Stoute & Portnow issue joint statement

A TOAST TO DÉTENTE: On Thursday, two weeks after buying a full-page ad to criticize the Grammys for being out of touch, Steve Stoute co-signed a statement with the Recording Academy’s Neil Portnow. Here’s the whole thing: “The voices of artists and our creative community are at the heart of the missions of the Recording Academy and indeed the music industry itself. Expanding constructive and positive ways to continue to actively incorporate generational and artistic diversity in The Academy’s development and good work serves those important missions. The participation of new and culturally diverse voices has and continues to be a goal which benefits our members, the creative community, and music fans everywhere. To that end, we have come together in a collaborative manner to discuss how the Recording Academy can continue to evolve in an ever-changing cultural environment. We invite others who share this agenda to join us in these discussions.” (3/4a)