Quantcast

ACADEMY BRASS
PLEDGES TO GET REAL


Along with its public statement announcing the establishment of a task force “to review every aspect of what we do to ensure that our commitment to diversity is reflected in our organization and community,” the Recording Academy’s Executive Committee has sent a direct communiqué to members and its “colleagues in the music industry.” This letter, hidden behind the GrammyPro paywall, is more candid than the public statement, starting in the opening paragraph, which acknowledges “the impact of the unfortunate choice of words from our President/CEO, Neil Portnow, in a post-Grammy interview.”

The letter’s frank tone continues with the admission, based on “the many letters and statements that we and our Board have received from some of our most respected artists, as well as prominent female and male music business executives,” that the Academy and the music business in general “must do a better job honoring and demonstrating our commitment to cultural, gender and genre diversity, in all aspects of our work.”

After pointing out the prominent roles of women on the Board and the various committees, and citing the good work the Academy is doing with MusiCares, the Grammy Museum Foundation and on Capitol Hill, the letter describes the org as having “an inclusive and diverse philosophy, meaningful outreach and communication, a purity of purpose, and an eagerness to embrace change as our musical culture and society evolve… The more diverse we are as an Academy, the better equipped we are to champion our members and our community.”

The Grammys, the letter notes, “have always been a positive and negative flashpoint and will likely continue to be because of the ever-changing nature of our world. We are constantly striving to reflect genre, gender, and ethnic diversity in our categories and fields. We welcome proposals from our members to make changes, and we debate all worthy ideas at an annual meeting dedicated solely to this purpose.”

Describing the Academy as “a thriving, fluid environment,” the Executive Committee states, “We embrace the idea that with the help and support of dedicated artists and professionals, we will undertake a fresh, honest appraisal of the role of women in all aspects of our Academy and the industry at large, with the hope of inspiring positive change… We are pleased that our task force announcement has been well received, with many people offering to participate in work that will yield tangible results… If we achieve this goal, we will all look back at this moment as one that has helped reshape the fabric of our industry.”

The Academy brass appears to be taking on this considerable challenge. We can only hope their actions are as decisive as their words.

UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
YTD MARKET SHARE
Zeroing in on the elite teams (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
SONG REVENUE:
A STYLISTIC STEW
MC, divas and singer-songwriters rub elbows. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)