The Grammys won't award a free album -- which could be a problem for Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper might have to change the game.
The Chicago native recently released his newest mixtape "Coloring Book," and it's already being called an early contender for rap album of the year.
Except, it won't be by the Grammys.
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Chance's decision to release the album for free -- it was briefly available for download and is now exclusively streaming on Apple Music for the next two weeks -- means that the work is not eligible for Grammys.
Why? Capitalism.
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The Grammys eligibility requirements dictate that a recording "must be commercially released in general distribution in the United States," which can be sold by a label, a distributor or online.
Just streaming the album, however, does not cut it. The album must be for sale.
If you think that's an antiquated rule, you're not alone. There's a petition circulating the Internet for the Grammys to change the rules. As of Wednesday morning, the petition had more than 30,000 digital signatures.
An account on Change.org by the name of "Max Krasowitz" started the petition and wrote that it's time the amend the rules.
"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. Not all artists should be forced to release their music for free, but the ones who do should not be punished for doing so," hey wrote.
C'mon Grammys, take a Chance.
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Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
