NEARLY 2,000 ACADEMY MEMBERS MOBILIZE FOLLOWING “SUMMER OF ADVOCACY” AS PART OF NATION’S LARGEST GRASSROOTS MUSIC ADVOCACY MOVEMENT
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Today, the Recording Academy®, which represents the interests of all music creators, will unite thousands of its members across the country with their senators and congressional representatives as a part of the Academy’s 7th annual District Advocate Day — the largest nationwide day of advocacy for music and its makers.
The initiative represents the culmination of the Recording Academy’s “Summer of Advocacy,” and will consist of a series of virtual meetings between members and their elected officials to discuss legislative proposals that will help music creators and music businesses survive the pandemic.
“District Advocate Day has always been an important initiative for music advocacy and it’s especially true now,” said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “Creators are among the hardest hit and first out of work, yet music is what brings the world together in hard times — and for many, it brings hope. Today, we raise our voices to remind legislators of the vital role music plays during this pandemic and, equally as imperative, the creators behind it who are struggling and desperately needing a helping hand from this country’s leaders.”
During the Academy’s “Summer of Advocacy,” members played a vital role in securing important provisions in the CARES Act that provided critical support for the music community dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. To continue amplifying the voices of creators and small businesses, the Academy worked to endorse and develop additional legislation to deliver aid to creators. Today, members of the Academy will address the proposed legislation and other issues with their legislators virtually, including the HITS Act, Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act, RESTART Act, and the need for Congress to provide relief for minority-owned small businesses, such as studios, venues and labels.
District Advocate Day participants include four-time GRAMMY® winner Yolanda Adams; six-time GRAMMY nominee Brandy Clark; seven-time GRAMMY winner José Feliciano; 11-time GRAMMY winner John Legend; eight-time GRAMMY winner Ziggy Marley; two-time GRAMMY nominee Victoria Monét; three-time GRAMMY nominee Offset; and nearly 2,000 other music professionals.
District Advocate Day, along with the Recording Academy’s annual GRAMMYs on the Hill® in April, are the Recording Academy’s premiere advocacy events, and are credited by bipartisan legislators with helping to pass the Music Modernization Act into law — the largest update to music legislation in the past 40 years.
For more information about District Advocate Day and Recording Academy advocacy initiatives, visit www.grammy.com/