John Billings

John Billings

Photo: Jesse Grant/WireImage/Getty Images

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Meet The GRAMMY Man: How The Golden Gramophones Are Made

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Here's how John Billings and his Colorado-based company became the go-to team for crafting music's most prestigious trophy
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Dec 11, 2018 - 4:45 pm

Meet John Billings, aka the "GRAMMY Man." He and his small but mighty team at Billings Artworks in the tiny mountain town of Ridgway, Colo. make all of the GRAMMY trophies that winning artists at the GRAMMYs and Latin GRAMMYs proudly take home every year. Watch the video below to hear from Billings himself on the joy he finds in his craft.

Meet The GRAMMY Man

Before Billings became the "GRAMMY Man," he was a dental student in Southern California in the '80s, and went to learn casting under the original GRAMMY maker, Bob Graves.

Unfortunately Graves was terminally ill, and shortly before his death asked Billings to keep the tradition going. So Billings moved to Colorado to start Billings Artworks and keep the hand-crafted, American-made tradition alive for the GRAMMY trophies.

"Each GRAMMY we make, in our minds, it's going to a superstar, you know it's going to somebody who's given to us, to our lives, and now we're giving back to them." Billings said. "We're a small company in a dusty little shop, in a tiny little town in the mountains, but our work is recognized around the world and goes around the world."

2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominations List

Michael Sticka

Michael Sticka

Photo: Brad Van Tilburgh

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GRAMMY Museum Announces Michael Sticka As New Executive Director

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As the museum approaches its 10th anniversary, the third-ever Executive Director is announced
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 18, 2018 - 7:10 am

The GRAMMY Museum has announced that Michael Sticka will take over as the new Executive Director. Sticka will continue to support the organization's strategic direction and vision, taking leadership on all aspects of operations including curation, programing, grants and more.

As the museum moves towards a successful tenth year, Sticka's new appointment is part of a larger leadership expansion, which also named Scott Goldman as the Artistic Director earlier in the year, and a renewal of Rita George's role as Chief Operating Officer. The Founding Executive Director, Bob Santelli, will remain with the museum to focus on expanding programs that reach past the museum's walls, including traveling exhibitions.

Sticka previously served as the GRAMMY Museum's Controller and Senior Director of Finance and Administration, playing an important role in its integration with the GRAMMY Foundation in 2017 and designing a strategic long-term plan for the partnership.

"It's not lost on me that I’ve been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead a team of extraordinary people as we seek to be a greater and more active part of our community through our vital curatorial and educational work," Sticka said, regarding his new role. "It is an understatement to say that I am proud of what our team has accomplished to date, just as it can't be overstated how excited we all are for what lies ahead."

For almost ten years the museum has been "dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music" through engaging exhibits, exciting programming with both iconic and up-coming artists, grants and more.

Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy and Chair of the GRAMMY Museum Board, highlighted the museum's accomplishment and the hardworking people behind it.

"In just 10 years, the GRAMMY Museum has exceeded our expectations largely due to the powerful vision of our extraordinary executives and the hard-working and passionate team at the Museum, which has resulted in our becoming one of the industry’s foremost philanthropic organizations dedicated to music education and advancement," he said.

The GRAMMY Museum will celebrate its tenth anniversary this December, and will continue to bring schools/students and the public a wide range of exhibits celebrating the history of music, programs showcasing conversations and performances with both established and newer artists, and grants to support music programs in public schools. Upcoming exhibits include "Jermaine Dupri & So So Def: 25 Years of Elevating Culture," which kicks off Sept. 20 with a conversation with Jermaine Dupri himself.

Visit the GRAMMY Museum website for the latest on all upcoming exhibits and events.

Behind the Record

Photo: Recording Academy

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

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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 Monroy 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

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

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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 Monroy 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.

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

Lisa Farris

Lisa Farris

Photo: Jessie Lee Cederblom

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Recording Academy Announces Lisa Farris As Chief Digital Officer

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Farris brings her years of digital marketing and music industry experience to lead the digital media team
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 6, 2019 - 12:33 pm

The Recording Academy has announced digital media innovater Lisa Farris as Chief Digital Officer.

Farris will lead the digital media team and will be responsible for the growth of the organization's digital media platforms while supporting the Recording Academy's mission and adapting it to the changing media landscape. The digital media team is responsible for content strategy, audience growth, strategy and develoment, among other responsibilities. 

 

Farris, in collaboration with the Recording Academy's leadership team, will use digital media as a tool to continue supporting music creators and connect music audiences and stakeholders globally. She will also continue to form relationships with technology entities to grow innovation and better the experiences across digital touchpoints, a statement said. 

"Given the continued pace of digital disruption in music, with more than 88 percent of non-radio music in the U.S. being consumed digitally, coupled with the way creators leverage technology to make music, digital sits at the core of almost everything we touch," said Farris. "Through digital advances, we have an opportunity to heighten the vital work we do supporting all music professionals, while strengthening the Recording Academy's digital ecosystem and building upon the incredible work it provides through advocacy, its charities MusiCares and the GRAMMY Museum, and of course, the annual GRAMMY Awards."

Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow highlighted the organizations' excitement for what Farris will bring to the team.

"Lisa is a leading digital innovator who recognizes the Recording Academy has incredible opportunities to inform and inspire music fans through new products and platforms, and we're very fortunate to have someone with her depth of experience and far-sighted perspectives on the industry join our team." said Portnow. "Technology is a fantastic enabler, and Lisa knows that understanding and connecting with music audiences through iconic brands such as the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Awards is the true differentiator."

Prior to starting her new role at the Recording Academy, Farris served as the Chief Digital Growth & Brand Officer at MetricVision, a marketing and analytics firm. She currently mentors entrepreneurship students at Loyola Marymount University and advises a summer financial literacy program there taught by the University's students to local high schoolers.

In 2012, she co-founded Get This, a digital commerce platform that allows TV viewers to shop fashion from their favorite shows. She has also spent extensive time in the music industry, including as the Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing at Universal Music Group's eLabs.

The GRAMMY Museum Unveils 'Backstreet Boys: The Experience'