Grammys Get Lean
Think the Grammys drone on and on with uninteresting categories? The group is cutting 31 categories, going down from 109 to 78. Rock gets trimmed, with only major categories left. 
The rock categories that will be recognized at next year's ceremony are Best Rock Album, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance and Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance,. That last category replaces two separate categories for hard rock and metal.
The categories that have been cut are Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Another major change is that if there aren't enough submissions for a specific category, it won't be recognized that year. If the category fails to get twenty-five submissions three years in a row, it's gone for good.
Some rockers are going to be denied the chance to have a Grammy on their mantle with the new rules. The very first Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance Grammy was given to Bruce Springsteen in 1988. Glad he got it while the gettin' was good!
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