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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Jermaine Dupri

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage

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Jermaine Dupri & T.I. Lead REVOLT Summit Atlanta Industry Speakers Lineup

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The three-day hip-hop summit will also feature Quality Control's Coach K and Pierre “Pee” Thomas plus Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ester Dean and more
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 20, 2019 - 5:10 pm

Hip-hop cross-platfrom media juggernaut REVOLT TV has unleashed the first wave of speakers for its REVOLT Summit Atlanta, set to toake place Sept. 12-14, and it packs quite the hip-hop punch. Led by GRAMMY winners Jermaine Dupri and T.I., the lineup also includes local Atlanta legends and Quality Control Founders Coach K and Pierre “Pee” Thomas as Co-Chairs, AtlanAtlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and GRAMMY nominated singer/songwriter, producer and actriess Ester Dean.

“This is the first big announcement of many for REVOLT Summit in Atlanta,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs. “I’m excited that Coach K and Pierre “Pee” Thomas will join me as co-chairs of the Atlanta Summit.  We’ve got many big & exciting announcements to come that will include established artists, leaders & the real next generation of cultural voices.”

Dupri will join Dallas Austin and Rico Wade on "The Pioneers Panel," to discuss their storied careers and the impact of their work on Southern rap. T.I. and Mayor Lance Bottoms aong with Eboni K. Williams will take part in "Trap The Vote: Hip Hop & Politics," moderated by Jeff Johnson. Mayor Lance Bottoms will present Combs with  Atlanta’s “Key to the City,” the Phoenix Award.

Coach K and Pee will lead a discussion titled, "Quality Control: The Blueprint Behind Hip Hop's Most Influential Imprint," which will offer insight into the business of Hip Hop, cover their personal path to success and provide advice for attendees. The duo will also speak on "The Making Of Since The '80s" panel with Kei Henderson and Zekiel Nicholson. Dean, will participate in the Songwriting 101 panel and judge REVOLT's "Be Heard" competition featuring performances from five finalists selected from over 100 applicants.

Last month, REVOLT kicked things off with a preview event in New York. After the Atlanta Summit, the festivities head to Los Angeles Oct. 24-26.

Tickets for REVOLT Summit Atlanta and Los Angeles are available now via REVOLT's website.

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Xiami Music

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China Gets MQA Studio-Quality Audio Streaming With Alibaba's Xiami Music

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Xiami will be the first streaming service in China to adopt MQA, a technology already in use by Tidal to stream hi-res music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 18, 2019 - 12:33 pm

In the latest high-res audio victory heard 'round the world, Alibaba Group's Xiami Music announced plans to become the first music streaming service in China to adopt MQA studio-quality audio. Implementation of this pioneering technology will make Xiami the audio quality leader in China.

True to its name, MQA delivers "master quality authenticated" music in a file small enough to stream, and is already in use by Tidal. MQA decoders can be found in high-end equipment the world over; its technology enables the highest quality playback of the original recording on all devices, from smartphones to high-end home audio systems.

Long Yang, Director of Xiami Music said in a statement, "We are very proud to be the first music service in China to offer MQA, as we continue to push the technological boundaries in pursuit of improved sound quality to benefit our music fans and all musicians on our platform."

MQA will be introduced into the SVIP tier of Xiami Music iOS and Android apps, and all users will be offered a free trial for a limited period to kick the tires before subscribing. Even before this high-quality audio streaming becomes an option, China had already become the fourth largest market for sales of MQA devices. Plus, Xiami has attracted over 40,000 independent musicians, and its library contains over 500 million playlists and 20 million songs the platform's new offering will have immediate impact.

Mike Jbara, MQA’s CEO, added, "MQA is a consumer-centric technology company, driven by a commitment to deliver the master recording all the way through to the music fan, wherever and however they choose to listen – and it was clear from our first meeting that the Xiami team shared our vision."

China's revitalized recorded revenue market currently ranks seventh in revenue internationally, due in part to the efforts of streaming services like Xiami. The country also ranks fourth in terms of music streaming income, behind only the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. Now, with high-quality streaming options becoming available to Chinese consumers, the digital revolution will sound better than ever for millions of music fans.

Quality Sound Matters: Learn More About The Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing Initiative

Chance The Rapper

Photo: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

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Chance The Rapper's Debut Album Is Coming Soon... Prepare For 'The Big Day'

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Chance took to television to announce the follow up to his 2016 GRAMMY-winning mixtape 'Coloring Book' will arrive July 26
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 17, 2019 - 6:35 pm

GRAMMY winner Chance the Rapper appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon recently, where he revealed plans for his debut album, The Big Day. The album, which will drop July 26, is the follow up to his third mixtape, 2016's Coloring Book. 

Chance also showed the world the album artwork for his new project and, after some negotiations with Fallon, revealed the album title. 

Coloring Book earned the Chicago rapper a whopping six GRAMMY nominations plus a nod for Best New Artist, a category he won, along with Best Rap Performance for "No Problem" and Best Rap Album. 

The Big Day is currently available for pre-order via Chance's website, where you can also pick up his three mixtapes newly released on vinyl and pre-sale for his upcoming world tour.

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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. 

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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