An artist advocate. A devotee to making the American dream a reality for artists. A force of nature. The smartest woman in the room. All these statements describe Susan Genco, co-president of the Azoff Company, who received the top honor at the Recording Academy's 24th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) event during GRAMMY Week 2022. With a focus on future voices and entertainment law education, the annual ELI gathering is the leading music industry and music law conference, aligning prominent entertainment attorneys to discuss and debate top-of-mind music industry legal matters and trends. Via its annual Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award and Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest, respectively, ELI celebrates influential thought leaders and next-gen student innovators alike, who are collectively advancing the conversation surrounding music law.

Held Saturday, April 2, at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, ELI 2022 honored Genco with the Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award. She is a leader who has spent her storied career protecting artists while supporting the music community at-large through service. Advocacy and fair wages in the music industry are now more important than ever to crusaders like Genco, who has made substantial contributions on policy through the Music Modernization Act and federal COVID relief packages as well as her work as a board member for the Music Artists Coalition, which includes her ongoing work on the FAIR Act.

A lifelong music lover, Genco spent her college days as a DJ at Wellesley before heading to Harvard Law. After college, she held executive positions at a variety of record labels including Warner Bros. Records, Capitol/EMI and Arista Records, under Clive Davis. Now, as the co-president of the Azoff Company, working alongside Irving Azoff, she oversees and manages entertainment companies like Full Stop Management, Global Music Rights and Oak View Group, among others. Genco is a lecturer in law at UCLA School of Law, where she has taught music law since 2012 and is a founder of the school's Music Industry Clinic. She also serves on ELI’s Executive Committee. 

At the pre-event reception, GRAMMY- and Oscar-winning writer, director and producer and ELI 2022 keynote speaker Cameron Crowe shared that Genco and Azoff run their business with an artist-forward mentality.

"When I first started writing and interviewing musicians, so many of them didn't make it financially or they weren't supported in the business they loved," he said. "Irving and Susan are so like-minded — they never forget what it is like to be an artist and you need protection and support, and know there are people there to back you up. She has been very forward about pushing legislation and showing budding artists [that] there are people out there thinking about you and your rights."

Filling the room with the magical storytelling for which he is known, Crowe then saluted Genco, the lawyers in attendance, and the students who participated in the ELI Writing Contest, saying that thanks to their work, the next generation of artists will have a greater chance at flourishing. "It's such an honor to be here for the ELI, who do such vital work in supporting and protecting the spirit of creativity for generations to come," he says.

Crowe then told the story of how he chose the music industry — or rather, how the music biz chose him — against his mother's wish for him to become a lawyer. "She moved us to a special place in Saen Diego, so that we would be right across the street from a well-regarded law school; I was 12,” Crowe said. “As much as we tried to plan, so many of the key things in our life happened when there was no plan. Because it's the people you meet along the way, the people you helped, and the people who helped you. Relationships and music define my life. There was a growing chance I was never going to make it to the law school."

Then, Crowe met Azoff. "[Irving] became a person who really worked his way up the ladder, on the heels of smarts and charisma. And he hit that famous early peak: He became the manager of Eagles," Crowe said. 

Likewise, Crowe invested in relationships, which led him to chronicling the early days of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and many others as the youngest-ever contributor to Rolling Stone.

"When people ask who the band was in Almost Famous,” he says of his beloved 2000 film, “it is all of us. It is Irving and Ronnie Van Zant, Glenn Frey, Neal Preston, and the people who inspired Susan Genco back when she was a DJ, with the same dream of being close to the music that she still loves so passionately."

Azoff then gave a humorous and irreverent recap of how Genco came to work for his company years ago, telling her back then for years that their quota for lawyers was full when, in fact, they had no entertainment lawyers on staff. 

!Cameron Crowe delivers keynote speech at the Recording Academy's 24th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative

Cameron Crowe delivers keynote speech at the Recording Academy's 24th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative

"If you want to cross over from the double dark side of being a lawyer and running a record company and join the fight to take care of artists — you're smart and we'd love to have you as a senior executive," Azoff remembered of her job offer. "So our journey became partners and colleagues instead of just friendly adversaries."

Applauding her accomplishments, Azoff heralded Genco as an advocate in the music industry and wider music community. 

"Susan has been a tireless advocate for visibility and rights for the LGBTQ+ community, for change in action in economic and social justice for women with her XX Fund and with Liberty Hill, and for community engagement through her position on the board of [Los Angeles radio station] KCRW. She is also a mentor to many young professionals including many in the room today. You're an amazing wife, mother, friend, executive, and world citizen. There really is no one like you. They invented the word ‘special’ to define who you are."

In her acceptance speech, Genco reflected on the moments that shaped her musical journey. 

"The best moments of my life are created by artists and enhanced by music,” she remembered. “It's this shared love that brings us together and makes us, the people in this room, the people in the industry, a community. 

“I have always loved music. But now after a couple or a few decades, I also love the music business, with all of its foibles and idiosyncrasies,” she continued. “Music unites people across the globe every day. And in this divisive world we find ourselves in, we rely on music to reach across borders and create a common language. As a community, I hope we can work together to support and protect artists and songwriters … They give us the gift of music. Let's make sure we give them what they need and what they deserve. Let's be sure that they get their fair share, and let's please do it together."

Prior to the ELI event, Genco told GRAMMY.com that advocacy is now more important than ever, and that advocacy efforts start with the artists and extend to those with whom they choose to surround themselves.

"Be bold and advocate for yourself. You see more and more artists speaking up,” she said. "Artists deserve to be paid. It feels like now we are in a place where it's feast or famine for artists. And we're missing out on a lot of talent. If we don't cultivate and create a way for artists — not just the superstar artists, but our middle-class artists [also] — to make a living off their craft, we're all going to suffer."

Genco, who teaches at UCLA Law, has been involved in the ELI student program since 2011 and says working with students is one of the most important aspects in her career. Every year, she serves as a reader for the annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest, which challenges aspiring law students seeking to push the envelope in the music industry to identify and research a current legal issue and outline a proposed solution in an essay. 

At the 2022 ELI event, the ELI Writing Contest recognized the winner with a $10,000 scholarship and a $2,500 scholarship for the two runners-up.

This year's ELI Writing Contest winner, Sona Sulakian, J.D. Candidate at USC Gould School of Law Los Angeles, tackled "Protecting the Artist: Licensing in an AI-Generated Music Market." Runners-up Chelsea Cohen, J.D. Candidate at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, delved into "Welcome to the Metaverse: Solving Old-World Licensing in a Whole New Universe,” while Michael Harrigan, J.D. Candidate at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, tackled "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: How Blockchain Technology Can Shift the DMCA's Burden of Notification Away From Copyright Owners."

Susan Genco delivers espeech at the Recording Academy's 24th Annual Entertainment Law Initiative

"An important part [of ELI] to me is that we welcome the students who win the writing competition," Genco said. "Make sure, particularly as women, that we don't pull up the ladder behind us and [instead] welcome women into the business, which has been, for decades, very male-dominated."

Standing at the convergence of entertainment law and music business and culture, the Entertainment Law Initiative offers a unique perspective into the symbiotic relationships connecting these two industries. Genco best summed up this exchange of ideas in a simple yet impactful reflection. 

"The great news is [that] music is more important than ever," Genco said. "We just have to make sure the business side is right as well." 

The Recording Academy wishes to sincerely thank the following sponsors for their support of the 24th Annual ELI GRAMMY Week Event

PLATINUM: Full Stop Management; Global Music Rights; Latham & Watkins, LLP; Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP; Pryor Cashman LLP; Sony Music Entertainment; Spotify; Universal Music Group

GOLD: Fox Rothschild LLP; Greenberg Traurig LLP; Proskauer Rose LLP; Warner Music Group

SILVER: American Bar Association (ABA); Covington & Burling LLP; Eisner, LLP; SoundExchange; Universal Music Group

BRONZE: AXEL Go; Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC); Boyarski Fritz LLP; King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP; Kobalt Music Publishing; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP; Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder, LLP; SAG-AFTRA; Songwriters of North America (SONA); Sound Royalties

Watch: 23rd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative | GRAMMY Week 2021

On Fri, Feb. 2, 2024, the Recording Academy Entertainment Law Initiative will return to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel for its annual GRAMMY Week Event to honor Atlantic Records' Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Michael Kushner. He will be presented with the 2024 Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award, given each year to an attorney who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service. Capitol Music Group Chair & Chief Executive Officer Michelle Jubelirer will deliver a keynote address at the event.

"Michael's dedication to the music industry and his service to the Academy's Entertainment Law Initiative make him an exceptionally deserving recipient of the ELI Service Award," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "We look forward to celebrating his accomplishments at the 26th Annual ELI GRAMMY Week Event, and hosting Michelle – a trailblazing woman in music – as the keynote speaker as we gather with the professionals and students making an impact in entertainment law."

"We're pleased to be honoring Michael, who has dedicated so much time to our ELI program, and to welcome Michelle as our keynote speaker at the 2024 ELI GRAMMY Week Event," said Neil Crilly, Managing Director of Industry Leader Engagement & Chapter Operations at the Recording Academy. "Our Executive Committee should take immense pride in its year-round efforts to support our peers in entertainment law and bring this esteemed program to fruition."

The recipient of the Service Award is selected each year by ELI's Executive Committee, which serves to support the program in crediting deserving leaders in the entertainment law community as well as mentoring aspiring professionals in the field. ELI's 2023-24 Executive Committee is comprised of a diverse group of influential figures in entertainment law whose combined expertise spans the depth of the industry.

The ELI GRAMMY Week Event will also celebrate the winner and two runners-up of the Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, which challenges students in Juris Doctorate and Master of Laws programs at U.S. law schools to research a pressing legal issue facing the modern music industry and outline a proposed solution in a 3,000-word essay. A $10,000 scholarship is awarded to the author of the winning paper, and a $2,500 scholarship is awarded to two runners-up, and the winning paper will be published in the ABA's journal Entertainment & Sports Lawyer. 

The winner will also receive travel and tickets to Los Angeles to attend the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, MusiCares Person of the Year and the ELI GRAMMY Week Event. The contest is open to JD and LLM candidates at U.S. law schools and students have until Jan. 3, 2024 to enter the contest. See official rules, detailed prize packages and deadlines at recordingacademy.com/eli.

Individual tickets and a limited number of discounted student tickets to the ELI GRAMMY Week Event will go on sale in late November.

Media RSVP for the ELI GRAMMY Week Event is mandatory, and space is limited. Please email madison.thomas@rcpmk.com to RSVP.

GRAMMY Week culminates with the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, which will return to Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena on Sun, Feb. 4, 2024, and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.

ABOUT MICHAEL KUSHNER

Michael Kushner is Atlantic Records' EVP, Business & Legal Affairs and general counsel.  He heads up the company's Business & Legal Affairs, Contract Administration and A&R Administration departments. 

Michael began his music career at PolyGram Records in 1987. In 1994, Michael joined sister company Philips Media as SVP, Multimedia Music. In 1996, Michael joined Crave Records, Mariah Carey's joint venture label with Sony Music, and when that label was absorbed into Sony, he joined Sony Wonder as SVP, Business Development. Michael joined Island Def Jam as its head of Business & Legal Affairs in 1999, and then joined Atlantic Records in his current role, which he has held since 2001.

In 2019, Michael was honored by the T.J. Martell Foundation with its Lifetime Music Industry Award, and currently serves as a board member. Since 1987, Michael has served as a founding board member of Bang on a Can, a NYC-based music organization dedicated to commissioning, performing and teaching adventurous new music, and is currently the board president.    

Michael is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, where he received his BA in English literature. He earned his JD degree at Columbia.

ABOUT MICHELLE JUBELIRER

Michelle Jubelirer is Chair & Chief Executive Officer of Capitol Music Group (CMG), having been appointed to that position in December 2021. As one of the highest-ranking women executives in the entertainment industry, Jubelirer is the first woman to lead Capitol in its 80-year history and was the first woman to be named both Chair and CEO of a major label group within the music industry. CMG's portfolio of labels includes the flagship, Capitol Records, Astralwerks, Blue Note Records, Capitol Christian Music Group, Motown Records, and Priority Records.

Among her many achievements since taking the reins of CMG, Jubelirer has led the charge to develop and guide rapper Ice Spice—the industry's biggest breakout artist in two years—to global superstardom, formulated the strategy behind the biggest global single of Sam Smith's career, the Grammy Award-winning "Unholy," and brought Paul McCartney back to CMG, resulting in the artist's first solo #1 album debut and his best-selling album in more than a decade.

Prior to joining CMG in 2013 as Chief Operating Officer and later COO & President, Jubelirer was partner in one of the industry's most highly regarded law firms – King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner. She began her career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney at New York's Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in 1999 before joining Sony Music in 2003.

She is active in social and cultural issues, especially as a longtime and vocal advocate for women's reproductive rights. She recently completed a six-year term on the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Board of Directors and is currently serving on the board of the UCLA Herb Albert School of Music. 

How The Entertainment Law Initiative Tackles Today’s Leading Law Issues & Fosters The Next Generation Of Legal Innovators

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Twenty-five music teachers have today been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award, an annual award, presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, that supports and celebrates music education and music educators across the U.S. The 25 semifinalists, who hail from 25 cities across 17 states, were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 initial nominations from across all 50 U.S. states. Finalists will be announced in December, and the ultimate recipient of the 2024 Music Educator Award will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2024, days ahead of the 2024 GRAMMYs.

Nominations for the 2025 Music Educator Award are now open.

Read More: Meet The 2023 Music Educator Award Recipient: How Pamela Dawson Helps Her Students Achieve Healing And Catharsis

Presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The Award is open to current U.S. music teachers. Anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators — while teachers are also able to nominate themselves; nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

Each year, the recipient of the Music Educator Award, selected from 10 finalists, receives a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for their school's music program. The nine additional finalists receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants. The remaining 15 semifinalists, among the group announced today, will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

The Music Educator Award program, including honorariums, is made possible by the generosity and support of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

Read More: 5 Organizations And Scholarships Supporting Music Education

The full list of the 2024 Music Educator Award semifinalists is as follows:

Learn more about the Music Educator Award and apply to the 2025 Music Educator Award program now.

5 Music Teachers Share The Transformative Power Of Music Education

Today, the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum have announced a total of 212 music teachers as quarterfinalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award, which recognizes current educators — kindergarten through college across public and private schools — who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. The quarterfinalists, who hail from 197 cities, were selected from more than 2,000 initial submitted nominations. In addition to the quarterfinalists, 123 legacy applicants from 2023 will also be eligible to win the Music Educator Award this year.

Semi-finalists for the 2024 Music Educator Award will be announced this September. The ultimate recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2024.

Read More: Meet The 2023 Music Educator Award Recipient: How Pamela Dawson Helps Her Students Achieve Healing And Catharsis

A joint partnership and presentation between the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher — students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

Each year, one recipient is selected from 10 finalists and recognized for their remarkable impact on students' lives. The 10th annual honoree will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, as well as a range of GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Fifteen semi-finalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

Read More: 8 Artists Who Were Inspired By Their Teachers: Rihanna, Adele, Jay-Z & More

The matching grants provided to the schools are made possible by the generosity and support of the GRAMMY Museum’s Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund. In addition, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, NAMM Foundation, and National Education Association support this program through outreach to their constituencies.

Learn more about the Music Educator Award.

See the full list of the 2024 Music Educator Award quarterfinalists and legacy applicants below:

2024 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD QUARTERFINALISTS

2024 MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD LEGACY APPLICANTS

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