IBM and the Recording Academy Strike a Chord, Release New watsonx Digital Experiences for Fans and Members Around 2026 Grammy Awards®

GRAMMY® IQ built with IBM watsonx debuts ahead of the 2026 Grammy Awards®

ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM), the Official Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Cloud Partner of the Grammy Awards® for nearly a decade, today announced the launch of GRAMMY® IQ built with IBM watsonx. By tapping into the power of agentic AI, the new fan engagement solution transforms the Recording Academy®'s vast reserves of music industry data into interactive quizzes that put the knowledge of music lovers to the test. IBM plans to also continue to design AI-driven solutions that automate workflows and deliver more personalized and engaging digital experiences for Recording Academy members, potential new members and millions of music enthusiasts around the world.

"Our partnership with IBM continues to push the boundaries of how technology can celebrate and deepen the world's connection to music," said Adam Roth, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships at the Recording Academy. "With GRAMMY® IQ built with watsonx, we're not only unlocking the richness of our history and data—we're inviting fans and members everywhere to engage with music in more meaningful, interactive and inspiring ways. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to innovation, creativity and honoring the artists and stories that shape culture across generations."

"The Recording Academy and IBM are bringing fans closer to the music they love by leveraging AI with the Academy's vast reserves of music industry data spanning all genres and generations," Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM. "We are excited to collaborate together to help deliver more personalized and engaging digital experiences for the members of the Recording Academy and millions of music enthusiasts all around the world."

GRAMMY IQ built with IBM watsonx features an AI-assistant embedded across the Grammys®' digital channels for seamless fan interaction, leaderboards and sweepstakes for daily engagement and social sharing. It uses watsonx technologies, including IBM's Granite 3.0 large language model (LLM), to generate questions, hints and answer explanations based on historical Grammys data. Clues will be provided, if requested, before final answers are revealed, and top fan scores will be featured in a GRAMMY IQ leaderboard on Grammy.com.

Also for the GRAMMYS 2026, IBM plans to work with the GRAMMY Museum® to reinvent Musical Crossroads, an interactive experience on their fourth floor that uses watsonx to allow visitors to explore artists and music across nearly 200 genres and give music lovers a new way to understand the rich and complex history of the industry. Each genre features artists, songs, photos, and interpretive text that connects to other genres, encouraging musical exploration and discovery.

In addition to this year's fan features, IBM plans to continue to evolve how the Recording Academy enhances its membership digital processes for each of its 30,000+ members who represent every genre and creative discipline the music industry has to offer, from folk songwriters and classical composers to hip hop producers and sound engineers. This includes reimagining the member portal and offering translations in 4 additional languages.

This year's solutions – a product of IBM technologies including its latest Granite LLMs, IBM's consulting expertise, and ongoing collaboration with the Recording Academy digital and editorial teams – aim to scale content capabilities of the Recording Academy and deliver music fans, Recording Academy members and prospective members more engaging and informative digital experiences around Music's Biggest Night®. 

Explore this year's IBM-powered experiences and more on Grammy.com.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

About The Recording Academy
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music's history while investing in its future through the Grammy Museum^®, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares^®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the Grammy Awards^® — music's only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world's leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

For more information about the Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy, please visit Grammy.com and RecordingAcademy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. For media assets, please visit the Recording Academy Press Room.

Media Contacts
For IBM: Paul Pettas; paulpettas@ibm.com
For the Recording Academy; communications@grammy.com

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