Grammy nominations include streaming-only music for first time

Artists nominated include Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Rihanna. Following a rules change, this year's nominees include work released only through a streaming service, such as Chance the Rapper's 'Coloring Book.'

First Look

2017 Grammy Awards nominees have been announced, with new rules from the Recording Academy allowing works such as Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” to be recognized. 

Earlier this year, the Recording Academy announced that streaming-only works can now be nominated for Grammy Awards. Before then, work had to be able to be downloaded by a listener, if not available as a CD. 

"Our trustees felt like the time had come; it's been on our radar for a couple of years now," the Recording Academy's senior vice president of awards, Bill Freimuth, told Billboard in June. Updating the competition's rules "keeps us as current and as relevant as we can and it keeps the process dynamic," he said. 

Thanks to the change, Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book,” which has been extremely well-received by critics, was eligible for such Grammy Awards as best rap album and best rap song. Chance the Rapper’s work received nods in both categories. 

One of the qualifications for a streaming work to be Grammy nomination-worthy is that it has to have been released on a well-known streaming service that charges users for a subscription. 

As for the Grammy nominees, the nominees for the album of the year award are Adele’s album “25,” Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” Drake’s “Views,” and “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” by Sturgill Simpson.

Adele and Beyoncé were also nominated in the record of the year category, with their songs “Hello” and “Formation,” respectively, receiving nods. Meanwhile, the group Lukas Graham received a nomination for “7 Years,” while Twenty One Pilots received a nod for “Stressed Out” and Rihanna and Drake’s song “Work” was nominated for the prize.

In the song of the year category, Mike Posner received a nomination for “I Took A Pill In Ibiza,” while Mr. Bieber’s song “Love Yourself,” Lukas Graham’s “7 Years,” Beyonce’s “Formation,” and Adele’s “Hello” were also nominated. 

Adele’s “25,” Bieber’s “Purpose,” Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman,” Demi Lovato’s “Confident,” and Sia’s “This Is Acting” are nominated for best pop vocal album, while Blink-182’s “California,” Cage The Elephant’s “Tell Me I’m Pretty,” Gojira’s “Magma,” Panic! At The Disco’s “Death Of A Bachelor,” and Weezer’s self-titled album are nominated for best rock album. 

Flume’s “Skin,” Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Electronica 1: The Time Machine,” Tycho’s “Epoch,” Underworld’s “Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future,” and Louie Vega’s “Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII” are nominated for best dance/electronic album and Bon Iver’s “22, A Million,” David Bowie’s “Blackstar,” PJ Harvey’s “The Hope Six Demolition Project,” Iggy Pop’s “Post Pop Depression,” and Radiohead’s “A Moon Shaped Pool” are nominated for best alternative music album. 

The nominees for best urban contemporary album are Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” Gallant’s “Ology,” KING’s “We Are King,” Anderson .Paak’s “Malibu,” and Rihanna’s “Anti,” while the nominees for best rap album are Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book,” De La Soul’s “And The Anonymous Nobody,” DJ Khaled’s “Major Key,” Drake’s “Views,” ScHoolboy Q’s “Blank Face LP,” and Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo.” 

The nominees for best country album are “Big Day In A Small Town” by Brandy Clark, “Full Circle” by Loretta Lynn, Maren Morris’s “Hero,” Mr. Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth,” and Keith Urban’s “Ripcord.”