State Champ Radio Grammy Week
Primary Wave’s annual pre-Grammy party went down Saturday night at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and this year, for the first time, it celebrated Billboard No. 1s.So it makes sense that a crowd of hitmakers was in the building to celebrate Grammy Weekend, including Jon Bon Jovi, who had just been honored the night prior as MusiCares Person of the Year and is the voice of four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits with his namesake band. Melissa Etheridge was also there, alongside wife Linda Wallem, and she’s a Billboard chart-topper too, including the Adult Contemporary No. 1 smash “I’m the Only One.”
Then there was Bell Biv DeVoe — the trio of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie DeVoe — who scored three No. 1s on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in their early ’90s heyday. They were the perfect people for Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to ask “what is the key to making a hit song?” on the red carpet Saturday night.
“Be yourself, have fun, make sure you’re enjoying it,” Bell offered. “Make sure it’s what you would really listen to when you go to the clubs or jump in your car. Just keep it true in that aspect.”
Bivens chimed in next: “I would say get a hot beat. Don’t nothing happen without the beat. Then go straight to the chorus and get something that they want to remember. And then just tell a story that you think connects to men and women.”
Finally, DeVoe said, “It’s about that moment in time too, like being real as far as what you’re feeling in your life at that time. The biggest albums were about a moment in time in any given artist’s career. Whether it’s Prince, Purple Rain or Mary J. Blige, What’s the 411? There’s so many classics based on people’s pain and their victory at any time. A song should speak to that.”
CeeLo was in charge of the night’s music, spinning everything from Usher’s “Yeah!” and Too $hort’s “Blow the Whistle” to his own “F**k You! (Forget You),” a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart in 2011.
Also at the Waldorf Astoria for the party: Lauren Spencer-Smith, Fifth Harmony alumni Ally Brooke & Dinah Jane, Grandmaster Flash, Gavin Rossdale, “Lovin On Me” co-writer & co-producer Sean Momberger, Johnny Gill, Bonnie McKee, Israeli & Palestinian boy band as1one, Eric Benét, charlieonafriday, Pat Houston, Donna Houston, Damien “DDOT” Washington, Domani Harris, Armani White, James Charles, Crystal Kung MinkoffDom Fenison & Chanel West Coast, Terry Washington and, last but not least, The Hamburglar, who surprised the party with Happy Meal boxes filled with McDonald’s cheeseburgers and french fries.
Find photos from the party below:
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Lauren Spencer-Smith at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Melissa Etheridge & Linda Wallem
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
as1one
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Sadik Dogosh, Neta Rozenblat, Ohad Attia, Aseel Farah, Nadav Philips and Niv Lin of as1one at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Ghostwriter
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Ghostwriter at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Grandmaster Flash
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Grandmaster Flash at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Gavin Rossdale
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Gavin Rossdale at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
charlieonafriday
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
charlieonafriday at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Bell Biv DeVoe
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Ricky Bell, Ronnie DeVoe and Michael Bivins of Bell Biv DeVoe at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Pat Houston
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Pat Houston at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Donna Houston
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Donna Houston at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Bonnie McKee
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Bonnie McKee at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Damien “DDOT” Washington
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Damien “DDOT” Washington at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Sean Momberger
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Sean Momberger at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Domani Harris
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Domani Harris at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Eric Benét
Image Credit: Elyse Jankowski for Billboard
Eric Benét at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
CeeLo Green & Armani White
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
CeeLo Green and Armani White at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Ally Brooke & Dinah Jane
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Ally Brooke and Dinah Jane at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Johnny Gill & Ricky Bell
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Johnny Gill and Ricky Bell at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
James Charles
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
James Charles at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Crystal Kung Minkoff
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Crystal Kung Minkoff at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Dom Fenison & Chanel West Coast
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Dom Fenison and Chanel West Coast at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Terry Washington & Eric Benét
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Terry Washington and Eric Benét at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
Jon Bon Jovi
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
Jon Bon Jovi at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
The Hamburglar & CeeLo Green
Image Credit: Christopher Polk for Billboard
The Hamburglar and CeeLo Green at the Primary Wave x Billboard Grammy Party held at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills on Feb. 3, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
As always, NMPA president David Israelite kicked off its annual Grammy week showcase (in partnership with Billboard) with a gentle reminder: The bar will close during performances, and guests are expected to remain silent.It’s all part of the NMPA’s ethos to better support songwriters, and throughout the night, attendees also had the pleasure of watching songwriters support one another. At one table sat Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey and Kelsea Ballerini. Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon were seated to their right, with Dan Nigro and Chappell Roan seated just behind and Leon Thomas and his mother nearby.
Throughout the intimate and star-studded evening on Wednesday (Jan. 31), the audience was treated to performances by best new artist nominees Jelly Roll and Noah Kahan, rising pop star Conan Gray and country star Kelsea Ballerini — plus an impassioned speech from Del Rey about Vanguard Award recipient Antonoff, during which she couldn’t help but announce her upcoming country album Lasso, out this September.
Kahan, who was being honored with the Rising Star award, joked before his set that “I’ve been around longer than this [award title] would suggest … Don’t tell the Grammys.” Later, Nigro contested his own award title, saying, “I don’t consider myself a hitmaker” — though his track record on the charts proves otherwise.
Dillon — who is Grammy nominated for songwriter of the year alongside Edgar Barrera, Shane McAnally, Justin Tranter and Theron Thomas — summarized the evening best while accepting her Breakthrough Songwriter award. “There is no music without songs and no songs without songwriters — and we deserve to be compensated fairly.”
As for each performer, they all shared a similar sentiment about the life-changing power of a hit — and how they would never have gotten there where they are today without their incredible and trusted co-writers.
“Our community is really interesting and there’s a lot of anxiety sometimes,” shared Antonoff during the night’s final speech. “I feel very very proud to be here.”
Lana Del Rey
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lana Del Rey speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jack Antonoff
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jack Antonoff speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Chase Stokes & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
David Israelite speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Leon Thomas
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Leon Thomas attends the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Lainey Wilson & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lainey Wilson and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Conan Gray
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Conan Gray performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Leon Thomas
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Leon Thomas speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Noah Kahan & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Noah Kahan and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Lana Del Rey
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lana Del Rey at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Conan Gray & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Conan Gray and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jessie Jo Dillon
Image Credit: Nick Agro for NMPA
Jessie Jo Dillon speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jack Antonoff & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jack Antonoff and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Dan Nigro
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Dan Nigro speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini & Jessie Jo Dillon
Image Credit: Nick Agro for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini and Jessie Jo Dillon at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Golnar Khosrowshahi
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Golnar Khosrowshahi and guest at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Dan Nigro & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Dan Nigro and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Mike O’Neill, Elizabeth Matthews & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Mike O’Neill, Elizabeth Matthews and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Chase Stokes & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Mitch Glazier
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Mitch Glazier and guest at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
David Israelite & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
David Israelite and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
It’s Music’s Biggest Week, haven’t you heard? As the 66th Grammy Awards draw nearer (Feb. 4), the stars have descended upon Los Angeles for a week jam-packed with events, galas, panels and performances in celebration of Music’s Biggest Night. This year, SZA leads all nominees with nine nods for her 10-week Billboard 200 No. 1 […]
Lenny Kravitz has been announced as the first of three 2024 Recording Academy Global Impact Award honorees. The award will be presented at the third annual Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective on Thursday (Feb. 1) at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
This is a CEO Merit Award that recognizes Black music creators “whose dedication to the art form has greatly influenced the industry and whose legacy of service inspires countless individuals worldwide, celebrating those who, through leadership and passion, empower others to embrace their authentic selves and contribute to positive change.” Harvey Mason Jr. has been the Academy’s CEO since May 2021, after serving as interim CEO for about a year.
Kravitz won Grammy Awards in four consecutive years (1999-2002) for best male rock vocal performance for “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” “Again” and “Dig In.”
The 2023 Recording Academy Global Impact Award Honorees were Grammy-winning artists Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne and leading music executive Sylvia Rhone.
Adam Blackstone will return for the third consecutive year as music supervisor for the Black Music Collective event. MVD Inc will also return for the third consecutive year to produce the event. Music executive and photographer Lenny S will curate the Icons Gallery, an art activation paying tribute to generations of influential Black music icons.
The third annual Recording Academy Honors, sponsored by Amazon Music and City National Bank, will take place three days before the 66th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
As previously announced, Kravitz will receive the Music Icon Award at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards on Feb. 18, and will take the stage for a multi-song performance.
Kravitz had both success and disappointment on the awards trail with “Road to Freedom,” which he wrote, performed and produced for the Netflix film Rustin. The soul-stirring anthem brought him a Golden Globe nomination for best original song – motion picture and a Critics Choice Awards nod for best song, but it was passed over on Tuesday Jan. 23 for an Oscar nod for best original song.
Kravitz was selected as a 2023 Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee and will release a new album, Blue Electric Light, on May 24.
The Recording Academy’s Grammy House is returning for a second year with three days of programming targeted to “music makers, culture creators and rising industry leaders.” Grammy House is presented by Mastercard and runs from Thursday, Feb. 1, to Saturday, Feb. 3, in Los Angeles. “I am so excited for this second installment of Grammy […]
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, the Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing will come together with its Songwriters & Composers Wing at the Grammy Museum in downtown L.A. to host “A Celebration of Craft.” The event will honor Leslie Ann Jones, a seven-time Grammy winner and the first woman chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees (1999-2001), who has been a top recording and mixing engineer and record producer for more than four decades.
The celebration — a first joint Grammy Week event for the Academy’s craft wings — will kick off the Academy’s official events in the lead-up to the 66th annual Grammy Awards.
The event will also shine a light on this year’s nominees for songwriter of the year, non-classical.
“I’m so excited for our Producers & Engineers and Songwriters & Composers Wings to come together for A Celebration of Craft later this month,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “I look forward to joining with music people from both of these communities to kick off our Grammy Week celebrations.”
Maureen Droney, vp of the Producers & Engineers Wing, added in a statement: “From her decades-spanning recording career to her work as former chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees, a co-chair of the P&E Wing, and much more, Leslie Ann Jones has always been committed to the music community and to excellence in recording.”
In her statement, Susan Stewart, MD of the Songwriters & Composers Wing, said: “A Celebration of Craft will mark the first Grammy Week event for the Songwriters & Composers Wing since our Wing was founded in 2021, and we could not be more enthusiastic to come together with our community for an evening dedicated to celebrating their creativity.”
Jones has held staff positions at ABC Recording Studios in Los Angeles, the Automatt Recording Studios in San Francisco, Capitol Studios in Hollywood, and now Skywalker Sound, where she records and mixes music for records, films, video games and TV and produces records, primarily in the classical genre.
Jones, the daughter of famed comedy recording star Spike Jones, serves on the advisory board of Institute for the Musical Arts and on the board of directors of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.). She is also an artistic advisor to the Technology and Applied Composition degree program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Jones was inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame in 2019 and was the recipient of the 2022 G.A.N.G. Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also a member of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board.
Grammy Week culminates with the 66th annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.
The Recording Academy has a full slate of events lined up for the week leading up to the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 4.
Michael Kushner, Atlantic Records’ executive VP of business & legal affairs and general counsel, will be honored at the 26th annual Entertainment Law Initiative event on Friday morning Feb. 2.
Jon Bon Jovi will be honored at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala that night.
Jon Platt, Sony Music Publishing chairman/CEO, will be honored at the Pre-Grammy Gala the following night. He is the 2024 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree.
Here are the Recording Academy’s Grammy Week events. (We will add additional details and events as they become available.)
Wednesday, Jan. 31
A Celebration of Craft: Presented by Producers & Engineers and Songwriters & Composers Wings
The Grammy Museum
7 p.m.
Recording Academy private event: by invitation only
Thursday, Feb. 1
2024 Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music CollectiveFairmont Century Plaza7 p.m.Recording Academy private event: by invitation only
Friday, Feb. 2
Grammy U Masterclass, Presented by Mastercard11 a.m.: Doors1 p.m.: Panel/LivestreamRecording Academy event: by invitation only
26th Annual Entertainment Law InitiativeHonoring Michael KushnerBeverly Wilshire Hotel11 a.m.Recording Academy private event: by invitation only
MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Jon Bon JoviLos Angeles Convention Center 5 p.m.MusiCares eventUnitedMasters: A Celebration of IndependenceFeaturing Uncle Waffles, Tokischa and special guests Hollywood Palladium 9:30 p.m. By invitation only
Saturday, Feb. 3
Special Merit Awards Ceremony and 66th Annual Grammy Nominees ReceptionWilshire Ebell Theatre2:30 p.m.Recording Academy private event: by invitation only
Pre-Grammy GalaHonoring Jon Platt The Beverly Hilton7 p.m.Recording Academy private event: by invitation only
Sunday, Feb. 4
66th Annual Grammy Awards Premiere CeremonyPeacock Theater11:30 a.m.: Doors12:30 p.m.: Awards CeremonyRecording Academy event
66th Annual Grammy Awards TelecastHosted by Trevor NoahCrypto.com Arena5 – 8:30 p.m.Recording Academy event
Grammy CelebrationLos Angeles Convention Center, West Hall8:30 p.m.- 12:30 a.m.Recording Academy event
Artists, music executives, songwriters and more descended on Los Angeles’ Nightingale Plaza on Wednesday night for the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and Billboard Grammy Week Showcase.
Throughout the star-studded night, Demi Lovato, Sabrina Carpenter and Jimmie Allen each performed an intimate set, highlighting the work of a particular songwriter who helped each craft the sound of their latest studio set. Carpenter, the rising star behind Emails I Can’t Send, put a spotlight on Amy Allen, with whom she duetted on their co-written single “Vicious.”
Later in the evening, Allen performed a brand-new track titled “Small Town Anthem” as well as his 2022 hit “Down Home” before posing alongside Nashville powerhouse Liz Rose, who sits on the NMPA board of directors and was awarded song of the year during the party for co-writing “All Too Well” hand-in-hand with a certain superstar by the name of Taylor Swift back in 2012.
Lovato eventually closed out the musical festivities with back-to-back performances of “Feed” and “4 Ever 4 Me” from their 2022 album Holy Fvck — both of which were penned by Laura Veltz along with 11 more of the album’s 16 pop-punk-infused tracks.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. and NMPA president David Israelite were both on hand for the soiree, as well as songwriters from Makia, Nija Charles and Alex Raphael to Amber Mark and Patty Smyth. Heading into the 2023 Grammys on Sunday, Charles, Veltz and Allen are all among the inaugural pack of nominees for the first-ever award for songwriter of the year, non-classical.
Check out Billboard‘s exclusive gallery of the NMPA and Billboard Grammy Week Showcase below.
The Recording Academy Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) will honor Peter T. Paterno, partner at King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP, with the 2023 Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award. The award will be presented at the ELI’s 25th-anniversary event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 — two nights before the 65th Annual Grammy Awards are presented at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“We’re thrilled to return to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for the 25th anniversary ELI Grammy Week Event to salute the impact of entertainment law on the music industry,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “The creative community is grateful for Peter’s advocacy on behalf of music makers, and I look forward to celebrating ELI’s mission to inspire dialogue between industry professionals and to cultivate an inclusive future generation of entertainment law practitioners.”
Over the course of his career, Paterno has nurtured the careers of dozens of recording artists. He has extensive experience in all aspects of copyright and trademark law, tax planning relating to the entertainment industry, litigation management and live theater production.
Paterno’s clients include Dr. Dre, Metallica, Van Morrison, Blink-182, Twenty One Pilots, Skrillex, Tyler the Creator, Q Tip, Goo Goo Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Rancid, Alice In Chains, Offspring, Linda Ronstadt, Jared Leto/Thirty Seconds to Mars, Roddy Ricch, Richard Sherman, Sia, Shirley Manson, Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos — as well as the estates of Tupac Shakur and Henry Mancini.
Peter T. Paterno
Ron Lyon
In 1990, Paterno started and became the first president of Hollywood Records, the Walt Disney Company’s popular music record label.
The Service Award winner is determined by ELI’s executive committee, which is currently chaired by Laurie Soriano. Members include Kris Ahrend, Sandy Crawshaw-Sparks, Susan Genco, Renee Karalian, Michael Kushner, Dina LaPolt, Wade Leak, Angie Martinez, Tanya Perara, Julian Petty, Leron Rogers, Henry Root, Bobby Rosenbloum, Julie Swidler, Jeff Walker, Robert Windom and Stephanie Yu.
The ELI Grammy Week event will also celebrate the winner and two runners-up of the Entertainment Law Initiative writing contest, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association. The contest challenges students in Juris Doctorate and Master of Laws programs at U.S. law schools to research a pressing legal issue facing the modern music industry and outline a proposed solution in a 3,000-word essay. Students have until Jan. 3, 2023, to enter the contest.
A $10,000 scholarship is awarded to the author of the winning paper, and $2,500 scholarships are awarded to two runners-up. The winning paper will be published in the ABA’s journal Entertainment & Sports Lawyer. The winner will also receive travel and tickets to Los Angeles to attend the 65th Grammy Awards, MusiCares Person of the Year and the ELI Grammy Week Event. See official rules, detailed prize packages and deadlines at recordingacademy.com/eli.
Individual tickets and a limited number of discounted student tickets to the ELI Grammy Week event are on sale now.
-
Pages
