Cam, Sheryl Crow, Beth Laird Included In Recording Academy Diversity Task Force

The Recording Academy has announced the names of its newly formed task force on diversity and inclusion that will examine barriers and biases affecting women and other underrepresented voices in the industry and, specifically, the Recording Academy.

Tina Tchen, Chair of the Recording Academy’s task force, has spent weeks since her appointment meeting with and listening to constituents across the music community, and using that feedback to assemble a task force that is balanced in perspectives and interests to ensure that the group is independent and focused on making progress in the industry. All members will volunteer their time and expertise, and none are employed by the Recording Academy or hold any position on its Board. The task force includes the following music creators, executives, scholars, and thought leaders in gender equality and diversity:

• Stephanie Alexa, vice president of finance and licensing administration, ATO Records
• Michele Anthony, executive vice president and executive management board member, Universal Music Group
• Cam, GRAMMY-nominated artist
• Common, GRAMMY-winning artist
• Sheryl Crow, GRAMMY-winning artist
• Andra Day, GRAMMY-nominated artist
• Giselle Fernandez, award-winning television journalist
• Jimmy Jam, GRAMMY-winning artist
• Beth Laird, CEO and co-owner, Creative Nation
• Debra Lee, chairman and CEO, BET Networks
• Rebeca Leon, co-founder and CEO, Lionfish Entertainment
• Elizabeth Matthews, CEO, ASCAP
• Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder and director, USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
• Ty Stiklorius, founder and CEO, Friends At Work
• Julie Swidler, executive vice president of business affairs and general counsel, Sony Music
• Dean Wilson, CEO, SEVEN20

“I’m honored to lead such an esteemed group of visionaries who possess the experience and passion needed to drive real change in building a more inclusive and equitable music community,” said Tchen. “This is an important first step made possible by the Recording Academy’s leadership, which recognizes the benefit of examining these issues with fresh eyes.”

The task force is set to meet shortly to begin a review of Recording Academy operations and policies across the areas of corporate governance, hiring and promotion, membership, awards, and the GRAMMY Awards telecast. As Chair, Tchen will develop an operational roadmap for the task force and update the Recording Academy on the group’s progress on an ongoing basis throughout the year. As one of its first orders of business, the task force has established a feedback tool to collect public input and suggestions for the group’s review and consideration. Anyone interested in providing suggestions for the task force can do so by visiting grammy.com/taskforcefeedback.

“This is an extremely important initiative for us,” said John Poppo, Chair of the Recording Academy Board of Trustees. “The Board takes seriously any role the Recording Academy can play in serving our music community, and certainly one that could facilitate increased diversity and inclusion. We are inspired by the prospect of what this task force might accomplish, and we’re grateful to Tina and the group’s esteemed members for graciously agreeing to partner with us in this effort.”

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at [email protected].

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