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GRAMMYs
News
“Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk” Highlights LGBTQ+ %E2%80%9Cstay-come-out-let%E2%80%99s-talk%E2%80%9D-live-panel-highlights-lgbtq-experiences-music-industry

“Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk” Live Panel Highlights LGBTQ+ Experiences In The Music Industry

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The Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter's Facebook Live event featured LeAnn Rimes, Troye Sivan, DJ Tracy Young and others in conversations on coming out, acceptance, allyship and more
Onaje McDowelle
GRAMMYs
Jul 2, 2020 - 5:22 pm

On Tuesday, June 30, the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter hosted its “Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk” Facebook live panel event. In celebration of Pride, the livestream conversation featured musicians and music industry leaders who shared their journeys of coming out and self-acceptance and discussed the specific struggles faced by queer artists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The livestream was split into a series of 15-minute panelist-led short conversations on various topics; each discussion additionally focused in large part on ways that the Recording Academy can help better serve LGBTQ+ artistic communities.

Panelists featured in the virtual conversation were GRAMMY-winning artist LeAnn Rimes, and singers, songwriters and producers Troye Sivan, Leland, Gizzle and Alex Ritchie, as well as LA Chapter trustee Darrell Brown, GRAMMY-winning producer and Florida Chapter Governor DJ Tracy Young and Executive Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s chorus and San Francisco Chapter Governor Chris Verdugo. Welcoming and closing remarks were offered by LA chapter Membership Manager Brittany Presley and LA chapter Executive Director Qiana Conley. The panel was moderated by producer, engineer and newly elected LA chapter Vice President, Lynne Earls.

In the first conversation, friends and frequent collaborators Rimes and Brown talked about their 18-year journey writing songs and sharing records together and the importance of finding a community to connect with.

“To have someone on my side who supports that honesty and truth is so beautiful because that’s what we’re here to do, right? We’re here to tell the truth even when it’s really hard and really polarizing,” said Rimes speaking of her longtime friend in Brown. The artist detailed that her late uncle’s death from AIDS and his lifelong battle with acceptance regarding his sexuality were some of her earliest realizations that speaking out via her platform to support the queer community was an imperative way to carry on his legacy. “From very early on I wanted to give him a voice,” she stated. “It’s been so incredibly gratifying to stand up for people who have not been able to stand up for themselves in a lot of ways, and it’s really close to my heart.”

Even though some progress has been made, according to Rimes, there’s a necessary push for addressing inequities when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community and its relationship to the music industry. “I think the more that we can uplift our artists and our own truth, the more we can really celebrate our differences and allow those to speak,” she said. “With the LGBTQ community having such a specific point of view, we need that! There are so many people who need their own voices heard and expressed through music. We don’t need to be so cookie cutter.”

Beyond panels and conversations like this one, Brown suggests that, within dominating genres like country or hip-hop, efforts such as artistic opportunities, showcases, real allyship and mentorship, among others, are how we can create new support structures and move towards a more inclusive and accepting industry on all fronts.

Next, the stream was joined by singer/songwriters Troye Sivan and Leland, who, similarly to Brown and Rimes, are close friends before collaborators. The pair have been songwriting partners going on six years and have worked together on numerous tracks.

“When you find that creative soulmate, you grow and learn together, and you can communicate without saying anything. You know each other’s instincts, when to push, when not to push... that is so intricate and so so special when you find it,” he said of Leland.

On navigating the industry as gay men, both guests mentioned that being unapologetic in their identities has only led to a renewed purpose and drive when it comes to creativity.  After working with various artists for nearly four years in LA, Leland mentions that while at first hesitant, connecting with Sivan, who only wrote songs with “he” pronouns was the first time he felt secure enough in a collaborative partnership to do so in his own writing. “As collaborators, Troye has helped to bring out a fearlessness in me of just standing unapologetically in the truth of who I am and what I want to say,” he said.

For Sivan, it’s focusing on the positives like the excitement of each new release, interacting with and impacting fans or looking out at the diversity of the crowd during his performances that encompass the beauty of his queer experience in the music industry, he says. “I attribute so much to the work of many LGTBQ artists who came before me. I’m conscious of that, and I’m going to now try to share that and amplify the voices of others and be grateful that I can do that.”

https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1278109210228559873

We're now LIVE! 🌈 🎵

Join our #FacebookLive conversation––Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk! We're talking with @Troyesivan and @Leland on how to navigate the music industry as a member of the #LGBTQ+ community and more.

WATCH 📲 https://t.co/xrvXZAK4xJ pic.twitter.com/Bg3G794LGY

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) June 30, 2020

Following up, the stream was joined by Verdugo and Young, who spoke not only on the importance of establishing a community in the current world moment but also on the freedom that avoiding labels creates by allowing people to connect through music. “Being in the music community, there should be no judgment here. We go into the world, and we know it’s a completely different experience,” stated Young. “When I was in DC, it was the Black community who accepted me when nobody would give me the opportunity to DJ, and I think that we need to have more conversations around Black Lives Matter. It needs to be even more of our LGBTQ conversation.”

As artist and songwriter Gizzle put it after joining the event’s final conversation with Ritchie, existing in both the LGBTQ+ and Black communities presents great challenges, but it's more important now than ever to stand up and call attention to the ways that communities are marginalized and even more so, how we can work to change those conditions.

“When you think about it, there’s all these labels, but it really should be the last thing we’re thinking about. We should really be thinking about contribution and what people bring to the table, from an intellectual, creative and spiritual standpoint,” she said. “I think representation is so important.”

Ritchie agreed, reporting her experiences of being left out of certain rooms and situations during her career's rise over the past decade. She mentioned, especially as an independent artist, receiving the respect and opportunities she deserves and finding her crew has been a challenge based on how gatekeepers perceive her as a person of color and a front-facing LGBTQ+ person. "That was not what a star looked like," Ritchie said about how she was treated at first sight, while also addressing how it feels to experience change. "For me, it's been a really weird thing to see all of the things that I think [are] made [to be] strikes [against you].... they're being celebrated in 2020. It's a wild thing to watch. I'm super grateful. But also, it's really weird."

Corroborating these sentiments on intersectionality, Verdugo, in his segment, added that despite age, race or sexuality, now is the time to cultivate community in any facet. “We all need to come together as underserved communities. Therein lies our strength, to be able to conquer this pandemic, to really do what’s right in our country and stand up for one another,” he added.

More from the Los Angeles Chapter: “Care For The Culture” Live Stream Panel Offers New Solutions For Wellness + Community In Rap, R&B + Reggae

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"Care For The Culture"
 

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“Care For The Culture” Panel Discusses Wellness %E2%80%9Ccare-culture%E2%80%9D-livestream-panel-offers-new-solutions-wellness-community-rap-rb-and

“Care For The Culture” Livestream Panel Offers New Solutions For Wellness + Community in Rap, R&B and Reggae

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The Facebook Live Event featuring John Legend, Ledisi and others highlighted discussions on the affects that COVID-19 and the fight against racial injustice have on music communities today
Onaje McDowelle
GRAMMYs
Jun 29, 2020 - 1:17 pm

Amidst the current pandemic and the fight against racial injustice, creative communities and their key stakeholders are largely and directly affected. Artists are faced not only with the daunting news cycle of world events and an industry on pause, but also the subsequent impacts on their financial hardship and mental health.

Considering, on Thursday, June 25, the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter’s Rap, R&B and Reggae Leadership Collective hosted its “Care For The Culture” Facebook live conversation, bringing leaders and advocates within the Academy’s membership and beyond together to center national calls-to-action for labels, publishers, managers and the wider industry in addressing these issues. The event featured musicians, wellness experts, politicians and executives for a discussion on cultivating music cultures and communities through advocacy for the mental health and wellness of music creators and professionals within the genres.

WATCH: "Care For The Culture" Wellness Livestream

Panelists included in the virtual conversation were California State Sen. Holly J. Mitchell, Author, Lifestylist and Branding Coach Harriette Cole and Licensed MFT and healer Thea Monyeé alongside GRAMMY-nominees and winners John Legend, MAJOR., Ledisi, Melanie Fiona, Ivan Barias and KOSINE. Rounding out the guests were "Rhythm & Flow" winner, artist and songwriter D Smoke industry executives Tunde Balogun, Co-Founder of Atlanta based label LVRN and Priority Records/Capital Music Group General Manager William “Fuzzy” West. The panel was moderated by Los Angeles Chapter Executive Director Qiana Conley and Washington D.C. Chapter Executive Director Jeriel Johnson.

According to the panel’s consensus, future equity means employing new and tangible wellness practices for creators that sustain personal health and careers. There is an urgent demand for this standard as a top priority across the industry in order to curve the music community’s repeated loss to suicide and addiction. The discussion allowed viewers and panelists to consider tools that can be used to help care for the health and craft of musicians and the greater industry.

“The most creative beings are often the ones who can be emotionally fragile, because it takes accessing that core space in order to bring forth their art,” said Cole, pointing out that after three months sequestered at home, people everywhere are going through a lot both mentally and spiritually. She continued, explaining that figuring out what’s important to us and how to pivot following COVID-19 can cause unsettled emotion when remaining centered and grounded is already a difficult task. For our own sake, she says we have to be willing to reevaluate and improve mindfulness and habits of self care altogether in order to have the capacity to offer support in implementing change.

“There probably will be a whole lot created during this time, but we will also probably lose people," she added. "Our job is to support, protect and nurture people in one way or another at this time.”

With this fact in mind, the group was able to offer material solutions for support including therapy and healthcare afforded by labels, practices in mindful breathing and meditation for artists, or even simpler gestures like finding the time to workout or cook as a form of respite within social distancing and quarantining measures.

For labelhead Balogun, caring for his artists in this way is not just lip service, but further a commitment to the wellbeing of his roster and a necessity in its overarching success. After R&B star Summer Walker’s public struggle with mental health and social anxiety following her ascension last year, Balogun and his label quickly began making changes in order to fully support the artist, including hiring a dedicated stone reader for her tour and launching a mental health division within the company. Additionally, Balogun added that his label will soon launch a pilot program for artists that helps them to begin building retirement and emergency funds.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint… by no means do we know everything but as leaders we have to push through. The best way to learn is to try it out and fail,” he said.

https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1275561250542325761

This Thursday 🗓 join us for a #FacebookLive conversation with our leadership, wellness experts, community thought leaders, and industry innovators around wellness and the needs of rap, R&B, and Reggae genre music creators and professionals.

More info ➡️ https://t.co/mcEsGDMoaD pic.twitter.com/o1UWB5L4WE

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) June 23, 2020

GRAMMY-winner Fiona spoke of her own battles with mental health as an artist and how the stress of the industry has nearly jeopardized her career and wellbeing before. She explained that it wasn’t until she was lead to alternative healing methods like acupuncture and therapy that she was able to clear her strained vocal cords and get back to creating.

“I had to really realize that the suppressed trauma, the anxiety, the disappointment, expectations, demands, stress; I was holding it all in,” she said. “That’s why this conversation of wellness is so important. My gift being traumatized directly affects my ability to live and make a living. It’s all interconnected, the legislation, the contracts, the emotional effects and the psyche.”

Further, Sen. Mitchell fielded questions on supporting legislation and representatives as it pertains to artistry and creative ownership. While historically Black and brown artists have contributed by leaps and bounds to the social and cultural infrastructure of music, the return of recognition and fair pay is often compromised, especially within rap, R&B and reggae. Similarly, Mitchell was also able to gauge how government can more successfully connect with the music industry to implement equitable policy.

“As I listen to you all, it resonates with what we’re experiencing. Recognizing that the status quo will never be the same again if we don’t want it to be. This is an opportunity to take the kind of culture, business environments and the kinds of policy and law that we know meets the needs of our community. It’s on us,” said Sen. Mitchell.

“What will we do with that going forward and permanently? From the policy perspective, I see that we are doing that. I see the crack in the door and I am running full steam ahead,” she added, noting movement on the Senate floor related to new bills for education, police accountability and reparations.

Drawing back to her conversations with Prince from her year-long stint traveling the country on the legendary artist's Welcome 2 America Tour beginning in 2010, Cole offered her insight and implored everyone to continue the dialogue started within “Care For The Culture,” and to always be intentional about the ways that we can foster music and community. “What I think we all can do is to find what brings us together, and then be willing to stand up for what it is because [Prince] did it again and again and again,” she said.

Addressing creators and executives on the event and their power and responsibility to lead change in shaping the current moment, she continued saying, “You are in the room when many of us are not, and when you’re in the room you cannot be a bystander. You have to stand up and share the vision and be willing to hold their feet to the fire… when you’re fighting the fight, you know you’re not alone. That’s something that I learned from him.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above, and be sure to follow the Recording Academy and keep up with GRAMMY.com for information about future live events and panels, including this week’s upcoming Stay In, Come Out, Let’s Talk Facebook Live conversation on Tuesday, June 30 at 4 PM PT.  The discussion will focus on navigating the music industry as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1277681194524540928

TOMORROW 🗓 Join us for a #FacebookLive conversation with @DJTracyYoung, @LeAnnRimes, @TroyeSivan, and more. Topics will range from navigating the industry as a member of the #LGBTQIAplus community to how we can better serve this music community.

Info ➡️ https://t.co/ktbqcH6E0A pic.twitter.com/Kfr1iBpSW1

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) June 29, 2020

Want to Support Protestors + Black Lives Matter Groups? Here’s How

Donnie Simpson

Donnie Simpson

Photo: Aaron Davidson/Getty Images

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Radio And TV Legend Donnie Simpson On The Key To His Decades-Long Career: "I Don't Have To Be Great––I Just Have To Be Me"

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In honor of his recent induction into the Radio Hall Of Fame, GRAMMY.com highlights the broadcasting icon's celebrated career, his impact on media and culture, and his ongoing advocacy for Black representation in radio and TV
Eliza Berkon
GRAMMYs
Jan 6, 2021 - 3:43 pm

About five years ago, Washington, D.C., DJ Donnie Simpson emerged from retirement after a little coaxing from his wife, Pam.

"She framed it really [nicely]. She said, 'Donnie, everywhere you go, all you hear is how much people love you and they wish you'd do something else. And God has given you a gift that you should be sharing with people,'" Simpson tells GRAMMY.com over a Zoom interview. "That's what she said, but what I heard was, 'Get out.'"

The affable radio and television icon ultimately returned to the airwaves in 2015. Five years later, he received one of the highest accolades in the radio industry: Last October, he was inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame, an honor recognizing his contributions to the radio medium over the last half-century. 

The honor is the culmination of the legend's celebrated, decades-long career in radio, which launched in the '70s when a teenaged Simpson got his start on the Detroit airwaves. At the time, he looked to a handful of local DJs as mentors, including the high-spirited Ernie Durham. 

"I did not adopt his on-air style, but I try very much to adopt his off-air style. He always carried it with class," Simpson said of Durham. "And that was the example to me: to always be kind to people, to look people in the eye, no matter who they were."

It wasn't until Simpson left Detroit, in 1977, and logged his first few years at WKYS 93.9 in D.C.––a station he would reformat and lead to No. 1 as program director––that he found his stride on air, he says. 

"It's something I always say, and it's so true: I don't have to be great––I just have to be me," Simpson says. "Being you always works because that's the spirit that connects us. That's the thing that makes you real to people; they feel you when you are you. When you're trying to be something else, they know that, too."

Simpson says he's long avoided listening to recordings of himself for fear that the inevitable analysis would disrupt the "magic" of what he'd helped create. That approach also extended to his TV career, which started—not counting a role he now laughs about on a short-lived dance show in Detroit—when he served as backup sports anchor for WRC-TV in the early '80s. Not long after, he began hosting a relatively new show on the then-burgeoning BET network. Simpson had concerns about whether the show was the right fit for him.

"BET, in its infancy, wasn't a very pretty baby. The quality wasn't there. I've always been protective of image, because that's all I have," Simpson says. "But after thinking about it for two days, I decided this: This is our first Black television network. If you have something to offer it, you have to do it."

The two-hour show, "Video Soul," which spotlighted Black artists at a time when MTV was almost exclusively focused on white musicians, became BET's highest-rated program at one point.

Jeriel Johnson, executive director of the Recording Academy's Washington, D.C., chapter, remembers watching "Video Soul" as a teen in his Cincinnati home. Simpson, he says, was a "steady presence of Black excellence."

"He was the face of BET," Johnson says. "He was just a staple, and he had such a calming voice and he was super smooth. I just looked up to him as a young, Black kid who loved music ... And I remember seeing him and being like, 'Wow, I could be on TV, too. If he can, I can.'"

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On the program, Simpson interviewed artists who were already riding the waves of success or were well on their way: Jodeci, SWV, New Edition, En Vogue, Mariah Carey, Take 6, Whitney Houston. Regardless of the star who graced the couch each night, Simpson took the same approach.

"For every guest I ever had on 'Video Soul,' they would bring me a bio with all this information on the artist … I wouldn't even read it," Simpson remembers. "That's the point of the interview, for me to get to know you."

Elise Perry, a producer and the president of the Recording Academy's Washington, D.C., chapter, worked behind the scenes on "Video Soul" in the '90s, a pivotal decade for both R&B and hip-hop, she notes.

"All of these different subgenres of R&B really started to have an uptick in the '90s, and the fact that BET was present visually at that time, representing Black music in that way—it was a very special time," Perry says. "There were a lot of Black folk there, and it was just like a party. It was where I got my 'master's degree,' I call it. Everybody was family … It was just like a mecca."

Read: Meet The Recording Academy D.C. Chapter's First Black Female President, Elise Perry

Simpson treated the crew like family and has continued to provide unparalleled support for the D.C. community over the years, Perry, a D.C. native, says.

"He's our family. He's our brother. He's our uncle. He's that dude next door. He's our neighbor. He's our friend," she says.

"Family" is also how GRAMMY-nominated producer Chucky Thompson describes Simpson, who had a big impact on him when he was growing up in D.C.

"I've learned so much about people from him, just the way that he's been excited about their careers," he says of Simpson. "It transcends to you. It's like, 'Wait a minute, Donnie's excited? Now I'm excited.'"

For Thompson, who helped craft hits for Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige in the '90s, "Video Soul" was formative.

"It was almost like another version of what 'Soul Train' meant," Thompson says. "But [Simpson] got even more personal with you because he was able to talk to the artists and give you a little bit of insight on what their journeys were … He gave me a lot of information on how to make it in this business."

"Donnie Simpson is the standard," Joe Clair, comedian, radio personality, on-air veteran and host of "The Joe Clair Morning Show" on WPGC 95.5 FM in Washington, D.C., adds. "My mom and dad loved him, my siblings love him and people from a generation after me love him. That is a testament to who he is as a broadcaster and what he means to us as a voice for our community. I've worked with him throughout  the years, and he's given me valuable advice both for career moves and for negotiating my worth. He is a shining example for a life in radio and television on your own terms."

Yet becoming successful in the business, including achieving financial success, wasn't an easy journey for Simpson. The DJ has been vocal about the need for equitable pay for Black DJs. In recalling his own path to multimillion-dollar contracts, Simpson turns to a lyric from Elton John's "I've Seen That Movie Too": "It's a habit I have / I don't get pushed around."

"I've walked out [on deals], because you're not going to get me for half [the] price because I'm Black; those days are over," Simpson says, adding that in Detroit, he made one-fifth of what white DJs were making. "That was a very significant part of my career, to be able to be a part of changing that narrative, to letting them know you have to pay Black talent."

Simpson has also advocated for stations to put more of the DJ back into DJing. In the past few decades, he notes, many DJs have watched their curated playlists and airtime drift away due to technological advances and the consolidation of station ownership.

"So much of its personality has been stripped from it," Simpson says of the art of DJing. "I play whatever I want to play every day, but that's the magic of it to me … I don't want a computer programming music for me, because every day feels different. And I like to be tapped into that feeling."

In 1974, Simpson played Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets" on his show in Detroit, a decision he says he fretted about because "Black folks didn't know Elton John." He played the song twice that evening and got an overwhelming response from callers. John himself was soon on the phone with Simpson to discuss the record's success in Detroit; he handed Simpson a gold record for the single six months later.

"It's music that you wouldn't traditionally associate with Black radio; it's Elton. But that was a lesson to me," Simpson says. "It's all music to me; I don't care who made it. I just care what it sounds like [and] if it fits what I'm doing."

The fact that most DJs no longer have the latitude to craft their own playlists is a big loss for radio, Simpson says.

"You have young people out here with great ears that will never get the chance to express themselves musically because it's all programmed for them," he says. "I used to love it when wheels would touch down in Atlanta or New Orleans [or] L.A.—wherever it was. I couldn't wait to pull out my little transistor radio and hear what they were doing in that city, because it was always different."

After Simpson learned he'd be inducted into the Radio Hall Of Fame this year, he took a look at its roster of honorees over the past three decades. When he didn't see New York DJ and “Chief Rocker" Frankie Crocker and other Black radio icons on the list, the announcement gave him pause.

"These are voices that you should know about, some great talents through the years ... legends that have gone largely ignored," he says. "But I also, in my acceptance speech, acknowledged that the [Radio Hall Of Fame] is trying to correct that. You look at the list of inductees this year, with Angie Martinez, The Breakfast Club, Sway Calloway and me––man, it's like #OscarsTooBlack. It's a lot of people of color that went in this year. So they have recognized that, and I applaud them for that."

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At a time when systemic racism and police brutality against Black people have come to the forefront of the national dialogue, Simpson says he feels compelled to speak out.

"If I were not on the radio, if I didn't have a microphone, I think I would still feel that responsibility to whatever people I encounter that I could talk to, to tell them how important this moment in history is for us," Simpson says. "I am so honored that I have had a platform for, now, 51 years to allow these voices to come on the radio or on TV and talk about these matters that make a difference to our community."

In 2010, Simpson retired from WPGC, where he'd hosted a morning show for nearly two decades, after contending with a "toxic" environment. But five years later, he was back at the other end of the dial on D.C.'s WMMJ Majic 102.3. Now, another retirement seems like the furthest thing from his mind.

"What's there not to love about it? I sit there kicking it with people I love. We have all the fun we can stand," Simpson says.

As praise continues to roll in from industry A-listers for his Radio Hall Of Fame induction, Simpson has advice for the many artists and listeners who now look to him for guidance as he once looked to his own mentors: "Be kind."

Each morning, Simpson takes a walk or run beside the Potomac River. While he says there's a health benefit to the ritual, he's got an additional reason to step out of his door.

"What I'm really doing is collecting smiles," Simpson says. "That's kind of my purpose: to bring warmth and joy."

Tune in for a special Up Close & Personal conversation discussing Donnie Simpson's career and life in broadcasting. Moderated by Jimmy Jam, the event premieres Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 4:30 p.m. PST/7:30 p.m. EST via the Recording Academy's official Facebook page.

Beyond The Beltway: A Closer Look At Washington D.C.'s Vibrant Music Community

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Screenshot from New Year x New Music x New Normal summit

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New Year x New Music x New Normal: How Artists, Creatives And The Music Industry Learned To Pivot And Adapt During The Pandemic

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Presented by the Recording Academy's Los Angeles Chapter, this timely and introspective peer-to-peer discussion saw creatives and music industry professionals discussing the future of the music industry
Lily Moayeri
Membership
Dec 17, 2020 - 5:26 pm

To say 2020 has been the most unprecedented year for the music industry is redundant as well as an understatement. With all the upheavals that have come with the pandemic, not the least of which are the cessation of in-person live shows and lockdowns that have impeded studio sessions, have come many adjustments and changes in approaches to the creation of music. This has brought about a prolific time for the creators who have successfully pivoted, gaining knowledge and additional skills in the process, which they are taking with them into 2021. 

The Recording Academy's Los Angeles Chapter summit, New Year x New Music x New Normal, which took place virtually Wednesday (Dec. 16), explored this topic through four panels that offered a range of perspectives from the various sides of the industry. Each of the 45-minute panels focused on a specific cross section of creatives, including artists, songwriters/producers/A&R, arranger/conductor/composer and music for visual media. Conducted in conversational style, the panel discussions saw professionals sharing experiences, trading ideas and finding common ground.

Hosted by the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter, Qiana Conley, the panels featured guests and speakers like: the Recording Academy's Interim President/CEO, Harvey Mason jr.; GRAMMY-winning producer/music director and L.A. Chapter governor Gregg Field; GRAMMY-winning songwriter/producer Philip Lawrence; GRAMMY-nominated producer and L.A. Chapter advisor Jeff Gitelman; GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and L.A. Chapter governor Marcus Lomax; GRAMMY-nominated composer/conductor/music director and L.A. Chapter governor Ryan Shore; GRAMMY-nominated artists Bonnie McKee and Gallant; A&R executives and L.A. Chapter governors Amanda Samii and Nicole Plantin; music supervisor and L.A. Chapter trustee Julia Michels; and artists Leroy Sanchez and Whethan. Also speaking were the Los Angeles Chapter's senior operations manager, Nicole Brown, and membership manager, Brittany Presley, plus musician/producer, founder and CEO of Jammcard, Elmo Lovano.

Watch the New Year x New Music x New Normal summit in full on Facebook.

Clockwise from top-left: Qiana Conley, Brittany Presley and Nicole Brown

Clockwise from top-left: Qiana Conley, Brittany Presley and Nicole Brown | Screenshot from New Year x New Music x New Normal summit

"We've all been impacted by the events of 2020 from the pandemic to social injustice to the continued advocacy efforts that we've been putting forward, fighting for music creator rights," Conley said in her opening remarks at the summit. "We take on these things together and music continues to unite us, both in our purpose and in the soundtrack of our passions. Our summit will allow creators to talk amongst themselves, to share and have conversations with each other about how they've been creating in this bubble, and to also sow what they expect from the New Year from the lessons that they've learned or the changes that they've made and how that will ultimately shape their creative process moving forward."

The A Conversation With Artists panel, moderated by McKee, began the summit with Gallant, Whethan and Sanchez. Some of the topics discussed included the creation of music remotely, schedule management, livestreamed shows, challenging parts of the pandemic, the effects the state of the world made on their sound and more. 

Read More: Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit To The Behind-The-Scenes Music Creators

"I need to keep making music," Sanchez said of staying connected to fans. "People are still listening to music. A lot of artists have realized that and we've already seen a lot of great music coming out. There's going to be a lot more creation that way. Since people can't do shows, there's a lot of audiovisual stuff. It's not a visual album, but it's some sort of movie or some sort of creative twist around the album that puts a spin on it and people can still consume it from their home and still get an experience that's not a show."

On keeping a schedule, Gallant commented, "I'm such a disorganized dude, the only way to get that clerical work done is if I really planned it out. I would think I wouldn't thrive without that structure, but when you have disorganization on top of world disorganization on top of mental disorganization, it's just a little too chaotic."

Clockwise from top-left: Jeff Gitelman, Amanda Samii, Nicole Plantin and Marcus Lomax

Clockwise from top-left: Jeff Gitelman, Amanda Samii, Nicole Plantin and Marcus Lomax | Screenshot from New Year x New Music x New Normal summit

The next panel, A Conversation With Songwriters/Producers/A&Rs, centered around the topics of creation during quarantine, breakthroughs with challenges and new practices and techniques. All panelists said they have been the busiest they have ever been during this time, with Zoom sessions and meetings allowing them to accomplish more, and more efficiently. 

"Our artists are writing from the comfort of their own home," Samii said. "Educating them on new writers, new producers that I think could be really interesting with them so that once we're out of this pandemic, we're not starting from zero. Zoom sessions are not the sexiest thing to do, but they work. I can get an artist in Australia or London in with people in L.A. today, and I can grab somebody from Nashville. There's an advantage to this time where I can grab people and put them in a room where I would have to wait until like the stars aligned, which might take a long time."

Gitelman juxtaposed not being able to be in the same room with an artist and not having a creative and intimate setting to connect with them against the convenience of being able to call someone, like Lomax, and have them quickly help in a session. 

"It's been revolutionary where certain writers have been able to give me two hours and then they'll do two hours somewhere in another Zoom session. A challenge, but something I believe we have to push ourselves to adjust to," Gitelman said.

Lomax said what helped him break through this challenge is continuing to work with the same people he has for the last few years. "The core same people that pretty much I've been doing music with, I've been very familiar with for the last few years so that was an easy way to get into it for me," he said. "Once I got into it, these sessions aren't going as long. I can be available to more people more frequently and maybe be more effective and more efficient in a different way."

"It's allowed us to use our time differently than we would have used it in the past and that's not a bad thing," Plantin added. "We've been able to pour a little bit more into ourselves, dig into ourselves a little more and do things that we may not have had the time to do before."

On the topic of inspiration, Gitelman said, "It's an important time in history right now. Are you going to be on this side of it? Or are you going to be on this side? All of us need to evolve and push ourselves a little more. If you need to learn a DAW, Pro Tools or Logic, if your career depended on it, wouldn't you be able to do that? I'm a fighter. We're going to get through it. We're going to make it happen. I encourage other people to embrace the evolution."

"It's been a testing year, but it's been a great year for music, and I think we're going to see some great music come from this. A lot of people have a lot to say and I'm looking forward to hearing that," Samii concluded.

Ryan Shore (L) and Gregg Field (R)

Ryan Shore (L) and Gregg Field (R) | Screenshot from New Year x New Music x New Normal summit

The A Conversation With Arrangers/Conductors/Composers panel was a one-on-one between Shore and Field who have a unique perspective from the composing side. Shifting relatively easily into the post-pandemic way of studio recording, Field spoke on one of the major changes he experienced. "If I've got a vocalist, I want to be in the live room with them, one-on-one. The worst thing for me is to leave an artist alone in a room when they've got no energy to come back and forth, so the emotional opportunities for the singer to feel something are missed."

The Los Angeles Chapter leaders came in with some remarks, noting the many ways creatives could engage around advocacy as a member. Conley, who frequently hears members asking about how they could get involved, suggested to "contact Congress."

Read More: VP Of Member & Industry Relations Kelley Purcell On How Recording Academy Members Can Make A Difference

"We are still in the fight, on your behalf, for getting the correct relief that we need for music creators that have been impacted by COVID by encouraging your Congress people to support the HITS Act or the SOS Bill or the Restart Act," Conley said.

Clockwise from top-left: Julia Michels, Philip Lawrence and Harvey Mason jr.

Clockwise from top-left: Julia Michels, Philip Lawrence and Harvey Mason jr. | Screenshot from New Year x New Music x New Normal summit

The final panel of the summit was A Conversation With One Project, Three Voices: Music For Visual Media. This panel revolved around the Netflix smash holiday musical, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. The three voices of Mason, Lawrence and Michels, who moderated the panel, are responsible for creating the unforgettable music of David E. Talbert's Jingle Jangle, mainly during the pandemic. 

Michels asked Lawrence about the speed in which he wrote the songs to which he replied, "I fell in love with the story. I was moved by the script. And I fell in love with David and his energy. He's this infectious personality that you just want to be around. Understanding the story and narrative and wanting to do justice to these characters was the catalyst for me to be as spontaneous and in the moment as possible. I've built a career on freestyling. I try not to overthink."

In contrast to the spontaneous and in-person interaction of Lawrence with Talbert, Mason's experience recording for Jingle Jangle was wholly dictated by the pandemic's fluctuating restrictions.

"At certain points we could gather 10 people, so we would rush and get as many people in the room as we could," Mason said. "Then they said now you can only have two people, so we would put people in different booths. At one point we tried to record a choir. Fortunately, in my studio we have five isolation booths, which gave us 10. We stacked it so we ended up with 40 or 50 voices by the time it was done. It was laborious for sure, to say the least. It was not convenient. But it was a challenge, and like the rest of this movie, it was big fun."

Much like the Songwriters/Producers/A&R panelists, Michaels also found that, "I have more access to musicians because, unfortunately, people aren't touring. People are willing to write, and I'm getting a lot of 'yeses' where I think I would have gotten 'nos' on some other projects."

Recording Academy Invites & Celebrates Its 2020 New Member Class

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Behind The Record

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Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit behind-record-returns-givecredit-behind-scenes-music-creators

Behind The Record Returns To #GiveCredit To The Behind-The-Scenes Music Creators

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The Recording Academy's global social media initiative to celebrate the music makers behind the records you love is back to give credit where credit is due
GRAMMYs
Oct 14, 2020 - 10:11 am

On Oct. 15, join the Recording Academy for Behind The Record, a global social media initiative celebrating the producers, mixers, engineers, songwriters, composers and all the creators across all music genres who work tirelessly to make the songs and albums you love. This year's launch is marked by a new animated film narrated by spoken word artist and Recording Academy Chicago Chapter President J. Ivy highlighting 33 album titles to help tell the story about everyone who works Behind the Record.

Behind the Record’s mission is to inspire a conversation around the importance of credits, while giving credit where credit is due, especially during a time when the music community needs it the most.

Launched in 2019, Behind the Record returns this year to honor the work of all music creators by highlighting their contributions through album credits. Last year’s campaign featured more than 3,000 credit covers created and shared by artists, reaching hundreds of millions of fans around the world.

https://twitter.com/bandzoogle/status/1316386422111309824

We're thrilled to be a partner of @RecordingAcad's #BehindTheRecord-bringing the names of the producers, mixers, engineers, songwriters, composers, and collaborators who work behind the record to the front. Learn more about the initiative here: https://t.co/qNKgvVYhZh #GiveCredit pic.twitter.com/PeaQ5pgJZT

— Bandzoogle (@bandzoogle) October 14, 2020

To participate, artists can create a custom Credit Cover to post on Instagram and other social networks, using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord and #GiveCredit, on Oct. 15 where they can tag all the creators who worked on their record and invite other artists to do the same. The Credit Covers, which can be created for a single track or a full album, will live in a gallery on the Behind the Record website where music fans can view and discover the roles of creatives behind some of their favorite records.

New for this year, artists participating in Behind the Record can sign the #GiveCredit petition, an official artist petition urging all digital music streaming services to display complete credits for songwriters, producers, engineers and non-featured performers on albums and tracks, the same way lyrics are available to those seeking them. Sadly, liner notes were largely left behind in the evolution of digital streaming. As a result, artists haven’t had a platform to publicly recognize the incredibly talented musicians and creators behind the music we love. By signing this petition, we hope to change that for future music-makers.

Behind the Record is supported by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing®. Jaxsta, the world's largest public-facing, dedicated database of official music credits, provided credits for Warner Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Merlin releases.

Look for your favorite artists' Credit Covers on Oct. 15, and be sure to follow and join the global conversation on social media using the hashtags #BehindTheRecord #GiveCredit and #WeAreMusic. Together, we can ensure that all creators are recognized for their work and contributions Behind the Record.

Learn More About The Recording Academy's Behind The Record

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.