After an uproar from the music community, the Juno Awards organized by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) was forced to reverse its ill-conceived decision to remove the Reggae Recording of the Year category from the 2025 awards.
Allan Reid, the President and CEO of the JUNO Awards, took to Instagram to address the controversy — in what seem more like damage control than anything else.
In a statement addressing concerns from various music communities, including from Jamaica, the CEO elected 10 years ago, claims to have a commitment to maintaining key categories while also looking forward to upcoming adjustments.
“As CEO of the JUNO Awards, I want to personally address the recent discussions surrounding changes we were considering for the 2025 Awards, including the Children’s Album of the Year, Reggae Recording of the Year, and The Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year categories,” the CEO began.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) spent the past year undergoing a comprehensive review of all award categories. This process took into account crucial data, including consumption metrics, submission numbers, and other key factors.
“Over the course of last year, CARAS underwent an extensive process reviewing all Award categories, taking into consideration data such as consumption, number of submissions, and other metrics,” the CEO stated. Following feedback from the music community, a decision was made not to place the three categories on hiatus. “Given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year.”
The CEO also pointed to an upcoming announcement that will provide more detailed information about changes and additions to the award categories. “An official notice outlining all of the changes for the 2025 JUNO Awards categories will be released on Monday, September 23rd, providing further clarity on our direction and vision for the Awards now and into the future. We are excited about these changes, including bringing in new categories to reflect the evolution of the Canadian music scene.”
Despite these changes, the CEO assured that the JUNO Awards remain focused on highlighting Canadian music excellence while representing the rich diversity within the industry. “We remain dedicated to ensuring the JUNO Awards reflect industry excellence and is representative of the diversity of the Canadian music industry.
Conspicuously absent from Reid’s PR-friendly statement was any mention of the International Album of the Year award, which was also set to go on “hiatus.” Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that one.
