grammy Awards
name = 51st


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date= February 8, 2009
venue = Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
host = none
network = CBS
last = 2008
next = 2010The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 8, 2009. It will be broadcasted on CBS and will air at 8PM EST. Nominations are to be announced on December 4, 2008. For the sixth year in a row, the ceremony will be held in the Staples Center.

To be eligible for an award a recording must have been commercially released between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. This is for all recordings released in the 2008 recording year. In October nominating ballots will be sent to academy members where they will vote to select the nominees. All members are allowed to nominate in the general field and can nominate in up to ten other fields. A member can vote for up to a maximum of five submissions in the nominating process for each category one casts a vote in. After the nominees are announced on December 4, 2008 final voting ballots will be sent to the academy members. This is when they will vote for one of the nominees to win the award. Each category has five nominees. More than five is the result of a tie in the nominating process. Members are allowed to vote in the General field and up to nine other fields on their final voting ballots. All ballots are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. There are about 7,000 people who vote in the nominating and final voting process. These people are artists, producers, engineers, mixers and mastering engineers. Academy members are to vote based upon quality alone. They are not to be influenced by mass sales or personal friendships. The acceptance of gifts is prohibited and can result in termination of membership.

After the nominations are announced the recipients of all special awards such as lifetime achievement awards will be announced. In addition performers and presenters will be announced Prior to the announcement of the nominees the recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year will be announced.

Changes with some of the Awards in 2009

Like 2008's GRAMMYs 2009's show will have a total of 110 awards handed out.

*The Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance now includes any single or track with smooth Jazz Vocals to be eligible

*The Award for "Best Mexican/Mexican American Album" has been renamed "Best Regional Mexican Album".

*Recordings that are compilations or excerpts of previously recorded radio or TV shows are no longer eligible for Best Spoken Word Album

*Soundtracks to live or filmed stage shows are no longer eligible for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album of Best Score Soundtrack Album

*In The Classical Field an Orchestra is defined as any large ensemble containing 25 or more musicians excluding the conductor.

*DVD-Only releases are now eligible for Best Opera Recording.

*The Award for Best Contemporary Composition now include newly composed Operas. If an Opera is awarded the award it will go to the composer and librettist.

*There will be 4 new categories in the General Field joining Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. These categories are known as Artist of the Year, Group of the Year, Male of the Year, and Female of the Year.