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Grammy Shake-Up Muddles Message That Music Industry Has Changed

Grammy Shake-Up Muddles Message That Music Industry Has Changed

(Bloomberg) -- This year’s Grammy Awards were supposed to be a celebration of the next generation of pop stars: a genre-busting female singer, a gay black rapper and an 18-year-old sensation. After years of nominating too many men and not enough people of color, the Recording Academy could claim it was starting to change.

But events of the past week have muddied that message. A shake-up at the top of the Academy, which hands out the biggest awards in music, has brought fresh claims of sexism and harassment -- and reminded everyone that the record industry is still ruled by older white men.

It started with the abrupt exit last week of the Academy’s new female chief executive officer, Deborah Dugan, who took over after previous CEO Neil Portnow caused a flap by making sexist remarks. On Jan. 16, she was put on administrative leave after being accused of misconduct by a member of the organization.

Dugan has since sued the Recording Academy, claiming that she was subjected to harassment by the organization’s general counsel and that she was fired for trying to root out corruption in a “boys club.” The lawsuit cited emails from Dugan in which she raised concerns about conflicts of interest within the organization and alleged that Portnow was actually let go because of an accusation of sexual misconduct.

Thursday she went on national TV and said the Grammy nominating process is rigged.

“Not only are there trustees that have conflict of interests on particular artists that are nominated, but more importantly there are even artists that are nominated that are in the room,” she said on CBS This Morning. “So for me, that’s just a blatant conflict of interest.”

The Academy says the Grammy Awards process is “fair and ethical” and voting is based solely on the merits of recordings.

“Spurious allegations claiming members or committees use our process to push forward nominations for artists they have relationships with are categorically false, misleading and wrong,” the organization said in a statement. “This process is strictly enforced with everyone involved and has no exceptions.”

The Recording Academy also created a task force on diversity and inclusion, which spent a year and a half figuring out how to improve the organization. It issued a report in December recommending changes, including ranked-choice voting and reforming the board of trustees election system.

“While we understand there are ongoing investigations about the issues raised over the last week, our experience and research tells us that if the Academy leadership, its staff and the nominating committees that govern the Awards were more diverse and inclusive, there would be better processes for resolving problems and more trust in the Academy as a whole,” the task force said in a statement Thursday. “Those seeking to make such reforms need to be supported, not impeded.”

‘Testosterone-Fueled’

Some artists, such as Public Enemy’s Chuck D, also have spoken in support of Dugan.

“I salute Deborah Dugan for her truth and courage to try and effect change,” he said on Instagram. “As always, a bunch of ignorant, testosterone-fueled, usually old white men stop progress and screw it up.”

No acts have told the Recording Academy they plan to back out of appearing at Grammys, the association said on Thursday. Artists such as Lizzo, Rosalia and Ariana Grande are slated to perform at the event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Grammy Shake-Up Muddles Message That Music Industry Has Changed

This year’s nominations are eclectic. Lizzo, a breakout rap and R&B artist; the teenage singer-songwriter Billie Eilish; and Lil Nas X, a rapper who scored a country hit with “Old Town Road” before coming out as gay last year, are all up for best new artist.

The music business has been waiting for its #MeToo moment. While claims of sexual harassment have forced TV moguls and movie producers to resign, the recording industry has been relatively unscathed.

Dugan was brought in after Portnow offended female artists by telling them in 2018 to “step up” if they wanted more nominations and opportunities to perform. At the time, Pink, Katy Perry and Halsey all blasted Portnow on social media. Dugan, previously CEO of the nonprofit AIDS organization RED, was brought in the following year.

Talking Point

But instead of cleaning up the Academy, Dugan’s tenure has exposed the industry’s stubborn unwillingness to change. If she’s telling the truth, the Recording Academy is a corrupt body led by men who prey on women. If she’s wrong, she’s complicated any future chief’s efforts to reform an organization that needs it.

Dugan’s dismissal has become the dominant topic of conversation in the music industry this week. Whether or not any artists drop out of the Grammys, female artists will have several opportunities to address this topic Sunday night. The industry will be watching closely to see how presenters and performers take on the issue.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles at lshaw31@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Kevin Miller

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