While Chance the Rapper's upcoming Chance 3 mixtape is sure to please his fan base, current Grammy regulations prevent the sure-to-be-downloaded project from being nominated for an award. One fan of the Chicago hip-hop figure is hoping to shake up the industry, though, with a petition started up to grant online freebies the same artistic credibility as commercial releases. Best of all, Chance himself has even stepped in to promote the initiative.
U.S. music fan Max Krasowitz's petition, dubbed "Allow Free Music to be Eligible for Grammy Nomination," picks apart the current guidelines for the awards, which require albums to have been released commercially to receive a nom. Krasowitz points out that the mixtape circuit offers up plenty of worthwhile releases that are getting swept under the rug because of this.
"Ridiculously talented artists who are releasing free mixtapes and projects are not getting the recognition they truly deserve because the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences insists that to be eligible for a prestigious Grammy Award that the music must be 'commercially released in general distribution in the United States,'" he writes.
In particular, Krasowitz notes that this means Chance's forthcoming mixtape, due this Friday (May 13), would not be eligible for a Grammy in the next awards cycle. He suggests generous artists like Chancellor are "being punished for making their music available to everyone, rich or poor, by releasing their music for free."
Krasowitz adds: "It's obvious that these artists are making their music more accessible to people who deserve it even if they can't afford it, as well as decreasing pirating and illegally downloading music."
Though Krasowitz notes that not all music should be free, he reiterates that mixtape artists should not be punished for opting out of albums sales.
So far, the petition has reached been signed by over 17,000 similar-minded individuals. Chance the Rapper also appreciated the gesture, and has both retweeted and signed the petition under his given name of Chance Bennett.
You can sign the petition for yourself over here through Change.org.
As previously reported, Chance's Chance 3 arrives this Friday and will feature the recently premiered "Blessings." The tape is the artist's first solo mixtape since 2013 breakthrough Acid Rap.
U.S. music fan Max Krasowitz's petition, dubbed "Allow Free Music to be Eligible for Grammy Nomination," picks apart the current guidelines for the awards, which require albums to have been released commercially to receive a nom. Krasowitz points out that the mixtape circuit offers up plenty of worthwhile releases that are getting swept under the rug because of this.
"Ridiculously talented artists who are releasing free mixtapes and projects are not getting the recognition they truly deserve because the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences insists that to be eligible for a prestigious Grammy Award that the music must be 'commercially released in general distribution in the United States,'" he writes.
In particular, Krasowitz notes that this means Chance's forthcoming mixtape, due this Friday (May 13), would not be eligible for a Grammy in the next awards cycle. He suggests generous artists like Chancellor are "being punished for making their music available to everyone, rich or poor, by releasing their music for free."
Krasowitz adds: "It's obvious that these artists are making their music more accessible to people who deserve it even if they can't afford it, as well as decreasing pirating and illegally downloading music."
Though Krasowitz notes that not all music should be free, he reiterates that mixtape artists should not be punished for opting out of albums sales.
So far, the petition has reached been signed by over 17,000 similar-minded individuals. Chance the Rapper also appreciated the gesture, and has both retweeted and signed the petition under his given name of Chance Bennett.
You can sign the petition for yourself over here through Change.org.
As previously reported, Chance's Chance 3 arrives this Friday and will feature the recently premiered "Blessings." The tape is the artist's first solo mixtape since 2013 breakthrough Acid Rap.