Kacey Musgraves’ Label Furious After Grammys Rejection

Musician Kacey Musgraves’ new album star-crossed is ineligible for Country Album of the Year at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy decided at a committee meeting where they screened submissions to make sure they were placed into the right genre. Despite its No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, star-crossed was rejected by Academy members, though the song “Camera Roll” was accepted for the Best Country Song category. The Recording Academy’s criteria for an album to be eligible for the category is that at least 51 percent of the album must be country music by the Academy’s standards. Otherwise, it’s considered a mixed-genre album, which is still eligible for Album of the Year.

Cindy Mabe, president of Universal Music Group Nashville, slammed the Academy’s decision, writing a letter to the CEO that it is “very inconsistent and calls into question the other agendas that were part of this decision.” The Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 31.