The organisers of the Grammy Awards have scrapped their anonymous voting committees following allegations of rigging, favouritism and racism.

The Recording Academy said its voting members - which run into thousands - would instead select next year's nominations and winners.

Stars such as Zayn Malik and Halsey had claimed the selection process was unfair and lacked transparency.

Artists of colour have long criticised the awards for a lack of diversity.



Earlier this year, the Canadian singer The Weeknd accused the Grammy organisers of being corrupt after he was snubbed in this year's nominations, despite a hit single that spent a record-breaking 52 weeks in the US Top 10.

The Recording Academy, a not-for-profit organisation that represents music makers, said that the selection of nominees and winners was being "placed back in the hands of the entire voting membership body".

It added that more than 90% of its members would go through a "requalification process" to ensure that the voting body "is actively engaged in music creation".

The Academy said it was also reducing a number of categories in which voters may vote, and adding two new award categories.

Harvey Mason, chair and interim president of the Recording Academy, said it had been a "year of unprecedented, transformational change" for the organisation.

"This is a new Academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community," he said.