As entertaining as the Grammy Awards usually are (or are not), a great deal of the intrigue and excitement generated by the annual gala surrounds what goes on behind the scenes -- and in particular, how the nominees in the 95 categories are selected in the first place.

To become a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, an artist must have creative credits on at least six commercially-released recordings, and keep up on their dues, which are currently $65 a year. But the real fun comes as Grammy time nears, when the 9,000 members hold the fate of the prestigious awards show in their hands.

The whole operation gears up every summer, when NARAS sends official entry forms to its members and 800 record labels across the U.S. Recipients gleefully pitch any worthy recordings released during the period of eligibility, in this case from October 1, 1997 to September 30, 1998.

Qualifications of these 13,000-odd entries are assessed and approved by NARAS, then Academy voters are called upon to pore over a first-round ballot about as big as your average hymnal. Each ballot contains coded ID numbers to eliminate the possibility of duplicate or fraudulent returns.

But the top vote-getters don't automatically get nominated. Those receiving votes in the first round of are then put into another group, which is then filtered through expert committees who determine the final nominees by top-secret ballot.

To maintain the integrity of the Grammy process, identities and professions of NARAS members are a closely-held secret. In January, NARAS shares the good news with the world during a joint press conference in New York and Los Angeles to announce the nominees.

Final ballots are then sent to the previously mentioned 9000-plus voting members. All voters cast ballots in the categories of Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year, and then may vote in any other eight categories.

And as MTV News found out in interviews with such artists as Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson and Monica, artists are pretty much split when it comes to the big decision -- whether or not to case their own votes on themselves.

"Believe it or not," Monica said humble, "I don't pick myself each time."

But for Janet Jackson, who received her first Grammy back in 1989 for "Best Long Form Music Video" for her "Rhythm Nation 1814" video compilation, every vote counts.

"Of course [I vote for myself]," Jackson said, "are you kidding? I'd be sitting here lying to you if I said, 'No, I didn't.' Of course I do!" [28.8 RealVideo]

Final results are sent to an independent accounting firm, tabulated, sealed and sent with police escort to the awards ceremony, where anxious nominees and fans find out who gets to take home their own shiny gramophone bauble.

But regardless of the shadowy process that engulfs the nomination process, most artists and musicians are happy just to be considered for one of the most widely-recognized awards in the world.

"[I gotta] give the NARAS system their props, you know what I'm saying," Busta Rhymes told MTV, "just keep nominating Busta Rhymes, baby!"

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.