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"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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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

 

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