The 2022 Grammys will have an inclusion rider to ensure diversity

For the first time ever, the Grammy Awards will be produced in 2022 with an inclusion rider.

The Recording Academy yesterday announced that the 64th Annual Grammy Awards will be produced with a contract addendum designed to help ensure equity and inclusion at every level of the production.

Inclusion riders are generally used in film and TV industries as provisions to ensure diverse casting and to broaden the hiring pool for potential employees.

The Recording Academy stated in a press release that their rider will create a contractual obligation for the organisation to "recruit, audition, interview, and hire on-stage and off-stage people who have been historically and systematically excluded from the industry."

The full inclusion rider will be released to the public on September 16.

Academy President and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. called the concept a “monumental step” for an inclusive music community.

"As the academy continues its transformational journey, diversifying our industry is at the core of every decision we make. We’re dedicated to fostering an environment of inclusion industry wide and hope that our efforts set an example for our peers in the music community."

The 64th Annual #GRAMMYs in 2022 will be produced with an Inclusion Rider, a contract addendum designed to be a powerful tool to ensure equity and #inclusion at every level of the production. https://t.co/hMRQmQdP2t

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) August 4, 2021

The Recording Academy’s initiative was created in partnership with Color of Change, a racial justice organisation. Co-authors for the inclusion rider also include Kalpana Kotagal and Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, and Ryan Butler, the founding director of Warner Music/Blavatnik Center for Music Business at Howard University.

According to Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, "There are a lot of unwritten rules in the entertainment industry that create racial exclusion, and we know that to change society you have to change the rules."

"This inclusion rider is a written rule that will change the culture of hiring at the Grammys, and will make inclusion the norm."

Frances McDormand famously brought inclusion riders into the spotlight in 2018 during her best actress Oscar acceptance speech. A number of producers and high profile figures such as Paul Feig, Warner Bros., Michael B. Jordan, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck pledged to use inclusion riders in their production projects in the wake of McDormand's comments.