In a yr of a world well being menace that has brought about financial concern for many individuals, together with members of the music trade, Harvey Mason Jr. is contending with probably the most critical and surprising challenges thus far as interim CEO/president of The Recording Academy.
“It’s deeply affected our total trade throughout the nation. Individuals can’t make a dwelling touring and taking part in exhibits and we now have 22,000 members among the many hundreds of music makers who’re discovering it exhausting to generate a dwelling throughout this time,” the legendary hitmaker tells Rated R&B over the cellphone on a weekday afternoon in Might. “It’s actually reworked our trade and our enterprise and all of the music individuals, so it’s one thing that’s so essential and one thing that requires a ton of consideration.”
In current weeks, The Recording Academy and its charitable basis MusiCares have every donated $1 million to start out the MusiCares COVID-19 Reduction Fund. This particular aid fund is designed to profit music trade professionals who’re in want of quick monetary help amid the outbreak. “That cash goes instantly within the fingers of the music individuals who want critical assist,” Mason says.
Thus far, greater than $17 million in further funds have been raised from supporters throughout the totally different music sectors like Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), Pandora, and TIDAL, to call just a few. Grants as much as $1,000 have been distributed to over 14,000 music professionals to assist them cowl high-priority payments.
The Recording Academy and MusiCares have determined to briefly pause new purposes to boost extra for these affected by the present monetary local weather. On the identical time, Mason stays modestly pleased with what the aid bundle has carried out to date, however understands it’s only a good head begin. “We really feel we now have much more work to go and much more effort that must be put into this,” he says.
He continues, “It doesn’t cease, both. It’s not a short-term factor; that’s the opposite issue. This isn’t one thing you could work on for 2 or three weeks after which it’s over. This one thing that’s going to be a relentless for us to take care of. I’m not even going to place a time stamp on it however for fairly a while.”
Mason, nonetheless a tireless music producer, can’t keep away from stretching himself skinny. He’s within the studio engaged on music for artists and movies just like the Aretha Franklin Respect biopic, which has been delayed from a summer season to winter launch. Above all, he has extra to show in his energy seat on the head of The Recording Academy desk.
In our dialog with Mason, he shares further steps taken to help music professionals through the pandemic, the legacy of The Underdogs, the way forward for R&B on the Grammys and extra.
Earlier than turning into Interim CEO/President of the Recording Academy, you talked about as Chair of Board of Trustees that the music group can have a spot to show to within the time of want. In addition to the MusiCares COVID-19 Reduction Fund, what different constructive actions are you able to share that the Board has taken to help these most affected within the music trade?
There’s been loads of positives. It’s exhausting to speak in regards to the positives as a result of it’s so many people who find themselves nonetheless actually struggling. I’ve to acknowledge that I’m not sitting right here patting ourselves on the again. We have now moved the needle in Washington, D.C., throughout among the negotiations round stimulus packages. We had our advocacy workforce and our lobbyists in D.C. leaping up and down in ensuring our musicians and music individuals’s voices have been heard, so we may very well be included in a few of these packages and a few of these legislations that handed. I really feel very lucky we have been in a position to be a part of that and be capable of partake in among the aid that has been granted to individuals across the nation. We even have carried out some cool issues on-line with webinars to be sure that we’re in a position to educate music those that wish to understand how authorities packages can assist them. We had over 25,000 individuals viewing the webinar that have been strolling people by the method of getting cost safety, loans or unemployment cash or totally different ways in which individuals can entry some aid funds that the federal government has put aside. With the ability to educate music individuals on entry a few of that cash feels prefer it was very constructive. However once more, these are simply a few issues within the lengthy line of issues that also have to be carried out going ahead in ensuring that we’re being useful to the music group.
You added Interim CEO/President for the Recording Academy to your obligations as a producer and songwriter. How do you efficiently handle engaged on music, whereas turning into settled to your new position?
It’s been attention-grabbing for positive as a result of I’m nonetheless within the studio on a regular basis creating, producing and writing, after which juggling that with my job as [Interim] President and CEO of the Recording Academy. It’s been about attempting to stability these two issues. It’s made for lots of lengthy days and late nights however the Academy is essential to me. It’s a precedence for me, particularly with what’s occurring in our world proper now. So, to reply your query, I stability it as a result of there may be a lot want proper now and there’s loads of work to be carried out. It provides me loads of focus and motivation after which finally, some satisfaction if we will proceed to assist individuals.
This previous Grammys was met with loads of criticism, significantly because it pertains to Black music. A type of criticisms got here from Sean Love Combs, who on the Recording Academy and Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala, stated that “Black music has by no means been revered to some extent” by the Recording Academy. Many individuals would argue that this remark is a direct results of some Black artists like Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, who are sometimes nominated for or ignored within the big-four fields, significantly Album of the 12 months, when their respective albums obtain Grammy buzz from style specialists and followers alike. How do you’re taking suggestions similar to this and relay it to these concerned within the voting course of to ensure these critiques are thought-about going ahead?
There should not too many individuals in our trade which might be revered greater than Puff [formally known as Puff Daddy]. When he talks and expresses an opinion, I pay attention and I be sure that we take note of that. It’s a really lengthy and complex course of on how we take it again to our group, our membership and our voters. It’s one thing that we take very severely and it’s one thing that we’re engaged on, and it’s one thing we wish to proceed to enhance. However I additionally say that I’ve been right here only a matter of months, so I wish to hope that folks will understand that that is going to be a precedence for me. I’m not the identical person who led our group earlier than. The group is within the course of of getting new management, so with that new management, comes a possibility to make some adjustments and to deal with some issues which might be essential to the Academy, however extra particularly essential to me. Lots of the issues Puff stated are very priceless and issues I wish to work on.
One other critique got here from 2020 Greatest Rap Album winner Tyler, The Creator. He talked about that the time period “city” is “a politically right solution to say the n-word.” Even some publications and followers have voiced their opinion on the damaging connotations related to an award like Greatest City Modern Album, which was launched in 2013 because the successor to Greatest Modern R&B Album. What subsequent steps are being carried out by the Recording Academy on presumably retitling this class to additional be culturally aware to the wide selection of artists represented on this class?
Once more, that is one thing that lands proper on my desk and on my plate of issues that we’re going to check out. All of our classes and awards and processes round The Academy are generated by our members. So, members suggest adjustments or classes or procedures, and so they go to the board room, and the trustees vote on what they’ll name a class or how they’ll regulate submissions or how they’re going to do X, Y, and Z. That strategy of submitting proposals is one thing that any particular person within the Academy or within the membership can submit. So, it’s undoubtedly one thing that I’ll check out. It’s one thing I really feel shall be some extent of debate arising for us, and I believe you’ll see us be lively and on level relating to ensuring we’re adjusting to the wants of the music group.
Editor’s Notice: On Wednesday morning (June 10), the Recording Academy renamed and redefined Greatest City Modern Album to Greatest Progressive R&B Album. In line with press particulars, this alteration features a extra correct definition to explain the advantage or traits of music compositions or performances themselves throughout the style of R&B.
R&B will get loads of criticism. Whereas conventional and up to date R&B are nonetheless going robust, totally different variations of the style at massive are on an increase. Artists like Janelle Monáe, FKA twigs, Masego, Daybreak Richard and Berhana who’re making music exterior the mainstream realm are discovering it tougher to obtain nominations within the two present R&B efficiency classes. Do you consider that there’s room within the R&B area for a further efficiency class, similar to reintroduction of Greatest City/Various Efficiency for these breed of artists releasing non-mainstream music?
It’s very attainable. Once more, it simply comes right down to somebody making the proposal for that to occur. I wish to ensure that the Academy is representing all music. I don’t need anyone to really feel like their style, their efficiency, their fashion of artwork, or their creation is being excluded. I’d be prepared to check out something that implies that we’re not dwelling as much as that. I wish to be sure that everyone has a spot. I wish to be sure that everyone is represented within the Academy, so it’s undoubtedly one thing that we are going to be contemplating.
Given your musical expertise, what are your ideas on the recurring conversations that R&B is useless?
Nicely, I don’t assume that’s true. I don’t know essentially if that dialog is one thing that I’ve heard quite a bit about. I believe R&B is evolving, which it at all times does, and I believe R&B is influencing loads of different genres of music. In the event you hearken to loads of hip-hop music, R&B has [an] affect there. It’s been infused in nation music. It’s closely impacted pop music, so I believe R&B remains to be very related. In the event you’re speaking in regards to the sound of R&B, and the affect of R&B, I believe it’s extra essential now than ever. I believe it simply has to do with the way it’s advanced and the way it’s morphed into totally different sounds and totally different genres. Is there a lot music popping out of individuals calling themselves R&B artists? I don’t know. Is there sufficient consideration paid to R&B music? I don’t know that both, however I do know the affect remains to be impactful. Do we’d like extra R&B artists? I’d adore it. The extra R&B, the higher. I believe we now have had a protracted historical past in music, usually, and R&B has undoubtedly been influential, so I’d like to see the style proceed to thrive, however I do assume it’s advanced and we have to proceed to search out out what’s that subsequent incarnation of what an R&B artist feels like. It’s undoubtedly going to incorporate another sounds for positive.
What’s the one factor that you just hope to perform by way of taking the Recording Academy to the subsequent degree?
I hope to perform loads of my targets, which contain ensuring the Academy is the very best it may be. One thing we may be pleased with. One thing that’s a shining gentle within the trade. One thing that units the instance for a way a corporation like this could run. One thing that members and the music group as an entire may be pleased with and say, “The Academy does an amazing job for the music group.” I wish to be sure that we’re as clear as attainable, as consultant and inclusive as attainable and addictive to the music group and the music enterprise as an entire.
The Underdogs
This yr marks the 20th anniversary of The Underdogs. What would you like the legacy of the manufacturing workforce to be remembered for?
I’d adore it if The Underdogs have been remembered for making up to date hit data however with a musical spine to them. We typically tried to make use of some cool chord progressions and tried to combine some actual musicality into our data. We additionally tried to go totally different locations on bridges with melodies and harmonies. To summarize, if individuals look again on the data we made and stated, “The Underdogs made cool data however have been musical,” that may be one thing I’d be pleased with. I believe additionally hopefully the power to face the take a look at of time. I’d adore it if individuals listened to our data and stated, “These data nonetheless sound good, and I nonetheless love these data after 20 years of listening to them as a result of they’re high quality data.” We spent loads of time ensuring that we have been doing issues on the highest degree and actually like analyzing our vocal chain and ensuring our mixes have been top-shelf. We’d spend two or three days on just a few drum sounds attempting to determine make the snare push by the combination, and make the kicks heavy sufficient to maneuver loads of air. We have been actually scientific about plenty of the steps in our report making course of. If individuals acknowledge and acknowledge that after 20 years, that may be cool.