BTS and Bang Si-Hyuk are breaking down more barriers in the American music industry, as they’ve been invited to join the Recording Academy!

A press release was sent out to the media to share the news:

Bang Si-Hyuk, CEO and Executive Producer of Big Hit Entertainment, and global superstars BTS under its label have been officially invited by the Recording Academy to join their Class of 2019 as members. Announced today, the invitation is a reflection of their numerable contributions to music, as they now join the ranks of other incredible music creators in the opportunity to help keep music in schools and introduce its power to young people everywhere. Bang Si-Hyuk will be joining the Academy as a Professional member, which is the membership type for music executives, managers, publicists, agents, and other team members that work to support music creators.

This isn’t the first time BTS and Big Hit Entertainment have been addressed by the Recording Academy and the industry. The iconic group sat down for a talk with Scott Goldman at the GRAMMY MUSEUM in the past September and had most recently invited the GRAMMY University students to their very own soundcheck event at Chicago’s Soldier Field on May 12.

According to the Recording Academy’s website, there are three types of memberships involved, including voting members, professional members, and student members.

Voting members are creators working in the recording industry and get to vote on the GRAMMY winners, while professional members are those whose work in supporting voting members.

Recording Academy members are allowed the following privileges:

∙ Participate in the GRAMMY Awards process, including submitting projects for GRAMMY Awards consideration, proposing rule changes to the awards process, and, for voting members only, voting for the GRAMMY Awards
∙ Advocate collectively to protect the rights of music makers and advance creators’ interests on important policy matters
∙ Connect through member-only initiatives, programs, and events
∙ Run for a Recording Academy Board and/or participate on advisory committees, and vote in Chapter elections
∙ Help fellow music people get by during times of need through MusiCares’ charitable work and programs
∙ Support music preservation and education through the GRAMMY Museum’s philanthropic work to keep music in our schools and introduce its power and legacy to young people everywhere
∙ Participate in the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY U mentorship programs and training sessions, which aim to lift up music’s next generation of aspiring creative and business leaders

This is obviously a massive deal for both BTS and Bang Si-Hyuk. Not only does this show that they’re breaking down barriers internationally despite all the odds against them, but it will also help them to further their placement as artists to be taken seriously for their craft.

Just recently, BTS won their first award for their music at the 2019 BBMA’s for Top Groups/Duo. Previously they had won awards for Top Social Artist. They also attended the 2019 GRAMMYs as award presenters while their album Love Yourself: Tear unfortunately lost in the Best Recording Package category.

Now, it seems like the possibilities are endless for BTS and Bang Si-Hyuk! Maybe we’ll even see more GRAMMY nominations in 2020?