PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"50 YEARS OF GREAT GRAMMY RECORDINGS" HIGHLIGHTS
THE ROLE OF PRODUCERS AND ENGINEERS IN THE HISTORY
OF THE GRAMMY® AWARDS
The Recording Academy® Producers & Engineers Wing Holds Its
First Ever
GRAMMY® Week Event at the Legendary Village Recording Studios
Four-Time GRAMMY winner and Recording Academy Chair Jimmy Jam Toasts
Producers and Recording Engineers as "The Technology Backbone of
the Music Industry"
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Feb. 12, 2008) — On the eve of
the historic 50th GRAMMY® Awards Show, the Producers & Engineers
Wing of The Recording Academy® celebrated "50 Years of Great
GRAMMY Recordings," an event honoring the contributions made by
the creative technologists who transform the vision of music artists
into reality. The event took place on Feb. 7 at The Village Studios
— the birthplace of scores of classic recordings from GRAMMY-winning
artists including Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, and Tom Petty — a
legendary recording studio that was celebrating its own 40th anniversary.
At 7 p.m., the doors to The Village were opened to close
to 700 guests, consisting of GRAMMY-winning engineers and producers
such as Chris Lord-Alge, John Alagia, Roy Thomas Baker, Ed Cherney,
Jimmy Douglass, Geoff Emerick, Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner and more,
as well as leading artists including John Mayer, Liz Phair, Keb' Mo',
Lucinda Williams, and Once star Glen Hansard. The Village's various
studios were designated to represent the six key technical GRAMMY categories:
Control Room A showcased the music of this year’s nominees for
Best Engineered Album, Classical and Non-Classical, while a flat-panel
video monitor ran a slide show of album art from past winners. Along
the same lines, Studio A showed nominees for Best Remixed Recording,
Non-Classical. Studio B showcased Producer Of The Year, Classical and
Non-Classical. Control Room D featured the music of this year's nominees
for Best Surround Sound Album. Each of these spaces was sponsored by
one or more of the event’s manufacturer, technology and lifestyle
sponsors, including Cakewalk, Digidesign, Full Sail, JBL Professional,
Microsoft, MIX/ReMix, Sennheiser/Neumann, Shure, Waves, Westlake Professional
Sales and West L.A. Music.
In Studio F, guests were greeted with a unique and practical
interactive aspect of the event — two computer stations where
guests could send e-mails to their U.S. Representatives in support of
the Performance Rights Act, a significant and historic legislative initiative
sponsored by The Recording Academy and a coalition of music industry
organizations. In the words of P&E Wing Executive Director Maureen
Droney, this has the power to "right a serious injustice to U.S.
musical artists" by enabling recording artists to benefit from
terrestrial radio royalties, as they do elsewhere in the world. "This
would bring us parity with the rest of the world," she said.
Four-time GRAMMY winner and Recording Academy Chair Jimmy
Jam toasted producers and recording engineers as "the technology
backbone of the music industry and the magic behind the music,"
adding, "Music is alive and well, with a great future."
"In an era of complex and fast-changing technology that is remaking
the music industry by the minute, those who produce and engineer the
recording of music play a significant role in how this evolution will
proceed," said Droney. “The Producers & Engineers Wing
of the Recording Academy strives to get these talented individuals the
recognition they deserve, both for what they have already accomplished
and for the role they will play in the directions music moves in the
future.”
Photo File: PE_DroneyJamGrammy.JPG
Photo Caption: Four-time GRAMMY winner and Recording Academy Chair Jimmy
Jam toasted producers and recording engineers as "the technology
backbone of the music industry and the magic behind the music."
Shown L-R: P&E Wing Executive Director Maureen Droney and Jimmy
Jam.
Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/Wireimage.com ©
2008
Photographed by: Jordin Thomas Althaus
Currently, 6,000 professionals comprise the Producers
& Engineers Wing, which was established for producers, engineers,
remixers, manufacturers, technologists, and other related creative and
technical professionals in the recording community. This organized voice
for the recording community addresses issues that affect the craft of
recorded music, while ensuring its role in the development of new technologies,
recording and mastering recommendations, and archiving and preservation
initiatives. For more information, please visit www.producersandengineers.com.
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization
of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that
is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life
for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards
— the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence
and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is
responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment,
advocacy, education and human services programs. In its 50th year, The
Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence,
advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains
an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy,
please visit www.grammy.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Robert Clyne/Clyne Media, Inc./615.662.1616/robert@clynemedia.com
Lisa Roy/310.463.1563/lisaroyaudio@mac.com
Jennifer Keppel/The Recording Academy/310.392.3777/jenniferk@grammy.com