Harvey Mason Jr. on Recording Academy’s Impact Report: ‘We Needed to Do a Better Job of Explaining Why the Academy Exists’

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email to all Recording Academy members on Wednesday (April 2) sharing a report that the academy created and quietly posted on its website in January. In the report, the academy attempts to quantify its impact and summarize the changes it has made over the five years since Mason stepped into the top job at the organization (initially as interim CEO following the departure of Deborah Dugan).

“While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year,” Mason wrote in his letter. … “This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year.”

In an interview with Billboard, Mason shed further light on his aims with the report, which takes the form of a slick and visually appealing deck brimming with facts and figures. But Mason says the numbers aren’t the point. “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,” he says. “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.”

Mason has long tried to get people to see the academy as more than just the dispenser of shiny gramophones. “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,” he says. “I did experience a lot of interaction with music people in studios as I was coming up where people just thought of the Grammys as a night to get an award, whereas I was always encouraging them to see the bigger picture; to see all the service work that’s being done; the advocacy, the education, the philanthropy, MusicCares; all the different parts of the academy.

“A lot of people know and love the awards ceremony,” he continues. “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.”

Perhaps the most eye-popping statistic in the deck presentation is one that was already reported in the academy’s 2024 membership report, which was released Oct. 3 and reported in Billboard that same day: That a whopping 66% of current academy voting members have joined since 2019.

“It’s great [in the] sense in that we are continuing to remain relevant,” Mason says, “to attract new music-makers, people who are at the height of their careers, or coming into their careers, and we are moving away from having people who have been members…” Mason pauses and starts anew. “We always want to keep our long-term members, but we want to make sure they’re continuing to qualify as voting members [by being able to show recent credits]. We don’t want people that have had music careers in the 1960s or ’70s still voting on music that maybe they’re not involved in making, so we’re making sure we’re refreshing the membership; making sure the membership’s relevant to professionals in the industry working today.”

The deck also includes the statistic, also first reported in the membership report, that people of color now constitute 38% of the voting membership. “I’m pleased with the progress,” Mason says. “We still feel like we have some room to go. You think about why are these numbers important: Why do you care about changing the make-up of our membership? It’s mostly because we want to make sure our membership reflects the industry.”

Mason says he has no set points in mind as to when the academy will have achieved its membership goals. “We’ll never be done, because these numbers are going to fluctuate,” he says. “They’re going to adjust based on what’s happening in our community, in music; changing based on genre popularity, so we’re going to be in a constant search to perfect our membership. We’re always going to continue to work and tinker with the numbers because we have to remain relevant. I don’t think we’re where we want to be yet. I’m not sure we’ll ever accomplish the perfect membership, but we will continue to [work on it].”

At this year’s Grammy Awards, artists and songwriters of color won three of the four highest-profile awards: album of the year (Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter) and record and song of the year (Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”). Does Mason see that as a reflection of the academy’s overhaul of its membership?

“Not necessarily,” Mason says. “I see it as a reflection of the quality of their individual work. I like to think having a relevant membership — regardless of their race — is probably what gives us the best outcomes, but I think those people had amazing years creatively and our voters recognized that.”

The deck also repeats the stat that the Recording Academy has added more than 3,000 women voting members since 2019, surpassing its 2019 goal to add 2,500 women voting members by 2025. Women now make up 28% of the voting membership.

“We really needed to increase the number of women voters,” Mason says. “A great first step is adding 3,000 new members. We’re not [yet] where you want to be.”

The deck also speaks to the academy’s “bold global expansion, working with stakeholders in Africa and the Middle East to help foster the dynamic music markets there.” (The academy first released this information on June 9.)

Asked why that effort is a priority for the U.S.-based academy, Mason replies, “Obviously, a big focus is on our American members, and it will continue to be that. We are an organization that represents music all around the world. If we’re going to do that, we have to have people that represent those genres. It very much can be said in the same way about Latin music: Why do you care about Latin music? Why did you build a Latin Academy? It’s because the music is very popular. It’s a thriving music community and it continues to affect people as they listen to it and consume music, and the same can be said for other parts of the world.

“We are not living in a time when music only comes from American creators,” he continues. “Music is coming from creators all around the planet. As a group that serves music people and hopefully uplifts music people, we want to be able to do that for people regardless of where they’re from. As long as they’re making music, we want to have an impact on those music groups.”

Here’s Mason’s letter to the academy membership in full:

Academy members,

I am writing today to share an exciting report that we recently created. You frequently hear me say that music is a powerful force for good in the world, and that the people who make it deserve an organization dedicated to their well-being. I feel so incredibly privileged to work for the organization that exists to do that.

But our highest purpose isn’t merely to serve music creators, it’s to make a positive impact on their lives and careers. And that’s exactly what we work to do, every single day of the year, through the tireless and amazing effort of our board and our teams.

While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year. Every piece of legislation we help pass has a tangible impact on the music people we serve. Every event hosted by a chapter or wing, every dollar distributed by MusiCares, every scholarship we provide, and every time we open the Grammy Museum doors to a child, it impacts our music community. And yes, every Grammy nomination and award alters the trajectory of someone’s life and career. 

This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year. As we say in the report, it is the combined work of the more than 300 dedicated employees of the Recording Academy, the Latin Recording Academy, the Grammy Museum, MusiCares, and thousands of music creators who volunteered their time in service to their peers.

Please take a moment to read through the report, and reflect on the ways you and your colleagues personally contributed to these outcomes. I hope you feel a sense of pride and purpose in what was accomplished, and for the role you play every day in serving the music people who rely on us.

Of course, we’re now into 2025, and while we celebrate the achievements of last year, we are also looking ahead to the impact we will make this year and beyond. Grammys on the Hill is right around the corner, the Day that Music Cares is coming soon, and much more awaits us in the months ahead.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our work. It is making a lasting impact.

Gratefully,
Harvey Mason jr.