The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, has announced a global expansion plan to support music creators in Africa and the Middle East.
The initiative aims to provide educational resources, advocate for intellectual property rights, and celebrate the musical heritage of these regions, the Recording Academy said Monday (June 11).
To make this possible, the Recording Academy has partnered with government ministries and cultural entities in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, memorandums of understanding have been signed with Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Through these partnerships, the Recording Academy will focus on several key initiatives including providing creators with a platform and advocacy, offering trainings like its online learning platform GRAMMY GO, and producing original content.
Creators in Africa and the Middle East can also take advantage of cross-cultural learnings from the Recording Academy and benefit from the Academy’s advocacy for strong intellectual property (IP) legislation and protections.
“This is exciting because music is one of humanity’s greatest natural resources. It is critical that the people who dedicate themselves to creating music have support, resources and opportunities, no matter where they are from.”
Harvey Mason jr., Recording Academy
The organization says it will publish a series of reports highlighting its research and insights into the music markets of these regions.
Commenting on the expansion, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said: “This is exciting because music is one of humanity’s greatest natural resources. It is critical that the people who dedicate themselves to creating music have support, resources and opportunities, no matter where they are from.”
Recording Academy President Panos A. Panay added: “The Recording Academy is dedicated to supporting music creators around the world. Our expansion efforts into these fast-growing regions reflect our commitment to fostering a truly global music community, where creators at every stage of their careers and from every corner of the world have the resources and support they need to thrive.”
“Our expansion efforts into these fast-growing regions reflect our commitment to fostering a truly global music community, where creators at every stage of their careers and from every corner of the world have the resources and support they need to thrive.”
Panos A. Panay, Recording Academy
The expansion comes as the Academy celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, which will take place in November in Miami. The 2023 Latin GRAMMYs in Seville, Spain, marked the first-ever international GRAMMY Awards show.
At the 2024 GRAMMYs, the Academy introduced the first Best African Music Performance GRAMMY category, which recognizes songs that use unique local expressions from across the African continent.
Paul Pacifico, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s The Music Commission, said: “We eagerly anticipate the benefits we know this partnership will bring to our music community in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the opportunities it will deliver for Saudi music to take its place on the global stage and contribute to a more globally representative and vibrant music industry.”
Ababu Namwamba of Kenya’s EGH added: “It should be no surprise that Kenya is delighted to be among the four champions of this effort, alongside our sister nations of Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa. This is a historic opportunity to hoist high and celebrate Africanacity through artistic and cultural expression, while fostering innovation, creativity, fraternity, and solidarity for African peoples in Africa and beyond.”
Music Business Worldwide
