Artistes planning to submit music for the 66th Grammy Awards have until September 15 to do so.

The extension was announced by the Recording Academy on April 6. The submission deadline was previously August 31.

In a statement, Harvey Mason Jr, the Academy’s CEO, addressed the date change.

“A few weeks ago we communicated a change to the eligibility period for the 66th Grammy Awards,” referring to the March announcement that the Grammys had adjusted their eligibility period to start on October 1 2022 to August 31 2023.

“After listening to concerns from some members of the music community, we have decided to amend the end date of the previously announced eligibility period. The eligibility deadline for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be extended by two weeks, to Friday, September 15, 2023,” Mason wrote. “We care about the impact of this date change on our community and make this adjustment in the spirit of partnership and collaboration.”

John “JonFX” Crawford, music producer and former governor of the Florida Chapter of the Grammy’s Reggae Committee, believes the extension will give Jamaicans more time to prepare for submissions.

“I think by extending the time, this will allow us to prepare adequately,” he said.

In recent years, the number of submissions from reggae and dancehall artistes have dwindled. Crawford believes cost may be a contributing factor.

“I am not sure what can be done to improve the number of submissions in the reggae category, but it could be because of the newly added cost for submissions.

“I have seen a decrease in submissions,” he disclosed, adding that, “There could be more education on the process. Majority of the submissions come from the same entities each year.”

The first award for reggae (Best Reggae Recording) in 1985 went to Black Uhuru for Anthem. The category was later renamed Best Reggae Album.

In 2021, Koffee became the first woman to win the category. Last year, SOJA was the first American act to win the award.

This year’s winner is Kabaka Pyramid, who won with The Kalling.