Recording Academy Calls on Members to Join 'Summer of Advocacy'

Fans of iKON woke up to some shocking news about two of the members. It has been reported that iKON members Jinhwan and Junhoe were involved in a car accident.

Lil Nas X,GunnaandVictoria Monetare among 2,321 people who have been invited to join the Recording Academy. That is nearly 1,000 more invitations than the academy issued last year, when it invited 1,340 new members.

Eric Wong is leaving Universal Music to join rival Warner Music in the newly created role of president and chief marketing officer of Warner Recorded Music. Wong begins the NYC-based job Aug.

Harvey Mason, Jr., the academy’s chair and interim president/CEO, tells Billboard. “So we have three options for people this year for the first time ever -- they can pay no dues or they can pay their regular dues or they can pay their regular dues plus extra to cover somebody who might be having some financial hardship.“If that [dues payment] was something that was uncomfortable for them at this time, we want to be sensitive to that.

Lil Nas X, Gunna and Victoria Monet are among 2,321 people who have been invited to join the Recording Academy. That is nearly 1,000 more invitations than the academy issued last year, when it invited 1,340 new members.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Recording Academy announced that it has extended membership invitations to more than 2,300 established music professionals. As part of the organization’s stated drive toward greater diversity, it notes that the 2020 class of invitees is 48% female, 21% African-American or African descent, 8% Hispanic and 3% Asian-American and Pacific Islander.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Recording Academy and Color of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the U.S., have announced a partnership to “promote positive social change within the music industry.” The Academy announced to members last month that it has made a $1 million donation to Color of Change.According to the announcement, the organizations will “work together to identify key opportunities to drive and influence change in the music industry, and will be dedicated

The Recording Academy has partnered with Color of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, to promote social change within the music industry. To kick off the partnership, the Recording Academy has made a $1 million donation to the non-profit. The organizations will work together to identify key opportunities to drive change in the music i

Eva Marcille shared a post a couple of days ago with a bottle of water placed on the terrace under the moonlight. She told fans that she plans to recharge and it’s also important to note the fact that during the past weekend, there was an eclipse as well.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Friday, Boygenius — consisting of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus — and Father John Misty are both dropping benefit releases exclusively on Bandcamp, which — for the fourth time since the coronavirus pandemic set in — is waiving its sales fee for the day, meaning that all proceeds go to the artist, and in the case of these two releases, the charities to which the artists are donating their proceeds.Boygenius will make three demos from their 2018

Shonda Grant has been promoted to chief people & culture officer at the Recording Academy. She fills the position after Gaetano Frizzi left the company nine months ago. Grant, a nine-year academy veteran, was most recently managing director, people and culture. Grant will report directly to Harvey Mason, Jr., chair and interim pres

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 819 artists and executives to join the organization in 2020.In doing so, the Academy continues its work on diversifying its ranks. If all 819 invitees accept their invitations (which would bring its total membership to 9,300), 45% of the new members will be women and 36% are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterInterscope Records has promoted Keinon Johnson to senior vice president of urban radio promotions at the label. In his new role, Johnson will assume oversight of the label’s urban radio department from current head Larry Khan, who has announced that he will retire in 2021.

Phoebe Bridgers has shared a proper studio recording of her cover of John Prine‘s ‘Summer’s End’, which she first performed soon after the country singer’s death in April.The recording was broadcast on SiriusXM last week for the station’s SiriusXMU Sessions series.

John Wayne’s son is speaking out after California Democrats in Orange County recently demanded that the county’s John Wayne Airport be renamed and all likenesses of Wayne be removed from the airport, over “racist and bigoted statements” made by the American icon decades ago. The resolution, which passed on Friday, is asking the county's board of supervisors to restore the name to Orange County Airport.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterThe Recording Academy has announced a summer 2020 call-to-action initiative to help provide pandemic relief for music creators and music businesses, and to promote positive social change through legislation.

John Bolton has faced brutal criticism for deciding to publish a book about Donald Trump‘s Ukraine scandal, rather than testifying in his impeachment trial, but he was met with a new controversy on The View. Co-host Meghan McCain, 35, derided the former National Security Advisor for calling his tell-all The Room Where It Happened, which is almost exactly the name of one of the most famous songs from the Broadway musical Hamilton.

Anytime there is a royalty for the use of a sound recording in the U.S., the music creator is entitled to receive it, regardless of the creator's nationality and their copyright laws back home. The same is not true around the world -- but rights management agency SoundExchange is trying to change that. SoundExchange today (June 24) launches Fair Trade of Music, an education and

The board includes two former best new artist winners.