Indian entries at the Grammys have jumped to their highest count this year (almost 800 entries), and everyone’s social media feeds reflect that. Musicians’ ‘For Your GRAMMY® Consideration’ campaign announcements are buzzing – with Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Chaar Diwaari and Sonu Nigam’s “Iss Tarah”, Niladri Kumar and Zakir Hussain’s Space Between The Notes, Rashmeet Kaur’s Parinda, and many more running a campaign.
But what does a ‘For Your Consideration’ campaign mean and how much does it cost? How far off is a submission from an actual nomination, and are Indian artists prepared for this global endeavour? We find out.
What are the next steps?
Once their work is submitted, artists campaign twice to get the attention of Recording Academy Voting Members: first, when they submit, and then once if they are nominated.
Only Academy members and registered media companies can submit tracks. Independent artists enter through a member, or through their label or distributor. All members get five courtesy entries, while media companies pay a fee for each entry ($180 or Rs 17,000 approx).
The Grammys, presented by the Recording Academy of the USA, are the only music awards where winners are decided by peer vote – not by sales or streams – and symbolise international recognition, justifying the weight even a nomination carries.
How do you get the attention of Voting Members?
The first round of campaigning, which ends on October 22, warranted a clear digital and in-person strategy from artists – with the goal of getting Recording Academy members to vote for them to get nominated. To make that happen, they first need to get the attention of the voting members. They do this by maintaining a social media presence, running targeted ads, sending e-mail blasts, touring internationally, and organising listening parties and meet-and-greets where the voters are based (primarily USA and Europe).
Artists who are nominated enter the second round of campaigning with higher stakes, bigger budgets, and the end goal of a Grammy Award.
“The Grammys work like a community,” says Devan Ekambaram, producer on Charu Suri’s 2026 Grammy ® ️ nominated (for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album) SHAYAN. He has also worked as a vocalist and vocal arranger on three-time Grammy-winner Ricky Kej’s albums Winds of Samsara and Divine Tides. “You have to be seen and heard by the voting members in order to be seriously considered.”
Kej’s two album wins (Winds of Samsara, 2015; Divine Tides, 2023) were international collaborations with Academy members, nominees, or winners: placing his music inside the networks that vote.
Are Indian artists prepared?
This year’s entrants have better access, with the number of Indian members increasing in the Academy, and submitting music for the artists in their networks. The real test is the campaign plan.
FYC campaigns are expensive. Industry insiders say a well-planned campaign to be nominated can rack up an estimated bill of $5,000-$10,000 (Rs 4.5 lakh – Rs 9.4 lakh). If nominated, the budget will approximately go up to $25,000 (Rs 23 lakh) and above. Campaigns are mostly paid for by the artists themselves, and are very often run by PR agencies. Labels sometimes foot the bill and help with networking. Social media campaigns are a foot in the door, but Grammy voters are far and few in India, and many aren’t on social media at all.
Bengaluru-based rock band Parvaaz has submitted their latest release Na Gul Na Gulistan for Best Global Music Album. “The fans’ reception to the consideration itself has given us massive engagement,” says Yama Seth, the band’s manager. “Organic word-of-mouth coverage is what we’ll rely on.”
jBABE‘s (Joshua Fernandez) A Little Larger Than The Entire Universe is under consideration for Best Alternative Music Album. Chirag Todi, Voting Academy member who submitted the track on the artist’s behalf, tells Billboard India that the FYC campaign right now is not backed by a label. “If the first round [of voting] goes through, we will come up with a full-fledged plan for the second.”
An anonymous source working in the music industry sums it up, “It’s literally like running a political campaign, but for the Grammys.”
