The 2025 Grammy-nominations inspired me to think back on all the music released this year and what my own lists of nominations would look like in each category, and what would win if I were basing it off of my personal opinions and experiences with each album.  I decided as I continue to work on this blog and brand and grow with it into whatever it becomes, it would be fun to think about this concept more and create something with it.  So, I created Off The Record Music Awards, which will take place every year (as long as I keep the blog running) in December!

 

Nominations will be released the first week of December every year in article or video form (or both), with winners being announced on December 31st in article or video form (or both)! I want this to be something my readers can participate in as well, which is why I’m giving time between the two dates because you guys will have the opportunity to vote on what your favorites were! (most nominations will probably be related to things I’ve written about in the blog so, if you’ve been keeping up, you’ll probably be familiar with most of it)! When winners are announced it will consist of two parts, my personal vote, plus the majority from you guys!

 

Music is something that we don’t always see coming. Every year we discover new music that’s either just been released or has been around for decades and we don’t always realize how impactful it will be on our lives the first time we hear it.  I thought this would be a fun way to reflect on and pay homage to all the new music released every year that has impacted and become a part of my life, as well as, get myself and Off The Record Blog readers excited about all the new music to come! I’m still figuring out some of the logistics, but below is all the information I have for now.

Rules

1. The categories can be flexible.  Ex. I don’t listen to much country, so of course I am not going to have a “Best Country Album” category this year.  However, maybe next year I will grow to enjoy country music. I can add it as a category next year! (categories included every year will be revealed the day prior to nominations, most likely in the Instagram stories so make sure you’re following @offtherecordmusicblog).

2. Albums must be released in the year in which the awards are taking place!  I listen to so much new music every year, it would be too difficult to include it all. By limiting it to one year, it makes it a lot more manageable!  A year will be December of the previous year to November of the current year as there is not enough time to include an album released in December of the current year.  (ex. This year will be December 2023 – November 2024).

3. In order to keep categories realistic and not too long, each one will be limited to five nominees.

4. Voting will be open to all my blog followers and the link will be displayed on the Instagram stories and website.  Each person can vote once a day! The nominee with the most votes in each category, wins that category!

5. Nothing physical is actually won, it wins recognition, a little write up and appreciation!

 

The first article I ever published on the site was a summary of my top albums released last year (2023).  So, in a way this is also keeping that tradition alive, but it’s just more inclusive with my followers and not only albums released in the year, but albums which were a big part of the blog, whether that was articles and videos created about them, or posts.

 

XO,

 

Kayla