SoundExchange, Recording Academy & More Launch 'Fair Trade' Campaign to Pay Creators Abroad: Exclusive

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.

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.

Independent game company Manticore Games unveiled a $1 million pilot program on Wednesday to pay developers through its free video game creation platform, Core, which launchedin open alpha mode in March. In a blog post on Medium, the newly formed, California-based company explained that the program was designed and based around "one simple concept": The more people play your game, the more you should get paid.

Join thousands of others who have signed up for the Daily Record newsletter.One more than Covid-19 related death was recorded in West Dunbartonshire in the past week.According to National Records for Scotland figures, published today, the area registered one additional Covid linked death in the week ending July 5.The death was registered in a hospital setting, and takes the total number of fatalities linked to the conditional locally to 124.

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

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

Join thousands of others who have signed up for the Daily Record newsletter.A care home death linked to Covid-19 was recorded in West Dunbartonshire in the latest National Records of Scotland figures.The death, which was registered between June 22 and June 28, became the 123rd to be linked to the virus locally since the pandemic began, with it being the first recorded in a care home during the month of June.Statistics now show that 59 care home residents have had the condition mentioned on their

The Recording Academy has announced a summer 2020 call-to-action initiative to help provide pandemic and tax relief for music creators and music businesses, and to promote social change through legislation. The seven-week effort will culminate with the academy's seventh annual District Advocate event on Aug. 12.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter“Homeland” stars and executive producers Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Lesli Linka Glatter will participate in an exclusive Q&A and series finale screening of “Homeland” on July 10 at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m.

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.

The board includes two former best new artist winners.

The number of women on the Recording Academy’s 40-member board of trustees jumped from 14 to 17 following the recent trustees elections, which included, for the first time in academy history, four “at large” trustee seats. In three of those four two-person contests, two women faced off, ensuring that a female would fill that seat.Trustees are primarily selected by the governors of each of the academy’s 12 chapters.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTubi will pack another show from new parent Fox Corp. — the first season of competition show “Lego Masters” — into its free-streaming service later this year, along with a passel of licensed kids’ programming, including content from Lego’s Ninjago franchise, Mattel and cartoon classic “Garfield.” It also will bow a Spanish-language version of the service in the U.S.

Clarence Avant and Quincy Jones along with Azoff Company chairman/CEO Irving Azoff and entertainment attorney Ron Sweeney."Many have come together in the past to address rampant racism in our business and society," states Avant in a release announcing the coalition’s launch.

Brazilian sensation Anitta has signed with Warner Records, Billboard has learned.