Harvey Mason Jr. Re-Ups With Recording Academy for 4 More Years as CEO

Harvey Mason Jr. quietly re-upped with the Recording Academy in September for another four years as CEO. Mason first assumed the role of permanent CEO on May 13, 2021, after having served on an interim basis for the previous 16 months. His three-year contract with the academy ran through July 31 of this year.

There was no announcement in September about Mason’s decision to stay in his job. “It was kind of right in the middle of a lot of things that were going on with us at the academy,” he explained in an interview with Billboard about the academy’s new member class. “We’re doing a lot of things that we’re excited about that I felt probably deserved more attention than [my contract extension]. I just want to keep my head down and do the work.”

Under Mason, the academy has undergone dramatic changes since it officially terminated former president/CEO Deborah Dugan on March 2, 2020, after she had been placed on administrative leave six weeks earlier. Dugan, who served only five months in the job, took over from longtime president/CEO Neil Portnow.

Mason said he’ll continue to have the freedom to do outside music projects. “Luckily, I’m allowed to continue to be very creative — run my business, make music, be in the studio. So, it actually gives us a different perspective. I think it’s a good thing for the CEO of the Grammys and the Recording Academy to be in the studio working.”

As late as Feb. 27, when Billboard interviewed Mason about the success of Bob Marley: One Love, on which he was credited as executive music producer, he said wasn’t sure if the was going to stay at the academy. “I don’t think either side has made a commitment yet or firm decision as to what’s going to take place after July,” he remarked at the time.

Before he became CEO, Mason received five Grammy nominations — three of them for his work in film and TV, on the soundtracks to Dreamgirls, Pitch Perfect 2 and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.

But he has taken himself out of Grammy contention as long as he is CEO. “I’ve committed to not putting my name on the ballot because I wouldn’t want my job at the Academy to influence how somebody viewed a project or voted for a project,” he said in February.

But other people who work on those projects can submit their own names. “I don’t want to punish people that do great work. So, others can submit, I won’t submit and I will not be getting a nomination or win while I’m in this role.”

On another topic, Mason said the academy has made no decision about what to do about the Salute to Industry Icons Award that Sean “Diddy” Combs received in January 2020, in light of his current legal woes.

Federal prosecutors on Sept. 17 unsealed a criminal indictment against Combs over sweeping allegations of sexual abuse, accusing him of running a racketeering conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

Mason said that if Combs is convicted, “We’d have to take a look at that, as it was an honorary award. So, it’s a little bit different than a Grammy. I don’t think we would be in the business of retracting people’s Grammys, but I don’t think I’ll speculate on an honorary award and how we would handle that until I see what happens going forward.”