Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Admits Many People Don’t Know ‘Why The Academy Exists’ Aside From The Grammys

The Recording Academy is of course best known for hosting the Grammy Awards once a year, but the fact that they do more than the Grammys is lost to many people, something that CEO Harvey Mason Jr. himself admits.

In a new Billboard interview, Mason references a January report from the academy that outlines the changes they have made since Mason took the reins five years ago. He said:

“To me, the bottom line is that they get a sense that the academy is making a real impact on the lives of music people beyond just giving trophies. What I’m trying to do is hopefully build support for the academy, through seeing it maybe through a different lens, rather than just who got snubbed or who won or who didn’t win. That’s the objective of this report.”

He also said:

“When I took the role, one of my objectives and goals was to heighten the awareness of what happens the other 364 days of the year. […] A lot of people know and love the awards ceremony. I’m thankful for that, but it is a challenge for us as an organization to tell the larger story as to why we exist. [This report is] a new way of positioning the academy. We needed to do a better job of explaining why the academy exists beyond to celebrate one night a year. So, this was an intentional effort for us over the last few years to make sure we’re telling that story in a new way.”

Check out the full interview here.