Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Going ‘All In’ To Repair Awards Show

Forbes

The Grammys take place tonight in Los Angeles. The nonprofit that puts on the awards show, the Recording Academy, had a controversial 2019, but it still averaged annual revenue of $82 million over the last three years.   Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jabariyoung/2024/01/31/grammys-ceo-harvey-mason-jr-going-all--in-to-repair-awards-show/?sh=35aa35604816  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00 Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Sunday, February 4th.

00:05 Today on Forbes, Grammy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. going all in to repair awards show.

00:12 Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy, the organization that puts on the annual Grammy Awards,

00:19 frequently uses the saying, "The way you do anything is the way you do everything."

00:25 Mason says it means to give maximum effort at all times.

00:30 The 66th annual Grammy Awards show will take place this evening in Los Angeles.

00:35 And Mason, who is 55 years old, is all in on repairing the integrity of the show

00:41 after controversy struck the Recording Academy in 2019.

00:45 There were allegations of wrongdoing, including sexual harassment and a C-suite restructuring

00:50 that ended in a financial settlement to former CEO Deborah Dugan.

00:54 The Academy also faced backlash after notable stars like Kendrick Lamar declined invitations to attend the Grammys,

01:01 and winner's speeches, including Drake's, were cut short.

01:04 As for what to expect when you tune in to watch tonight on CBS, Mason says,

01:09 "It's going to be a big show. You're going to see a lot of different types of music, which is what I love about our show.

01:15 It's not just exclusively one genre. You're going to see a lot of different looks, a lot of different faces,

01:21 ages, genders, races, and great music and great performances."

01:26 In May 2021, Mason was named Recording Academy CEO, becoming the first Black person to hold the role.

01:33 Mason tells Forbes that the nonprofit has revamped itself, eliminating its secret voting and expanding membership.

01:40 The Academy has 11,000 voting members, of whom 19% identify as Black.

01:45 Mason says, "We're a very different organization than we were four or five years ago.

01:50 I hope we're starting to build that relevance back."

01:53 A Boston native, Mason moved to Los Angeles as a child and was closely tied to music at an early age.

02:00 His father, Harvey Mason Sr., was a drummer for the jazz band 4Play, led by accomplished pianist Bob James.

02:07 Mimicking his dad, the young Harvey practiced writing songs at the family piano,

02:12 and received his first taste of production credit when a tune he created, "Love Makes It Better,"

02:17 was used by the late saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and appeared on his 1976 album, "A Secret Place."

02:24 After graduating from Crescenta Valley High School, Mason played basketball at the University of Arizona under coach Lute Olson.

02:31 One of his teammates was Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

02:34 After college, Mason caught a gigantic break in the late 1990s by producing a song for R&B star Brandy.

02:41 Mason also worked with icons Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, and spent 18 months with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

02:48 Mason says of the music legends, "They don't settle, they don't compromise. Michael absolutely did that.

02:55 He thought, 'Okay, you've done your best, now erase all that, start over, and do your best, plus 10.'"

03:02 The Recording Academy brought in $89.3 million in 2022 and $73 million the year prior.

03:10 In 2020, the Academy's total revenue was more than $85 million.

03:15 Most of the money comes from Paramount Global, which owns CBS and pays more than $20 million annually in fees to air the Grammys.

03:23 CBS has broadcast the awards show for over 50 years.

03:27 Over the last decade, the Grammys grew accustomed to luring between 20 million and 30 million people annually, but viewership has dipped since 2019.

03:37 Last year, the Grammys averaged 12.4 million viewers, up from just 8.9 million in 2022 and 8.8 million viewers the year prior.

03:46 In 2020, the Grammys averaged 18.7 million, but that was still down from the roughly 20 million people that watched in 2019.

03:54 Despite the dip in viewership, CBS makes nearly $100 million in advertising revenue from the Grammys, the second-most-watched awards show behind the Oscars.

04:03 This year, however, Mason signaled there would be tweaks. He says, quote,

04:08 For full coverage and to watch our sit-down video interview with Mason, check out Jabari Young's piece on Forbes.com.

04:31 This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.

04:35 .

04:42 .

Category

Transcript

Recommended