recording academy
Artists’ Rights Groups Urge Grammy Consideration for Dissident Iranian Composer
Three Norway-based artists’ rights groups have written Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. to request that the organization’s members consider the dangerous conditions under which dissident Iranian composer Mehdi Rajabian created his latest album, It Arrives, and the communications lockdown that has prevented him from promoting it in the lead-up to Grammy voting, which begins on Thursday (Oct. 13). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The letter to Mason, dated Oct. 10, was signed by Sverre Pedersen, the chair of Freemuse, a non-governmental organization that documents abuses of artistic freedom internationally and serves as a consultant to the United Nations; Hans Ole Rian, president of CREO, Norway’s largest union for arts and culture; ...
Under New Grammy Fee Structure, Procrastinators Will Pay More for ‘Excess Entries’
The Recording Academy released more details about its fee structure for “excess entries” in a memo to all voting members on Friday (July 1). As previously announced, all professional and voting members of the academy will be allowed to make five courtesy entries every year as a benefit of membership. But members will have to pay a fee for each entry beyond the five allowed unless they are able to obtain a waiver. In an effort to get voters to vote promptly — rather than wait until just before the voting period closes, as people tend to do — the academy has adopted a multi-tier pricing strategy. “Early bird pricing” (July 18 – July 31) is $40 per entry (after the five courtesy entries). “Standard pricing” (Aug. 1 – Aug. 21) is $75 per entry (after the five courtesy entries). “Final deadline...
Susan Genco Urges Future Lawyers to Be ‘Bold & Innovative’ at 2022 Entertainment Law Initiative Luncheon
“I don’t have to tell any of you that the best moments of my life were created by artists and enhanced by music, because this is true for all of you,” said Susan Genco, co-president of The Azoff Company, who received the Service Award at the 24th annual Recording Academy Entertainment Law Initiative luncheon Saturday afternoon (April 2) in Las Vegas. Her sentiments were echoed by keynote speaker Cameron Crowe, who wrote the Oscar-winning, semi-autobiographical screenplay for the 2000 film Almost Famous. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news He told what presumably was the real Almost Famous story, about a 12-year-old boy whose mother intentionally raised him across the street from a law school she so desperately wanted him to go to. I...
How the Grammy Children’s Music Category Embraced Diversity: ‘There Wasn’t Enough Melanin Up In There’
The Grammys’ best children’s music album category rarely generates headlines, but it did in late 2020 when three of the five contenders declined their nominations to protest the fact that all of the nominees were white artists — a result that felt especially disheartening amid the Black Lives Matter movement and the country’s larger reckoning with racial equity. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In December 2020, Alastair Moock, Dog on Fleas and the Okee Dokee Brothers dropped out of the Grammy race and stood in solidarity with artists of color in the family music space. Even though Family Music Fo...
Harvey Mason Jr. on Recording Academy’s Future: ‘We Needed to Improve and We Needed to Evolve’
Still, he’s the first to admit there is plenty more progress to be made in his efforts to “modernize everything about the Academy,” including looking at new areas of revenue, making sure the Grammy voting process is as transparent as possible, and leading industry standards on diversity. Mason started his tenure forged by fire, as chairman of the board of trustees he stepped into the interim president/CEO position in January 2020 after the Academy suspended his predecessor, Deborah Dugan, for alleged misconduct only five months after she’d been hired. Dugan, who was officially fired in March 2020, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission just days after being put on leave alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and improper business dealings by the Academy...
Deborah Dugan’s Arbitration Could Be Delayed If Recording Academy Successfully Opposes Open Hearing
“We acknowledge your request for ‘transparency and accountability’ as set forth in your January 29, 2020 letter to the Executive Committee, and we wholeheartedly agree with your proposal to have the dispute between you and the Academy heard publicly — so that the ‘public and the music industry’ can hear what happened between you and the Academy,” wrote Mason to Dugan. “In short, we welcome a full public airing of your allegations against the Academy as well as the Academy’s many claims and defenses against you,” Mason was named the official president/CEO of the academy on May 13, following a protracted search. Now, the academy’s attorney, Anthony Oncidi of Proskauer Rose, has written the arbitrator, Sara Adler, asking that the hearing be private, according to the New York Times,...
MusiCares Unveils Final, $2M Round of COVID-19 Relief Funding
The Recording Academy and MusiCares — its charitable arm providing health, financial, and rehabilitation resources to music workers in times of need — each made a $1 million base donation to kick off the fund last March. By one month later in April 2020, funds had been depleted. Now, the fund is once again open to music professionals who have had at least three years of employment in the music industry, or six commercially released recordings or videos. Anyone who has already received assistance from the fund is eligible to apply again. Once the final funds are distributed, MusiCares says it will continue to support the music community through “existing and new mental health and hardship grant programs and virtual support groups, among other programs.” MusiCar...
BTS Light Up Grammy Stage During Remote ‘Dynamite’ Performance
After a historical year, K-pop superheroes BTS took over their own version of the Grammys stage Sunday night from afar. Already holding the distinction of being the first K-pop acted nominated for a Grammy award — in this year’s Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category — the mega-group hit the Grammy stage for an electrifying performance of their Billboard Hot 100-topping single, “Dynamite.” The award may have gone to Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga for their chart-topping summer smash, “Rain On Me,” but that didn’t mean the group still wasn’t fired up for their Sunday performance. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480R...
Brittany Howard, Chris Martin Team for ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’
If Brittany Howard’s five Grammy nods weren’t enough proof of how massive her last year has been, her latest performance with Coldplay’s Chris Martin should do it. The Alabama Shakes leader and 2021 nominee shared a heartfelt performance of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” originally written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and popularized by Gerry and the Pacemakers to honor singer Gerry Marsden alongside Martin at Sunday’s awards. Martin took on the keys as Howard belted powerfully to celebrate the lives we lost. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:”270″,”playlist”:”10315″,...
Brandi Carlile Salutes John Prine With Heartwarming Performance of ‘I Remember Everything’
Last year, Brandi Carlile took the Grammys stage with a joint performance with Tanya Tucker, as they ran through their collaboration “Bring My Flowers Now.” This year, she did things solo. But she tipped her hat to one of the best to ever do it: John Prine. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:”270″,”playlist”:”10315″,”inviewBottomOffset”:”105px”} }); –> The current 2021 Grammy winner (Best Country Song, “Crowded Table”) with the Highwomen and singer-songwriter shared a heartwarming performance of Prine’s “I Remember Everything” wi...
Taylor Swift Plays Songs From folklore and evermore at Grammys
Coming off the mega-success of her sister albums folklore and evermore, Taylor Swift had a little help from her friends during her latest major Grammy moment. On Sunday night, Swift performed a medley of hits from her Billboard-topping 2020 albums, including “Cardigan,” “Willow” and “August,” as she sang and played along in a woodland surrounding. The elegant performance, featuring Swift sitting on a mossy roof and joined by collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner inside what appears to be a mini-cabin, helped celebrate the milestone success of their two latest projects. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,&...
Black Pumas Share Thrilling Performance of ‘Colors’ at Grammys
You have to be pretty damn good to have a deluxe album nominated for a Grammy award. Black Pumas proved tonight that they are with a stellar performance of their Grammy-nominated track “Colors” at Sunday’s ceremony. During the performance, the psychedelic soul duo of Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada lit up the stage with a refreshing take on their single, which propelled them from late 2019 onward. Between some bad-ass guitar wailing and some soulful backing vocals, the high-energy performance lit up the show following Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and HAIM. <!– // Brid Player Singles. var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ “div”: “Brid_10143537”, “obj”: {“id”:”25115″,”width”:”480″,”height”:...
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