Nina Simone

Nina Simone

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Nina Simone, Tom Petty Recordings Among 2019 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Inductions

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Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, and more also included in the 25 recordings in this year's Hall Of Fame class
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 24, 2019 - 7:30 am

The Recording Academy has announced the inductees for the 2019 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. The list of 25 recordings includes works by Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and more.

This year's class represents a diverse range of both singles and album recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance. From Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" to Davis' 'Round About Midnight. The highly reputed list also features Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Song Book, Brenda Lee's "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree," Parton's "Coat Of Many Colors," Simone's "To Be Young, Gifted And Black," Petty's Full Moon Fever, The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and Domino's "I’m Walkin’."

Other inductees include recordings by Leonard Bernstein, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, El Jarocho, W.C. Handy, Miriam Makeba, Curtis Mayfield, Edward Meeker With The Edison Orchestra, Charlie Parker’s Ri Bop Boys, Jaco Pastorius, Jeannie C. Riley, Sonny Rollins Quartet Featuring John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Troggs, Sarah Vaughan, and Link Wray & His Ray Men.

"The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame is proud to be a pillar of musical excellence and diversity year after year, honoring some of the most iconic recordings of all time," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "We are proud to acknowledge the ever-changing landscape and evolution of musical expression for which the Academy has become known. We’re honored to add these masterpieces to our growing catalog and are delighted to celebrate the impact they’ve had on our musical, social, and cultural history."

Each year recordings are reviewed by a special member committee comprised of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts, with final approval by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. With 25 new titles, the Hall, now in its 46th year, currently totals 1,088 recordings and is on display at GRAMMY Museum L.A. LIVE.

For more music history in the making, be sure to watch the 61st GRAMMY Awards, which will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.

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SoundCloud

Photo Illustration: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

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SoundCloud Unveils New Artist Marketing Tool Called Promote

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Premier-tier users of the digital service can now self-manage their own promotional efforts to boost plays and grow audience
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 12, 2019 - 3:35 pm

SoundCloud artists who have upgrated to Premier, the platform's premium-tier membership, now have a new promotional tool in their tool belt. Today the digital service launced Promote, a self-service feature empowering creators to boost plays and lift their songs to the top of listeners' feeds and mobile pages.

With Promote, Premier users can set their own budget and adjust advanced targeting options to, as SoundCloud's website puts it, "Get your music in front of our global tastemaker community." The promotional tool also allows artists to interact with fans and build real-time connections on the platform.

This new feature comes as part of the existing Premier plan, where artists get free distribution to every major music service with fast, direct payouts as well as, "Earn industry-leading revenue share on SoundCloud and keep 100 percent of your payouts from other services."

In order for artists to qualify for Premier and access the new Promote tool, they must be age 18 or older, be posting original music and have no copyright strikes against them and a minimum of 1,000 monetizable track plays on SoundCloud.

For more information, visit SoundCloud's Premier page.

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Ken Ehrlich

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Ken Ehrlich Announced As Executive Producer For 62nd GRAMMYs, Ben Winston Named New Executive Producer For 63rd GRAMMYs

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Ehrlich to celebrate his milestone 40th GRAMMY Telecast On Music's Biggest Night, Jan. 26, 2020
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 17, 2019 - 6:30 am

The Recording Academy announced Ken Ehrlich, longtime producer/executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, will be the executive producer of the upcoming 62nd GRAMMY Awards, to be held on Jan. 26, 2020 in Los Angeles. The telecast will mark Ehrlich's milestone 40th anniversary of making Music's Biggest Night the must-see music awards show year after year. 

In his four decades as executive producer, Ehrlich has organized some of music's most iconic and memorable TV moments and, as the Los Angeles Times put it,  "redefined the way we experience live music on television." Since producing his first GRAMMY Awards show in 1980, he has become known for his signature touch: incredible and unexpected pairings such as Eminem and Elton John, Prince and Beyoncé, and Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Joe Walsh.

"To have been a part of the growth of the GRAMMY Awards into the preeminent music awards show of our time has been one of the highlights of my professional life, and I'm grateful to the Recording Academy and to our partners at CBS for their support and for trusting my vision over the past four decades," said Ehrlich. "I have also been the happy recipient of having an incredible group of people who have worked on the show over the years, and of course the most amazing cadre of musical artists who bring their own creativity and brilliance to the GRAMMY stage year after year. I want to wish my successor Ben the best as he assumes the executive producer role. I am confident that his abilities in all aspects of production will both ensure the legacy of the GRAMMY Awards and also instill a new creative direction for the show."

"Ken's imprint on the GRAMMY Awards and the music industry are well-known and represent the kind of work and vision that legends are made of," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Having worked closely with Ken for almost half of his tenure with the show, I have seen first-hand the vision, extraordinary musical knowledge, and passion he brings to every minute of the process, and the spectacular results and memorable GRAMMY Moments that have been delivered. It's an honor to celebrate his 40th anniversary with the GRAMMYs. I also recognize the wonderful opportunity ahead by bringing the immensely talented, innovative, and well-respected Ben Winston into the family, and we look forward to his enthusiastic and forward-thinking approach to presenting music on television."

The Academy also announced Emmy Award winner Ben Winston will become the sole executive producer for the 63rd GRAMMY Awards telecast in 2021. 

GRAMMYs

Ben Winston

"It's an absolute honor to be executive producer of the GRAMMYs for 2021," said Winston. "I feel excitement and nerves in equal measure on taking on this role, but mostly I feel immense gratitude to the Recording Academy for this wonderful opportunity. I also want to salute Ken, who has done an absolutely remarkable job over the last 40 years."

Winston is a multifaceted and award-winning producer, director, and writer with credits in television, movies, music videos, and commercials. A six-time Emmy Award winner and a 22-time nominee, he has produced a multitude of shows including "The Late Late Show with James Corden," co-created "Carpool Karaoke," and "Drop The Mic" and has produced many music specials for artists such as Bruno Mars, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber to name a few. Winston has also made his mark in the live envents space, as a producer of the Brits awards and Tony awards, in the documentary film world and as a music video director.

The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, and will be broadcast live on the CBS.

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Canada Pledges $15M In Funding To Create Greater Opportunities For Musicians

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Our neighbors to the north cite the "growing importance of digital media" for expanding their federal funding of music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Mar 22, 2019 - 4:55 pm

The Canadian government has revealed its 2019 federal budget, and the news for musicians is good. Canada has pledged $20 million Canadian (approximately $15 million U.S. dollars) to the Canadian Music Fund over two years.

"With the growing importance of digital media today, Canadian artists—especially musicians and music entrepreneurs (e.g., producers, agents)—now face the challenge of marketing their content internationally and across all platforms, while also putting a greater emphasis on touring and live performances," the budget report says.

The additional funding brings the Government of Canada 's total support of the Canadian music industry to $40.7 million Canadian (over $30 million U.S. dollars). Canadian music organizations such as the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and anadian Live Music Association (CLMA).

"For musical artists," the report continues, "these investments will create greater opportunities to innovate and experiment on a wider range of digital and non-digital platforms. This, combined with enhanced support for promotion—including more touring and more modern marketing approaches—will ensure that Canadian music reaches more audiences at home and abroad."

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Coachella

Coachella

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Coachella Announces "Every One" Initiative To Fight Harassment And Assault

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The two-weekend desert festival will take extra measures this year to "develop a festival culture that is safe and inclusive for everyone"
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 4, 2019 - 11:18 am

With news of the stacked 2019 Coachella lineup and re-upped partnership with YouTube still fresh, the iconic desert music festival has announced new measures to fight against harassment and assault. Named "Every One," the initiative outlines plans to ensure all festivalgoers feel safe and comfortable while they attend, including safety ambassadors throughout the grounds, trained counselors on-site, all-gender restrooms, ADA accessibility, and a zero tolerance policy on assault and harassment.

"We are pushing ourselves and our guests to do better and to be better," says the Coachella website. "We are taking deliberate steps to develop a festival culture that is safe and inclusive for everyone. Persons of any gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, age or ability are welcome at Coachella."

The new initiative operates in harmony with the current Code of Conduct, which does not mention harassment or assault explicitly. Last April, Teen Vogue reported "rampant" sexual harassment at Coachella 2018, saying, "Of the 54 young women who spoke to Teen Vogue for this piece during the weekend-long event, all of them had a story of sexual assault or harassment that occurred this year at Coachella." This alarming report was magnified by how similar and pervasive the accounts were, with one young woman estimating she'd been touched inappropriately 40 times over the three day weekend festival.

The festival's new measures promise to address the issue and take real action toward creating a safer environment.

"Coachella will NOT tolerate any form of assault or harassment," the Coachella website continues, "Be it sexual, physical or verbal. Anyone found to be in violation of this policy is subject to immediate removal from the festival site and law enforcement may be notified. The offender’s Festival Wristband may be revoked and no refund will be issued."

Coachella 2019 will take place April 12–14 and 19–21 in Indio, Calif. Tickets go on sale today, Jan. 4, via the festival's website.

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