Four years after introducing the category Best Americana Album to the list of Grammy categories (first winner: Levon Helm's Electric Dirt), the Recording Academy will award a megaphone for Best American Roots Music Song. It’s the only new category added to the slate for 2014, and it was quietly approved by the Board of Trustees a few weeks ago.

This songwriter's award will encompass the various subgenres of the American Roots Music field—Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk and regional roots music—putting said field in line with the Rock, Rap, R&B, Country, and Gospel/CCM fields, all of which have songwriters' awards.

Two other modifications were made for next year: Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance has been renamed Best Metal Performance and becomes a stand-alone category, meaning Hard Rock singles and tracks will now be screened in the Best Rock Performance category. Additionally, the Music Video Field will now become Music Video/Film Field, which also resulted in renaming the Best Short Form Music Video category to Best Music Video, and the Best Long Form Music Video category to Best Music Film.

The eligibility period for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards began on Oct. 1, 2012, and ends this Sept. 30.

Here’s the fine print from the announcement:

“To ensure the Awards process remains representative of the current musical landscape, the Trustees have approved the following changes recommend by the Awards & Nominations Committee:

“*Best American Roots Song has been added to the American Roots Music Field. A songwriter's award, it will encompass all of the subgenres of the Field (Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk, regional roots music), and puts the Field in line with the Rock, Rap, R&B, Country, and Gospel/CCM Fields, all of which have songwriters' awards.

“*The Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category has been renamed Best Metal Performance and becomes a stand-alone category. Hard Rock singles/tracks will now be screened in the Best Rock Performance category. It was determined that metal has a very distinctive sound, and hard rock more closely aligns with rock and can exist comfortably as one end of the rock spectrum. Additionally, based on the number of metal entries, the category would be able to sustain a healthy competition among true metal acts.

“*The Music Video Field will now become Music Video/Film Field, which also resulted in renaming the Best Short Form Music Video category to Best Music Video, and the Best Long Form Music Video category to Best Music Film. Best Music Video is for music videos recognized by the artist and/or the record label as the official video for an individual single or track, released for sale to the public or first appearing on television or online during the current eligibility year, and are synchronous or predominantly synchronous to a commercially released recording. Best Music Film is for concert/performance films or music documentaries released for sale to the public for the first time or first appearing on television or online during the current eligibility year. Music-related documentaries must have 51 percent or more music performance-based material. Also eligible are general release theatrical, non-fictional music-related films with 51 percent or more music performance-based material.”