diff --git a/io_scene_gltf2/__init__.py b/io_scene_gltf2/__init__.py
index 127ea6e5d8ff67e9938659f7fa6742b07410186a..319c9c170e1af6aed344a5f68298882bc4437eea 100755
--- a/io_scene_gltf2/__init__.py
+++ b/io_scene_gltf2/__init__.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 bl_info = {
     'name': 'glTF 2.0 format',
     'author': 'Julien Duroure, Scurest, Norbert Nopper, Urs Hanselmann, Moritz Becher, Benjamin SchmithĂĽsen, Jim Eckerlein, and many external contributors',
-    "version": (1, 5, 10),
+    "version": (1, 5, 11),
     'blender': (2, 91, 0),
     'location': 'File > Import-Export',
     'description': 'Import-Export as glTF 2.0',
diff --git a/io_scene_gltf2/io/imp/gltf2_io_gltf.py b/io_scene_gltf2/io/imp/gltf2_io_gltf.py
index 5bbab579d83437fc71da9aa46f373f5c7c56216e..348f890451d00dbd142d7a7a106a2077689b703d 100755
--- a/io_scene_gltf2/io/imp/gltf2_io_gltf.py
+++ b/io_scene_gltf2/io/imp/gltf2_io_gltf.py
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ class glTFImporter():
         def bad_constant(val):
             raise ImportError('Bad glTF: json contained %s' % val)
         try:
-            return json.loads(bytes(content), encoding='utf-8', parse_constant=bad_constant)
+            text = str(content, encoding='utf-8')
+            return json.loads(text, parse_constant=bad_constant)
         except ValueError as e:
             raise ImportError('Bad glTF: json error: %s' % e.args[0])