Recording Academy invites music professionals to class of 2021

The invitees include Nigerian-American talent manager Jonathan Azu, Jamaican reggae singer Skip Marley and British act Tiana Major9.

The organisation says the new members will form part of its vision of recognising the contributions of music professionals in advancing progressive changes in the music industry. Additionally, it stresses the academy’s commitment to excellence and growing the membership body.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of the Recording Academy’s 2021 membership class,” said Azu, who is the founder and head of music management company Culture Collective.

The class of 2021 comprises 48% female, 32% black or African American, 13% Hispanic or Latino, and 4% Asian or Pacific Islander minorities. The academy says the figures mean that it is 33% closer to reaching its goal of adding 2 500 women voting members by 2025. Existing membership represents 26% female and 27% from traditionally underrepresented groups.

“Membership is the academy’s change agent – our members drive everything we do,” Recording Academy chief industry officer Ruby Marchand said. “I’m inspired by the potential for each invited music creator and business professional to lend their creativity and passion to our organisation. We are immensely proud of our accomplishments and the strides we’ve made toward equitable representation. We look forward to welcoming our new invitees as they help us shape the future of the academy and the music industry..

Recording Academy membership and industry relations vice-president Kelley Purcell said: “This is an incredibly exciting time to join the academy and play a part in accelerating change, progress and evolution within the music industry. Our membership body is the driving force behind our actions, and we value the contributions of our members that help ensure the academy’s practices authentically represent the current state of music. We’re excited to see what this new group brings to the table as we enter a new era at the academy."

Last year, the Recording Academy welcomed more than 2 300 inductees, including Nigerian musicians Bankulli and DJ Spinall as well as British-Ghanaian DJ and producer Juls.

In order to participate in the selection process for the upcoming 64th Grammys on 31 January 2022, the invitees must accept their invitations by 15 September. The first voting ballot opens on October 22 and closes on 5 November.