The Recording Academy has drawn criticism after historic BTS performance videos disappeared from the official Grammy Awards website, shortly after the K-pop group announced it would not submit music for next year’s awards, reports Korea Times.
Live recordings of BTS’ “Dynamite” from 2021 and “Butter” from 2022 are no longer available on the Grammys website. The videos remain accessible through BTS’ official channels. The Recording Academy has not commented on the removals.
All seven BTS members announced on 29 July that they would not submit music for the 69th Grammy Awards, scheduled for 7 February 2027.
“We decided not to submit our work for the upcoming Grammy Awards,” the group said, adding that music should be appreciated “without being divided by region or language”.
The decision followed controversy over the Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Announced two months before the 28 August submission deadline, the category requires songs to include at least one Asian language. Critics argue the rule could exclude Asian artists from major categories such as Song of the Year, particularly as BTS’ latest album, ARIRANG, features mostly English-language tracks.
The decision drew support from Korean cultural figures, including Hyundai Card CEO Ted Chung, who questioned whether the category would isolate Asian musicians. Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr, meanwhile, said he respected BTS’ decision while defending the new category as a way to expand recognition for Asian artists.
Industry insiders have also warned that regional categories could limit non-Western artists by confining them to separate subcategories.
Following the video removals, BTS fans worldwide began reposting the missing clips on social media, arguing that removing them from the website cannot erase the group’s Grammy achievements.
