October 13, 2009

By By Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

The organizers of the Grammys are going digital to allow U.S. voting members to stream and judge music online.

Toronto-based Yangaroo signed a multi-year agreement with The Recording Academy that will see its encryption technology distribute music submitted for Grammy consideration to around 12,000 voting members throughout the U.S.

Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy, said the Canadian technology will allow the Grammy voting process to complete a shift to a digital platform with online music listening and judging for voting members.

The adoption of Canadian technology will also allow the Grammy organizers to stop producing and shipping CDs with printed promotional materials as they have done in the past.

Yangaroo's digital music delivery system will be in place when nominations for the Grammys' 52nd edition are unveiled on Dec. 2.

The Grammys' digital shift comes as the music industry produces fewer physical CDs and continues its own digital shift online.

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