recording academy
Country Music Foundation, Inc., Soulsville Foundation, International Bluegrass Music Association, Louisiana Folk Roots and the Memphis Listening Lab are among 15 organizations or individuals that were chosen to receive grants by the Grammy Museum Grant Program. A total of $200,000 in grants will be awarded this year. This year marks the 37th year of the program.
“Generously funded by the Recording Academy,” to use the Grammy Museum’s phrase, the Grammy Museum Grant Program provides funding annually to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of the recorded sound heritage of the Americas for future generations, in addition to research projects related to the impact of music on the human condition.
“The Grammy Museum and Recording Academy have continued their partnership to provide fundamental funding for music research and preservation projects across the United States and Canada,” Michael Sticka, president/CEO of the Grammy Museum, said in a statement. “ … We are honored to support these remarkable projects that continue to shape the future of music, science and technology.”
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In 2008, the Grammy Museum Grant Program expanded its categories to include assistance grants for individuals and small to mid-sized organizations to aid collections held by individuals and organizations that may not have access to the expertise needed to create a preservation plan.
Here are the 2025 recipients:
Scientific Research Grantees
CERVO Brain Research Center — Quebec City, Quebec
Awarded: $20,000
Their goal is to uncover how choir singing impacts communication and auditory cognition in older adults, supporting healthy aging through a randomized training study. This project aims to inform community choirs and music-based interventions, aligning with the foundation’s mission to enhance quality of life through music.
Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital – CISSS Laval — Laval, Quebec
Awarded: $19,500
Stroke typically leads to persistent deficits in arm and hand function. This project will examine the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a six-week piano training intervention aimed at improving manual dexterity and the functional use of the arm and hand. For the first time, such intervention will be delivered as part of a home-based, early, and intensive rehabilitation program for individuals with stroke.
New York University — New York, N.Y.
Awarded: $9,000
Many people struggle with speech-language disorders due to developmental issues or brain injuries. Although music therapy can help these individuals regain speech functions, its effectiveness varies. By combining neuroimaging and machine learning, this study will explore how the brain can bypass damaged speech language networks by leveraging musical networks to enhance communication.
University of South Florida — Tampa, Fla.
Awarded: $9,000
This randomized trial will examine the effects of a novel woodwind program on neural responses and respiration function in adults 50+ with Long-term COVID (LTC). Adults will complete measures of cognitive processing (EEG) and respiration function (spirometer), pre- and post-10 weeks of either Nuvo jsax lessons or an attentional control task.
University of Toronto — Toronto
Awarded: $20,000
Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) uses rhythmic sound cues to help people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) start and maintain stable movement. This project is the first to examine how these cues impact brain chemistry in PD, revealing the brain’s response to these cues. Their findings could improve the use of RAS as part of PD care, refining clinical applications that work alongside standard medication to support movement and enhance quality of life in PD.
Preservation Assistance Grantees
Lex Gillespie — Washington, D.C.
Awarded: $5,000
The project will preserve 75 interviews from the 10-hour Peabody Award-winning public radio series, “Whole Lotta Shakin’.” It tells the story of rockabilly, the exciting 1950s mix of blues, gospel and country that is the cornerstone of rock and roll. This diverse collection features singers, musicians, producers, DJs, and record company owners. The goal: to digitize these decaying recordings for use by scholars, content providers and the public.
Memphis Listening Lab — Memphis, Tenn.
Awarded: $5,000
Grammy Museum Preservation Assistance funding will enable the Memphis Listening Lab (MLL) to hire an expert consultant to conduct a preservation assessment of MLL’s extensive collection of recorded music. The consultant will provide MLL with a written report detailing their observations and recommendations for preserving MLL’s collection, which is freely accessible to the public.
Preservation Implementation
Country Music Foundation, Inc. — Nashville, Tenn.
Awarded: $20,000
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHFM) sought funding to assess, catalog, re-house, and make accessible a collection of 18,000 12-inch radio transcription discs containing historically significant, non-commercial recordings. This collection features interviews and performances with various country artists. Building on a successful project with 16-inch discs, CMHFM aims to begin Phase 2 of cataloging this larger collection.
Forgotten Futures Fund Inc. — Brooklyn, N.Y.
Awarded: $20,000
Louis and Bebe Barron were American electronic music pioneers. This project digitizes nearly 800 magnetic tapes. It will make available to the public, for the first time, their sci-fi, experimental and commercial sounds. The Barrons, moving in parallel to European composers of musique concrète, were DIY artists who lacked institutional support.
International Bluegrass Music Association — Nashville, Tenn.
Awarded: $20,000
The “Preserving the Legacy of Bluegrass Music” project will digitize and make accessible audio and visual materials from the 40-year history of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Recordings include industry awards show performances and speeches, special performances, conference presentations, workshops, and other IBMA events, featuring first-, second- and third-generation bluegrass musicians from 1985 to the present day.
Louisiana Folk Roots — Lafayette, La.
Awarded: $15,000
Louisiana Folk Roots (LFR) will digitize and preserve at-risk audiovisual tape recordings of Cajun and Creole heritage folk music performances and presentations that occurred from 2001-15. This LFR archival collection of analog formats is not currently available online. Following digitization, this collection can become publicly accessible in partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Library and Institutional Repository.
Matthew White — Columbia, S.C.
Awarded: $10,000
Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz stands as NPR’s longest-running cultural program, airing from 1978 to 2011. Currently, those programs exist on a server at SCETV (where the show was produced), along with more than 5,000 physical documents, including McPartland’s notes, photos, sheet music, and promotional materials. This proposal is to complete the digitization of these materials and create a free website where these materials can be accessed by the public.
Painted Bride Art Center, as fiscal sponsor for Philadelphia Jazz Legacy Project — Philadelphia, Pa.
Awarded: $10,000
Philadelphia Jazz Legacy Project, through its fiscal sponsor Painted Bride Art Center and in partnership with Temple University Libraries, sought a Grammy Museum Grant to digitize, preserve and make available several dozen interviews with Philadelphia jazz musicians. Conducted from the early 1980s to early 2020s, the interviews document the lives and careers of both world-famous and local Philadelphia jazz musicians.
Soulsville Foundation — Memphis, Tenn.
Awarded: $12,500
Acclaimed Memphis historians have donated interviews of Memphis music legends. These unstable digital tapes represent the richest collection of Black music history interviews ever received by the Stax Museum. The interviews will allow for enhanced storytelling in future exhibitions and online presentations.
T. Christopher Aplin — Pasadena, Calif.
Awarded: $5,000
American Indian Soundchiefs was a record label owned by Kiowa Linn D. Pauahty—the earliest, longest-running label launched with an ear toward Indigenous aesthetics. This project will help Pauahtyʼs granddaughter Mary Helen Deer, the Linn D. Pauahty Foundation, and Kiowa tribe digitize surviving American Indian Soundchiefs instantaneous discs, reel-to-reels, and cassettes featuring Kiowa-language songs for cultural revitalization purposes.
Emmylou Harris, R&B star Eddie Floyd and Jody Stephens, drummer of iconic power-pop band Big Star, are set to perform at the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, which will take place Friday, May 16, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California – the site of the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1959.
All three have recordings being inducted this year. Harris will be joined by producer Daniel Lanois and jazz drummer Brian Blade for a performance of a song from her 1995 album Wrecking Ball, which Lanois produced. Floyd is being honored for his 1966 classic “Knock on Wood”; Big Star for its 1972 album #1 Record.
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Percussionist Cindy Blackman, who is married to Carlos Santana, is also set to perform. The band Santana’s 1999 album Supernatural is being honored.
Also on the bill: R&B powerhouse Ledisi; actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr.; and guitar virtuoso Orianthi; as well as previously announced performer, composer and bandleader Jon Batiste. Each performance will celebrate one of this year’s Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. More performers will be announced soon.
The event will additionally honor this year’s label honoree, Republic Records. Atlantic Records was the initial label honoree at last year’s gala, which marked the first time there was a stand-alone event to honor the inducted recordings. Last year’s gala was held at the Novo Theatre at L.A. Live.
As previously announced, the event will also include the presentation of the inaugural Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award, created in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation. This new annual honor recognizes an artist whose creative legacy reflects the visionary innovation of Ray Charles. The first recipient is seven-time Grammy Award winner Batiste, who will also perform during the gala.
Returning as host is CBS News journalist Anthony Mason. The show will again be produced by Ken Ehrlich, alongside Ron Basile, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan. Ehrlich produced or executive produced the annual Grammy Awards telecast for 40 years. Cheche Alara, a Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and conductor, will serve as musical director for the event.
The gala will celebrate the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings. In addition to the four already named, they are: J.D. Crowe & The New South’s J.D. Crowe & The New South; Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt; Fela Kuti & Afrika 70’s Zombie; Linda Martell’s “Color Him Father”; Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga”; Cat Stevens’s Tea for the Tillerman; Luther Vandross’s Never Too Much; Clara Ward’s “How I Got Over”; and Geeshie Wiley’s “Last Kind Words Blues.”
This year’s additions to the Grammy Hall of Fame meet the main requirements – they exhibit “qualitative or historical significance” and are at least 25 years old. Eligible artist(s), producer(s), engineer(s), and mixer(s) of these 13 recordings will receive a certificate from the Recording Academy.
The Grammy Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s national trustees in 1973. Inducted recordings are selected annually by a member committee drawn from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the academy’s national board of trustees. Counting these 13 new titles, the Grammy Hall of Fame totals 1,165 inducted recordings. The full list of past inducted recordings can be found here.
The Grammy Hall of Fame Gala serves as a fundraiser to support the Grammy Museum’s national education programs. It includes a cocktail reception, dinner, and concert program. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $1,250. For more information, visit this site.
Jon Batiste will receive the inaugural Ray Charles “Architect of Sound” Award at the annual Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, which is set for May 16 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The award is to be presented annually at this event, which is presented jointly by the Grammy Museum and the Recording Academy.
The “Architect of Sound” Award recognizes an artist whose impact on music echoes Charles’ pioneering spirit. A 17-time Grammy winner, Charles is widely-regarded one of the most influential artists of all time. He was in the inaugural class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recipients in 1986 and also received the Kennedy Center Honors that year. He received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 and has 10 recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for portraying Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray. The film remains one of the top 10 top-grossing musical biopics.
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“Ray Charles is a beacon for me, a blueprint,” Batiste said in a statement. “He is a singular example of musical genius, artistic freedom and craft of the highest level that will continue to inspire humanity for generations and stand the test of time. I am honored to receive this award. It is vitally important to me to carry on our cultural legacy of true artistic greatness and lead the way for generations to come.”
Michael Sticka, Grammy Museum president/CEO, said, “Ray Charles was a trailblazing artist whose influence knows no bounds, and Jon Batiste is a true reflection of that legacy. Beyond his immense talent, Jon has been a dedicated partner in advancing the Grammy Museum’s mission to make music education more accessible. Honoring him with the inaugural Ray Charles ‘Architect of Sound’ Award is not just fitting — it’s a celebration of two artists who have shaped the sound of generations.”
Valerie Ervin, president of The Ray Charles Foundation, added, “Ray Charles was always pushing music forward — blending genres, breaking barriers, and inspiring generations. He would be deeply honored to have his name attached to an award that celebrates artists who share his fearless creativity and dedication to their craft. Jon Batiste embodies that spirit.”
Batiste has won seven Grammys, including album of the year for We Are, and an Oscar for best original score for Soul (in tandem with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). His latest album, Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1), is the first in his solo piano series, reimagining classical works through a fresh lens.
Batiste will take the stage for two performances at the Gala, which will also feature musical moments from a lineup of artists to be announced soon. The event will additionally honor this year’s label honoree, Republic Records.
The show will be produced by former Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Ehrlich, alongside Ron Basile, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan, with musical direction by Cheche Alara, a Grammy- and Latin Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and conductor. CBS News journalist Anthony Mason returns as host.
The Gala will celebrate the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame inducted recordings, which include iconic recordings such as JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, Cat Stevens’ Tea for the Tillerman, Santana’s Supernatural, and recordings from Big Star, Clara Ward, Eddie Floyd, Emmylou Harris, Fela Kuti & Afrika 70, Geeshie Wiley, Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, J.D. Crowe & The New South, Linda Martell, and Luther Vandross.
The Grammy Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s National Trustees in 1973. The inducted recordings are selected annually by a committee, with final ratification by the Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. With 13 new titles, the Grammy Hall of Fame currently totals 1,165 inducted recordings. Eligible recipients will receive an official certificate from the Recording Academy.
Tickets for the Grammy Hall of Fame Gala are on sale now. For more information, visit the Grammy Museum website.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email to all Recording Academy members on Wednesday (April 2) sharing a report that the academy created and quietly posted on its website in January. In the report, the academy attempts to quantify its impact and summarize the changes it has made over the five years since Mason stepped into the top job at the organization (initially as interim CEO following the departure of Deborah Dugan).
“While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year,” Mason wrote in his letter. … “This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year.”
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In an interview with Billboard, Mason shed further light on his aims with the report, which takes the form of a slick and visually appealing deck brimming with facts and figures. But Mason says the numbers aren’t the point. “To me, the bottom line is that they get a sense that the academy is making a real impact on the lives of music people beyond just giving trophies,” he says. “What I’m trying to do is hopefully build support for the academy, through seeing it maybe through a different lens, rather than just who got snubbed or who won or who didn’t win. That’s the objective of this report.”
Mason has long tried to get people to see the academy as more than just the dispenser of shiny gramophones. “When I took the role, one of my objectives and goals was to heighten the awareness of what happens the other 364 days of the year,” he says. “I did experience a lot of interaction with music people in studios as I was coming up where people just thought of the Grammys as a night to get an award, whereas I was always encouraging them to see the bigger picture; to see all the service work that’s being done; the advocacy, the education, the philanthropy, MusicCares; all the different parts of the academy.
“A lot of people know and love the awards ceremony,” he continues. “I’m thankful for that, but it is a challenge for us as an organization to tell the larger story as to why we exist. [This report is] a new way of positioning the academy. We needed to do a better job of explaining why the academy exists beyond to celebrate one night a year. So, this was an intentional effort for us over the last few years to make sure we’re telling that story in a new way.”
Perhaps the most eye-popping statistic in the deck presentation is one that was already reported in the academy’s 2024 membership report, which was released Oct. 3 and reported in Billboard that same day: That a whopping 66% of current academy voting members have joined since 2019.
“It’s great [in the] sense in that we are continuing to remain relevant,” Mason says, “to attract new music-makers, people who are at the height of their careers, or coming into their careers, and we are moving away from having people who have been members…” Mason pauses and starts anew. “We always want to keep our long-term members, but we want to make sure they’re continuing to qualify as voting members [by being able to show recent credits]. We don’t want people that have had music careers in the 1960s or ’70s still voting on music that maybe they’re not involved in making, so we’re making sure we’re refreshing the membership; making sure the membership’s relevant to professionals in the industry working today.”
The deck also includes the statistic, also first reported in the membership report, that people of color now constitute 38% of the voting membership. “I’m pleased with the progress,” Mason says. “We still feel like we have some room to go. You think about why are these numbers important: Why do you care about changing the make-up of our membership? It’s mostly because we want to make sure our membership reflects the industry.”
Mason says he has no set points in mind as to when the academy will have achieved its membership goals. “We’ll never be done, because these numbers are going to fluctuate,” he says. “They’re going to adjust based on what’s happening in our community, in music; changing based on genre popularity, so we’re going to be in a constant search to perfect our membership. We’re always going to continue to work and tinker with the numbers because we have to remain relevant. I don’t think we’re where we want to be yet. I’m not sure we’ll ever accomplish the perfect membership, but we will continue to [work on it].”
At this year’s Grammy Awards, artists and songwriters of color won three of the four highest-profile awards: album of the year (Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter) and record and song of the year (Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”). Does Mason see that as a reflection of the academy’s overhaul of its membership?
“Not necessarily,” Mason says. “I see it as a reflection of the quality of their individual work. I like to think having a relevant membership — regardless of their race — is probably what gives us the best outcomes, but I think those people had amazing years creatively and our voters recognized that.”
The deck also repeats the stat that the Recording Academy has added more than 3,000 women voting members since 2019, surpassing its 2019 goal to add 2,500 women voting members by 2025. Women now make up 28% of the voting membership.
“We really needed to increase the number of women voters,” Mason says. “A great first step is adding 3,000 new members. We’re not [yet] where you want to be.”
The deck also speaks to the academy’s “bold global expansion, working with stakeholders in Africa and the Middle East to help foster the dynamic music markets there.” (The academy first released this information on June 9.)
Asked why that effort is a priority for the U.S.-based academy, Mason replies, “Obviously, a big focus is on our American members, and it will continue to be that. We are an organization that represents music all around the world. If we’re going to do that, we have to have people that represent those genres. It very much can be said in the same way about Latin music: Why do you care about Latin music? Why did you build a Latin Academy? It’s because the music is very popular. It’s a thriving music community and it continues to affect people as they listen to it and consume music, and the same can be said for other parts of the world.
“We are not living in a time when music only comes from American creators,” he continues. “Music is coming from creators all around the planet. As a group that serves music people and hopefully uplifts music people, we want to be able to do that for people regardless of where they’re from. As long as they’re making music, we want to have an impact on those music groups.”
Here’s Mason’s letter to the academy membership in full:
Academy members,
I am writing today to share an exciting report that we recently created. You frequently hear me say that music is a powerful force for good in the world, and that the people who make it deserve an organization dedicated to their well-being. I feel so incredibly privileged to work for the organization that exists to do that.
But our highest purpose isn’t merely to serve music creators, it’s to make a positive impact on their lives and careers. And that’s exactly what we work to do, every single day of the year, through the tireless and amazing effort of our board and our teams.
While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year. Every piece of legislation we help pass has a tangible impact on the music people we serve. Every event hosted by a chapter or wing, every dollar distributed by MusiCares, every scholarship we provide, and every time we open the Grammy Museum doors to a child, it impacts our music community. And yes, every Grammy nomination and award alters the trajectory of someone’s life and career.
This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year. As we say in the report, it is the combined work of the more than 300 dedicated employees of the Recording Academy, the Latin Recording Academy, the Grammy Museum, MusiCares, and thousands of music creators who volunteered their time in service to their peers.
Please take a moment to read through the report, and reflect on the ways you and your colleagues personally contributed to these outcomes. I hope you feel a sense of pride and purpose in what was accomplished, and for the role you play every day in serving the music people who rely on us.
Of course, we’re now into 2025, and while we celebrate the achievements of last year, we are also looking ahead to the impact we will make this year and beyond. Grammys on the Hill is right around the corner, the Day that Music Cares is coming soon, and much more awaits us in the months ahead.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our work. It is making a lasting impact.Gratefully,Harvey Mason jr.
Randy Travis, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), and Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) will be honored at the 2025 Grammys on the Hill Awards. The event is being held on Tuesday (April 8) in Washington, D.C.
Travis, a seven-time Grammy winner and multiplatinum recording artist, is being recognized for his work championing fair compensation and protections for artists in the digital age. In 2024, he testified on Capitol Hill in support of the American Music Fairness Act, which aims to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their songs air on AM/FM radio. He is also committed to promoting the ethical use of AI.
“At this point in my life, I am fully focused on living and giving back,” Travis said in a statement. “I’ve been part of the music community my whole life, professionally for 40 years. I am passionate about advocating to keep music an honest pursuit of art and human expression. While I remain excited about new, cutting-edge technologies, we must protect, and fairly compensate, the creative minds that give us the music—and art—that feeds our souls.”
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Travis, 65, has amassed 16 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart and five No. 1 albums on Top Country Albums. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
Representatives Sánchez and Estes are being honored for their leadership in championing policies that empower and protect musicians. Together, they re-introduced the HITS Act in Congress in January 2025 to advance tax reforms to ensure independent music creators can thrive.
The Grammys on the Hill Awards are just the start of a three-day schedule of events hosted by the Recording Academy.
On Wednesday April 9, the Academy’s annual Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day will bring together Grammy winners and nominees, along with industry leaders, for meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to discuss key legislative priorities impacting music creators.
On Thursday April 10, the Academy will hold its second annual Grammys on the Hill Future Forum, a conference exploring critical issues impacting the music community. The event will explore how to best build up music communities both locally and globally. Conversations will focus on the work state and local stakeholders are doing to develop and sustain music economies, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing new emerging music markets around the world.
“Grammys on the Hill plays a pivotal role in improving the lives of music creators, and we’re thrilled to see it evolve into a full week of advocacy, celebration and learning,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. “I’m excited to bring our music community and policymakers together in Washington—not just to celebrate the changemakers fighting for creators’ rights, but to unite and take action to improve the livelihoods of music people across the country.”
Since its inception in 2001, Grammys on the Hill has honored such artists as Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Pharrell Williams and Sheryl Crow. (See full list of artist honorees below.) The annual event has also recognized influential congressional leaders, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and former Speakers of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Grammys on the Hill has led to several legislative victories for the music industry, including the Music Modernization Act in 2018 and the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act in 2022. In 2024, the Academy helped pass five pro-music laws, supported 20 state and federal bills, and rallied more than 3,500 members to engage in music advocacy efforts across the country.
Here’s a complete list of previous artists who were honored at the Grammys on the Hill event:
2024 – Sheryl Crow
2023 – Pharrell Williams
2022 – Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
2019 – Yolanda Adams and Kristin Chenoweth
2018 – Little Big Town
2017 – Keith Urban
2016 – Zac Brown Band
2015 – Alicia Keys
2014 – Lady A
2013 – Jennifer Hudson
2012 – John Mayer
2011 – Don Henley
2010 – Garth Brooks
2007 – Quincy Jones
2006 – Kelly Clarkson
2005 – Gloria Estefan
2004 – Natalie Cole
2003 – Martina McBride
2002 – Vince Gill
2001 – Missy Elliott
Voting members of the Recording Academy’s Los Angeles chapter are being asked to vote again in the election that determines that chapter’s governors. The problem: Not enough people voted in the election that concluded Wednesday (March 26) for the Academy to consider it a valid election. As a result, a new election will open on April 9 and close on April 16.
Harvey Mason jr., Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO, and Tammy Hurt, chair of the academy’s board of trustees, sent an email to L.A. chapter voting members on Friday (March 28) explaining the situation and asking them to please be sure to vote this time. Members who voted in the initial election must vote again because this is a new election.
In their email, Mason and Hurt expressed sympathy for L.A. voting members, who have been through a lot in the past few months. Even those who weren’t personally affected by the wildfires that devastated the region beginning Jan. 7 were stressed by being part of a community that went through a traumatic event. “We understand that the past few months have been incredibly challenging for our LA members, and that you have had far more pressing matters to navigate,” they wrote. “However, it is critical that our elected leaders reflect the broad and diverse will of our members.”
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The L.A. chapter is the largest of the academy’s 12 chapters. The others are Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Memphis, Nashville, New York, Pacific Northwest, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Texas and Washington, D.C.
Julia Michels, who won a Grammy five years ago as a music supervisor on Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s A Star Is Born soundtrack, is president of the L.A. chapter, which currently has 31 governors, all of whom are elected by voting members in the chapter. The governors, in turn, elect the national trustees. The L.A. chapter currently has seven trustees (more than any other chapter): Cheche Alara, Evan Bogart, Maria Egan, Sara Gazarek, Mike Knobloch, Ledisi and Jonathan Yip.
Here’s the email from Mason and Hurt, in full:
Dear Los Angeles Voting Members,
Voting in the Recording Academy’s twelve chapter elections concluded Wednesday night. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles chapter election for Voting Member Governor races did not receive the required turnout for a valid election. As a result, we are going to hold a second election. We understand that the past few months have been incredibly challenging for our LA members, and that you have had far more pressing matters to navigate. However, it is critical that our elected leaders reflect the broad and diverse will of our members.
The new election will open on April 9 and close on April 16, and again, it will only be for the Voting Member Governor races. Please note that even if you voted in these recently-concluded races, you must vote again. This is a new election.
We ask that you please make time to participate in this important step and vote. You will determine the next class of Recording Academy elected leaders that will guide the Los Angeles Chapter. Please vote and please encourage others to do the same.
If you are in need of assistance due to the LA wildfires, please visit www.musicares.org/get-help.
Best regards,
Harvey Mason jr.
Recording Academy & MusiCares CEO
Tammy Hurt
Chair, Board of Trustees
Debut albums by Jay-Z, Luther Vandross and Big Star and breakthrough singles by Miami Sound Machine and Eddie Floyd are among the 13 recordings that were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year. This year’s additions (eight albums and five singles) meet the main requirements – they exhibit “qualitative or historical significance” and […]
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of The Recording Academy, and Ben Winston, a founding partner of Fulwell Entertainment, will be named 2025 Music Visionaries of the Year at the UJA-Federation of New York’s Music Visionary of the Year Award Celebration. The event, which is marking its 25th anniversary, will be held on June 16 in New York City.
The announcement was made just nine days after Mason and Winston worked together on the 67th annual Grammy Awards telecast. Winston was an executive producer of the show, along with Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins.
“We are thrilled to honor Harvey and Ben as our 2025 UJA Music Visionaries of the Year,” Daniel Glass, founder/CEO of Glassnote Records, chair of UJA’s Music Division and co-chair of UJA’s overall Entertainment division, said in a statement. “They have not only shaped the future of sound and storytelling, but Harvey and Ben also brought that same passion and vision to this year’s Grammy weekend and award show, respectively, rising to the occasion in the wake of devastation to help showcase music’s unparalleled power to heal, unite, and uplift. Beyond their remarkable contributions to the industry, their commitment to making a meaningful impact truly sets them apart.”
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As the first Black CEO of The Recording Academy, Mason has diversified the voting membership and revised rules and processes to make the Grammy Awards more transparent, inclusive and reflective of a wide variety of music genres. He has also enlarged the Academy’s role as a service organization for music creators and restructured the organization to position it for global growth.
Mason is the founder of Harvey Mason Media and a five-time Grammy nominee. He has written and/or produced songs for such artists as Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson.
Winston is a producer, director and founding partner of Fulwell Entertainment. He has won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards — eight for various iterations of the James Corden vehicle Carpool Karaoke; three more for other programs hosted by Corden (including the 2016 Tony Awards); and two for acclaimed variety specials headlined by pop superstars: Adele: One Night Only and Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.
In 2019, Winston received eight Primetime Emmy nominations — a one-year record for an individual. In 2024, he produced the Paris to Los Angeles Olympics handover, a prelude to the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Funds raised at the luncheon will go toward UJA’s annual campaign supporting the work of confronting antisemitism, promoting inclusion and caring for New Yorkers of all backgrounds. A portion of the proceeds will also support UJA’s Music for Youth, which helps young people connect to life-changing music programs.
Working with a network of hundreds of nonprofits, UJA extends its reach from New York to Israel to nearly 70 other countries around the world, touching the lives of 5.5 million people annually. Every year, UJA-Federation provides approximately $180 million in grants. For more information, visit ujafedny.org.
The Recording Academy raised almost $9 million on Sunday (Feb. 2), the day of the 67th annual Grammy Awards, to aid in relief efforts related to the devastating wildfires that hit the Los Angeles area beginning on Jan. 7. Over the course of the entire Grammy weekend, the Recording Academy and MusiCares raised more than […]
We all know that Prince was a musical genius, but at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards on Saturday (Feb. 1), Jimmy Jam, formerly of The Time, told of other keys to Prince’s success – he was willing to outwork anybody and he could be something of a taskmaster. “He had the best work ethic of anybody I ever met,” Jam said flatly.
Jam recalled workshopping The Time’s 1982 hit “777-9311” (which Prince co-wrote with Morris Day). Prince kept giving Jam notes, pushing him to improve various aspects of the performance and choreography. Some might have chafed at all the notes, but Jam took Prince’s tutoring the right way. “What that lesson taught me was that he saw me as better than I saw myself.” Jam added that he has tried to pass that on. “I want to enlighten other people to their greatness.”
Prince was one of seven artists to receive lifetime achievement awards at this year’s ceremony, which was held at its usual home, the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Lifetime achievement awards also went to The Clash, Frankie Valli, Frankie Beverly, Dr. Bobby Jones, Taj Mahal and Roxanne Shante. The trustees award recipients were Erroll Garner, Glyn Johns and Tania León. Dr. Leo Beranek was the Technical Grammy Award honoree.
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Several people spoke in the Prince tribute – Prince’s niece Rihanna Nelson (accompanied by her daughter and her twin sons, who wore tuxes with tennis shoes); Jam and Jerome Benton of The Time; Andre Cymone and Bobby Z. of Prince’s backing bands; Prince’s longtime manager/attorney L. Londell McMillan, and Charles F. Spicer Jr., a partner in managing Prince’s legacy.
“He was an advocate for artist rights,” McMillan said. “He didn’t put ‘Slave’ on his face just for fun. He wanted to take a stand.”
Bobby Z. said he met Prince when he was 19. “He was one of the most gifted human beings that ever lived; the greatest entertainer that ever lived,” a line that received applause from the audience.
Several awards were presented posthumously. R&B singer Beverly died in September; Prince and Dr. Beranek both died in 2016; Joe Strummer of The Clash died in 2002; and Garner, the composer of the pop standard “Misty,” died in 1977. The Recording Academy has presented trustees awards since 1967 (classical conductor George Solti and his producer John Culshaw were the first recipients). It’s remarkable that it took the academy 48 years to get around to Garner.
Most of the special merit award recipients every year are advanced in age. This year, four are in their 80s. Valli is 90.
Producer/engineer Glyn Johns, 82, joked about that in his acceptance speech. “Having been notified of this award in November, my main objective has to remain alive until today. Well, I made it!,” he said.
Valli made note of how long it took the Recording Academy to get around to him. Valli has never won a Grammy, on his own or in the Four Seasons, which landed their first three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962-63. “This has been an incredible evening,” he said. “I don’t know what took so long, but that’s the way it goes.”
Chuck D of Public Enemy (which received a lifetime achievement award in 2020) accepted for The Clash. The rapper marveled at the breadth of talent being honored on the night, singling out jazz pianist Error Garner, rock producer/engineer Glyn Johns and rapper Roxanne Shante. He read an acceptance speech from the surviving members of The Clash, which concluded with their thanks to Chuck D for accepting the award for them. “As you heard our voice, we also heard yours,” a nice example of cross-genre respect.
Shante’s 1985 R&B hit “Roxanne’s Revenge,” an answer record to UTFO’s “Roxanne, Roxanne,” was described as the first rap diss track. Shante is 55, making her the youngest of this year’s honorees. Shante said when she learned of her award, she finally felt she had made it. She said when an artist enters the business, they want three things – a record that gets on the Billboard charts, to get paid for it, and to win a Grammy. Now, she said, she has realized all three goals. Shante also paid her respects to Biz Markie, the “Just a Friend” hitmaker who died in 2021 at age 57. “I lost my hip-hop brother,” she said.
Taj Mahal was accompanied by two of his daughters as he accepted his award. He suggested that his path in music may have been pre-ordained. His parents met at a Chick Webb/Ella Fitzgerald concert at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in 1937.
Most of the awards were accepted by the recipients, or family members, in the case of the recipients who have died. The award to Frankie Beverly was accepted by his son, Anthony Beverly, and by Ronald “Roame” Lowry, a longtime member of Beverly’s group, Maze. Lowry said that the group’s classic “Before I Let Go” is “the most danceable song about breaking up.”
The award to acoustics expert Dr. Leo Beranek, the Technical Grammy Award honoree, was accepted by his son, Tom Haynes. “My dad accomplished many things, working until he was 87 on concert halls in Japan,” he said. Beranek died in 2016 at age 102.
The academy also presented its music educator of the year award to Adrian L. Maclin of Cordova High School outside Memphis, Tenn., who said when he was a boy his dream was to become an artist and win a Grammy. His path segued into music education and now he has won a Grammy by turning other kids onto music.
The final presentation of the night was the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award. This was the third year the award has been presented; the first since it was named in honor of the late singer, actor and activist, whose daughters Gina and Shari Belafonte were present. The award originated as a Special Merit Award but was recategorized as a CEO’s Merit Award.
Iman Jordan, who won for his song “Deliver,” noted that “Nina Simone said that art should reflect the times – and I wasn’t hearing much of that.” He co-wrote the winning song with his father, Roy Gartrell, along with Ariel Loh and Tam Jones.
Many have said that the Special Merit Award ceremony is warmer and more congenial than the following night’s Grammys. But one thing is missing. There are video packages before every presentation, but not a note of live music. If nothing else, the music educator award could include a performance by some of his/her prized pupils, and the winner of the Song for Social Change award could be performed.
Several of this year’s recipients had already received major honors. Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, received a lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards in 2010, and was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in July 2024 (he had been voted in while he was alive, but scheduling the presentation proved difficult).
Valli was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Four Seasons) in 1990, followed by The Clash in 2003 and producer Glyn Johns in 2012. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly received a lifetime achievement award at the BET Awards in 2012. León received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2022.
Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.
Trustees Awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the field of recording.
Technical Grammy Awards are presented to individuals, companies, organizations or institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.