Neil Portnow News

The Recording Academy will honor its 2018 Special Merit Awards recipients with 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®,' an awards ceremony and live tribute concert on Saturday, July 14, 2018, at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner. Additional Special Merit Awards honorees to be celebrated include Bill Graham, Seymour Stein, and John Williams, who are this year's Trustees Award honorees, and Tony Agnello and Richard Factor, who are the Technical GRAMMY Award recipients. Also being honored is Melissa Salguero, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award. Led by GRAMMY®-nominated industry icon Greg Phillinganes as musical director, the tribute concert will feature rare performances by honorees and never-seen renditions by those they've inspired. Currently scheduled to appear are eight-time GRAMMY winner Herb Alpert, who will honor Blaine; past GRAMMY nominee Micky Dolenz, who will be honoring Diamond; GRAMMY winner Sammy Hagar, who will pay tribute to Graham; 13-time GRAMMY winner and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Harris; past GRAMMY nominee Ledisi, who will salute Jordan; and three-time GRAMMY winner Trisha Yearwood, who will pay tribute to Harris. Presenters for the evening include actress Angela Bassett and GRAMMY winner Henry Rollins. Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly. Tickets for the event will be on sale via Ticketmasterbeginning today. 

 The Recording Academy announced today that President/CEO Neil Portnow will begin preparing for a leadership transition after choosing not to seek an extension on his current contract, which expires in July 2019. Portnow shared his plans at the Recording Academy's semi-annual Board of Trustees meeting last week. Throughout the next year, Portnow will work with the Board to chart out an organizational succession and transition plan, while continuing his current work as active President/CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares®, and Chair of the Board of the GRAMMY Museum®.

The GRAMMY Museum® announced today that88 talented high school students from 75 U.S. cities and 24 U.S. states have been selected as participants in the 14th annual GRAMMY Camp® program.  

Tina Tchen, Chair of the Recording Academy's newly formed task force on diversity and inclusion, announced the names of the 16 members joining her in examining barriers and biases affecting women and other underrepresented voices in the music industry and, specifically, the Recording Academy. 

Today, one week after the Recording Academy's GRAMMYs on the Hill® Awards and Advocacy Day, music creators are applauding the House of Representatives' passage of the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447). Introduced on April 10, 2018, by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the bill quickly gained bipartisan support for the need to update music copyright laws and align legislation with the changes in music consumption, ensuring fair pay for all creators. The historic bill, if passed by the Senate, would be the biggest update to music legislation in 40 years.

Little Big town To Be Honored At Grammys On The Hill Awards 4/18

On the heels of the House Judiciary Committee field hearing on copyright issues hosted during GRAMMY® Week, Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) today introduced the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447). A victory for all music creators, the bill brings music legislation into the 21st century and harmonizes the music industry with one comprehensive piece of legislation that aligns copyright law with the new music ecosystem, a position advocated by the Recording Academy since 2014, when Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow testified before Congress. 

The recording academy released the following statement regarding the death of Kenny O'Dell.

On April 18, the Recording Academy will celebrate 20 years of advocacy in Washington, D.C., by honoring Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook of three-time GRAMMY winners Little Big Town at the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards. Little Big Town's contributions to the music industry align with some of the Recording Academy's key advocacy and organizational causes, including advocating for music education and supporting MusiCares, a charity founded by the Academy that provides a safety net of support for the music community. The evening will also feature a performance by the band.

On April 18, the Recording Academy will celebrate 20 years of advocacy in Washington, D.C., by honoring Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook of three-time GRAMMY® winners Little Big Town at the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill® Awards. Little Big Town's contributions to the music industry align with some of the Recording Academy's key advocacy and organizational causes, including advocating for music education and supporting MusiCares®, a charity founded by the Academy that provides a safety net of support for the music community. The evening will also feature a performance by the band.

The Recording Academy is pleased to announce that Tina Tchen, chief of staff to former first lady Michelle Obama, will chair its task force to examine issues of inclusion and diversity within the Academy and the broader music community. As part of its charter, the task force will identify the various barriers and unconscious biases faced by underrepresented communities throughout the music industry and, specifically, across Recording Academy operations and policies. In an effort to determine pathways toward greater parity at every level of the organization, the task force will look specifically at Recording Academy governance, hiring and promotion practices, membership, awards, and telecast.

Just two days after the 60TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS , CBS, the Recording Academy and AEG Ehrlich Ventures will celebrate the legendary career of five-time GRAMMY winner and 2000 MusiCares ' Person of the Year honoree Elton John, by presenting Elton John: I'm Still Standing A GRAMMY Salute.

In addition to honoring musical excellence, the Recording Academy will also take a moment to honor the victims lost to gun violence and terrorism at various live music events over the course of the past year.

Nile Rodgers (three-time GRAMMY winner) & CHIC are scheduled to perform at the exclusive 2018 GRAMMY Celebration the Recording Academy's official after-party following the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards

Continuing its ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating timeless recordings, the Recording Academy has announced the newest inductions to its distinctive GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

Additional Performers Announced For 2018 Musicares Person of The Year In Honor of Fleetwood Mac

The Recording Academy announced its Special Merit Awards recipients today, and this year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Hal Blaine, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, the Meters, Queen, and Tina Turner.

Recording Academy Shares Statement on Passing of Robert Mann

Yesterday, RollingStone reported the news that legendary record producer and studio owner Rick Hall passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 85.

Attendees include members of GRAMMY Camp Jazz Session along with special guest performer and past GRAMMY Camp Jazz Session participant Jon Batiste; Pamela Alexander, director, community development, Ford Motor Company Fund; and Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and Board Chair of the GRAMMY Museum .