BTS Grammy performance videos removed over licensing, not boycott, Recording Academy says

While BTS fans questioned whether the Recording Academy had removed the band’s Grammy performance videos on its website because of the septet’s boycott, an academy representative refuted the accusation, explaining that the videos were removed due to licensing expirations.

“Past BTS performances were removed from the Grammys website and YouTube years ago as part of routine licensing expirations,” a representative for the Recording Academy told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “This is a standard practice for Grammy performances, as licensing terms vary and are typically limited to one year or less.”

The clarification comes after BTS announced that it would not submit its music for next year’s Grammy Awards. Following the decision, fans found that they could no longer access videos of the group’s Grammy performances, including “Dynamite” (2020) and “Butter” (2021), on the Recording Academy’s website.

The Recording Academy announced in June that it would introduce a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category in the Grammy Awards for music from Asian countries. Critics and K-pop fans alike have criticized the new category, as Asian artists may now be directed toward the Asian Pop category, leaving them less likely to compete on equal footing with Western artists for the Grammys’ “General Field” awards.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has defended the category, saying, “The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia.”

“Submitting music in a genre category such as Asian Pop […] does not exclude an artist from also submitting and being considered in the General Field categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year,” the CEO wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [[email protected]]