Behind the Record

Photo: Recording Academy

News

Artists: Find Out How To #GiveCredit & Celebrate Your Collaborators Today!

Facebook Twitter Email
As Behind the Record launches today, find out how you can join the movement and create a Credit Cover showing gratitude to everyone you worked with on your album or single
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 25, 2019 - 12:24 pm

Today, the Recording Academy officially launched Behind the Record, a new social media campaign aimed at showcasing everyone who worked together to make an album or record possible. If you're an artist and haven't yet shared your Credit Cover—a reimagined album cover with all the contributors' names on the front—today's the day to give credit where credit is due by sharing one and thanking your collaborators.

Using the Credit Cover generator is simple and only takes a few minutes. And once you've created one, you have a lovely visual to help you not only #GiveCredit and celebrate all the people who helped behind-the-scenes of your musical project, it also helps your fans discover them as well. Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to create and share your new Credit Cover(s).

"The importance of credits, particularly in art, cannot even be measured. It's such a collaborative effort to make art—even from a singular place. Even for the artist who draws onto the page there is still often a team of people who makes the sharing of it possible. To acknowledge my team and my crew is really important because they help me LIVE! They help me to focus and they offer me time which is perhaps an even more important commodity because that time allows me to create." - Lalah Hathaway

STEP 1: Create & Download Credit Cover

GRAMMYs

If you are a Recording Academy member, you should have already received an email from us with information on how to create your Credit Cover; you can use that login code to access the generator here. If you didn't receive the email, please reach out to givecredit@recordingacademy.com for assistance.

Once you have accessed the Credit Cover generator, submit the info for the LP, EP or single you want to create the new cover for. Our Behind the Record partner Jaxsta has kindly provided credits for Merlin, Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music Group releases, so if your project was released under one of these labels, credits should auto-populate.

Double-check the names and spelling, and then download the three images (your Credit Cover, the original cover art and the Behind the Record logo). If you opt into sharing your cover in the gallery (a.k.a. do not check the "hide credit cover" box), it will be showcased in our growing collection on behindtherecord.grammy.com.

STEP 2: Upload To Social & Tag Collaborators

GRAMMYs

Now that you have your images ready for sharing, upload to your social platform of choice and tag your fellow creators. For Instagram, we suggest using the image carousel feature with the Credit Cover first.

"Creating timeless music is a team sport. My intent with Diaspora was to be a bridge between the west and other black cultures around the world, and assembling a grand cast of collaborators was essential to that goal. Highlighting all the producers, writers, vocalists, session musicians, engineers, studios, and more that were a part of the record isn't just important to me as an artist, but it's important for the fans too.

 

Understanding the different cultural figures behind the record—from P2J, a Nigerian-English composer based in London, to Blinky Bill, a producer/musician based in Kenya—is key to understanding why and how the music came together, and will enhance the listening experience. I'm beyond excited about the Recording Academy taking the time to put a spotlight on the members of our music community that don't always get the attention they deserve." - Goldlink

STEP 3: Share Your Message Of Gratitude!

GRAMMYs

The final step is to share your message of gratitude for the amazing contributors to your project, and to encourage other artists to do the same! We've included a suggested caption below, but feel free to speak straight from your heart.

"I'm joining the movement to bring the names of people from Behind the Record to the front. These are all the amazing professionals behind [Album Title]. Thank you all! Artists, it's time to give credit where credit is due. Go to RecordingAcademy.com/CreditCover to create the Credit Cover for your latest album. #GiveCredit @RecordingAcademy [use @RecordingAcad on Twitter]"

Don't forget to use the hashtags #GiveCredit, #BehindTheRecord and #WeAreMusic to join in on the global conversation!

Pandora Supports Behind The Record, Launches Full Song Credits

Anderson. Paak Malibu Credit Cover
News

Behind The Record: Your Favorite Artists #GiveCredit Where It's Due

Facebook Twitter Email
Artists took to social media to #GiveCredit on Oct. 25 with detailed Credit Covers for fans to explore
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 28, 2019 - 4:50 pm

Last Friday, on Oct. 25, Behind the Record launched, and in doing so, acknowledged countless creatives behind your favorite records. 

Tons of artists showed up for the conversation, sharing Credit Covers highlighting the names of professionals who worked on all kinds of songs and albums.

For starters, L.A.-based producer/DJ TOKiMONSTA shared the Credit Cover for her track "I Wish I Could," featuring Belgian singer/songwriter Selah Sue on vocals, from her GRAMMY-nominated 2017 album Lune Rogue. She wrote: "Everyone on a track deserves to be recognized. A big thank you to everyone who works #BehindTheRecord."

More: Artists: Find Out How To #GiveCredit & Celebrate Your Collaborators Today!

2019 GRAMMY host Alicia Keys also posted for her latest single, "Show Me Love" featuring Miguel, along with a powerful message: "One of my favorite things about making music is the collaboration process and everyone bringing their beautiful spirits and expertise to the process! It's an honor to have created magic with you on 'Show Me Love'!! Big Love to all the people #behindtherecord you're amazing and I'm grateful to you for rockin' with me. I'm here to #givecredit."

With Credit Covers, you can you can discover the instrumentalists, producers, mixers, engineers and whoever else made helped song that much more memorable and powerful. Did you know that the guitars on "Show Me Love" were performed by GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq and producer/songwriter Morgan Matthews (who also co-produced and co-wrote the track with Keys)?

"Proper crediting, at its core, is about a reverence for creativity and the incongruous ways in which it moves through creators. As technology continues to change at a rapid rate, we must be prepared to redefine the ways in which we recognize and define creative roles in order to create a more diverse and inclusive industry. We must be prepared to leave behind precedent in favor of a true recognition of modern authorship." - Maggie Rogers

Below, explore the collaborators on two GRAMMY winners' albums: H.E.R.'s 2019 EP, I Used To Know H.E.R., and Brandi Carlile's By The Way, I Forgive You. GRAMMY-nominated electro-pop duo SOFI TUKKER shared the cover for their fun new single, "Purple Hat," and the GRAMMY-nominated Jonas Brothers celebrated their co-creators behind Happiness Begins.

 
 
 

"We make music in the spirit of fun and collaboration and it's important to us that that spirit stays alive from the making of the track into its whole lifespan. Plus, it’s just fair. If someone helps make a song, they deserve to be credited. We usually make songs with our friends and it's so fun to be able to share the joy of releasing a song with people we love." - SOFI TUKKER

Nigerian Afropop queen Yemi Alade shared the credit cover for her 2019 album, Woman of Steel, and GRAMMY-winning alt-rockers The Black Keys shared one for their 2019 LP, Let's Rock. GRAMMY-winning country group Little Big Town celebrated all the hands behind the scenes on "Over Drinking," while EDM DJ/producer Marshmello did the same for his track "Happier" featuring Bastille.

 
 
 

GRAMMY-winning disco queen Gloria Gaynor thanked the collaborators on her 2019 gospel album, Testimony. GRAMMY- and Latin GRAMMY-winning Puerto Rican singer/activist iLe shared the Credit Cover for her 2019 album, Almadura, while GRAMMY-winning experimental jazz artist Esperanza Spaulding gave thanks for everyone who helped her with her 2018 LP, Twelve Little Spells.

 
 

Make sure to visit behindtherecord.grammy.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop on Behind the Record updates and other great behind-the-music content. You can also search the hashtags #GiveCredit, #BehindTheRecord and #WeAreMusic to join in on the global conversation.  

We are beyond grateful to all the artists and partners who have helped make this dream project a reality, to help give credit where it's due; thank you to everyone who has participated so far.

If you are an artist and want to make your own Credit Cover and have not yet; please check out the instructions here and visit behindtherecord.grammy.com/creditcovers.

Ricky Martin To Host The Biggest Night In Latin Music 19 Years After Performing At Inaugural Show

Behind the Record
News

Behind The Record Celebrates Behind-The-Scenes Creators Of Your Favorite Albums

Facebook Twitter Email
The brand-new Recording Academy initiative encourages artists to thank the fellow creators who helped their music come together, thus, helping fans dive deeper Behind the Record
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 24, 2019 - 7:00 am

This Friday, Oct. 25, the Recording Academy will launch Behind the Record, a new social media initiative to highlight all of the creators that made your favorite albums and records possible. The goal is to ignite a cultural conversation by inviting artists across genres to recognize all of their collaborators' tireless behind-the-scenes work, for the music their fans adore.

The conversation kicks off on Friday, when the first group of artists will share their reimagined album covers—Credit Covers that highlight the songwriters, producers, engineers and other collaborators—on social media.

"It's our responsibility, as a service organization, to serve our membership community of creative professionals and to ensure we celebrate and recognize all the incredibly talented musicians and creators who are making the music we love," said Deborah Dugan, President/CEO of the Recording Academy.

Credits have been a casualty of the digital age, for all that we gained with streaming we lost in the opportunity for recognition and even discovery. Behind the Record champions all professional music creators and aims to connect with artist fan bases in order to give recognition to those who work tirelessly on these recordings."

If you are artist, you can participate in Behind the Record by creating and sharing a Credit Cover for a single or album using the online generator. Once you create your Credit Cover, you can join the conversation by sharing it across your social media platforms and tagging the amazing collaborators now featured on the cover.

Please use the hashtags #GiveCredit, #WeAreMusic and #BehindTheRecord when posting, so everyone can find and discover it.

Behind the Record is supported by the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing. Additionally, Jaxsta, a database of official (non-crowd-sourced) music credit information for members of the music community, offered support by providing credits for Merlin, Warner Music, Sony Music and Universal Music Group releases. Pandora, TIDAL and Genius also partnered with the Academy to help make this project possible.

For more information, or if you're interested in creating a physical limited-edition sleeve, please contact givecredit@recordingacademy.com or visit www.grammy.com/behindtherecord.

For music fans, artists and behind-the-scenes magic-makers alike, don't forget to explore and join the conversation on social media, starting Friday, with #GiveCredit, #WeAreMusic and #BehindTheRecord.

GRAMMY Museum To Celebrate 20 Years Of Latin GRAMMY Excellence With New Exhibit

Pandora

Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

News

Pandora Supports Behind The Record, Launches Full Song Credits

Facebook Twitter Email
The streaming service announces a brand-new full credits feature for millions of songs in their massive library and supports the Recording Academy initiative to #GiveCredit
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Oct 24, 2019 - 2:53 pm

Today, Oct. 24, the Recording Academy announced the new Behind the Record social media initiative to highlight all creators behind the music. Concurrently, Pandora, a supporter of the program, has launched a new full credits feature for millions of songs on their streaming platform.

When listening to a song on Pandora, users can now dig deeper into it by clicking on the title, followed by the "See All Song Credits" link. This exciting new service is up and running on their web player and new desktop app.

"You always have to give credit where it's due! Songwriters and producers put their heart into what they create! And to know who it comes from makes it even more special and personal," GRAMMY winner H.E.R. told Pandora.

Back in July, TIDAL, another supporter of Behind the Record, launched TIDAL Credits. Users of their music streaming platform, can now dig into artists' pages and explore all their credits, as a performer, songwriter, producer and more.

You can now dig into this credit treasure troves on both Pandora and TIDAL. Visit behindtherecord.grammy.com to learn more about Behind the Record, and use the Credit Cover generator if you're an artist.

And don't forget to join the conversation by sharing and searching social media using #GiveCredit, #WeAreMusic and #BehindTheRecord, starting tomorrow, Oct. 25.

Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

Anderson .Paak

Anderson .Paak

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

News

Anderson .Paak Drops Lead Single, Track List For Upcoming 'Ventura'

Facebook Twitter Email
The recent first-time GRAMMY winner's fourth studio album is rife with features, including fellow GRAMMY winners Smokey Robinson, Brandy and André 3000
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 15, 2019 - 1:42 pm

Just over a month since taking home his first GRAMMY for "Bubblin," Southern California-bred hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak is ready to give the world some fresh jams. Early this morning, March 15, he shared the upbeat, celebratory lead single, "King James," from his upcoming fourth studio album Ventura, due out April 12.

"King James" is classic .Paak, beginning with horns and a slow, bouncing beat that sets the tone as he opens, "We've been through it all, thought it could be worse." The song, as the name implies, offers a nod to NBA champ LeBron James, who opened a public school in his hometown last fall, as well as to activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

"Now I'm not much for games / But I play for keeps / And we salute King James for using his change / to create some equal opportunities," .Paak raps.

It is the seventh song on the 11-song album, whose track list (check it out below) he revealed on Twitter yesterday. It is rife with hot features across generations and styles; GRAMMY winners André 3000, Smokey Robinson, Lalah Hathaway and Brandy all make appearances. Rising songwriter/rapper/singer Sonyae Elise, who worked with .Paak on 2016's "Room In Here," also has a feature, as well as GRAMMY nominees Jazmine Sullivan and Nate Dogg, who appears posthumously.

.Paak spoke to Billboard about Ventura on Feb. 27, the same day he announced the album and his upcoming tour: "Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over I went further and found my depth."

He added: "The duality of each place inspired me greatly and from that I made two albums at the exact same time but held one back because that would have been too many songs to perform live for you all! I like ending things on an even number so welcome to Ventura."

Oxnard, his third studio album, was the third installment of .Paak's "beach trilogy," an idea he envisioned back in high school in Oxnard, Calif. His first LP was titled Venice and released in October 2014. All three names are nods to cities near Los Angeles, Calif.

Earlier this year at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, he earned his first GRAMMY win for Best Rap Performance for "Bubblin," a non-album single he dropped in May 2018. He was first nominated at the 59th GRAMMY Awards for Best New Artist and for Best Urban Contemporary Album for his sophomore effort, Malibu.

Following the release of Ventura, .Paak will be embarking on the Best Teef In The Game Tour, with dates across Europe and Northern America. The North American leg kicks off on May 17 in Nashville, Tenn. after several U.S. festival appearances, including Coachella.

Philadelphia Declares March 15–17 Meek Mill Weekend