RECORDING ACADEMY® STATEMENT ON $2 TRILLION STIMULUS FUNDING

Today, Harvey Mason, Jr., Interim Chair and CEO of the Recording Academy expressed thanks to Congress for including musicians in the historic Coronavirus bail out plan. While the details are still pending, the Stimulus package includes  support for  out-of-work music professionals, many of whom are independent, self-employed people who were like any other business that lost the ability to make a living.  In fact, House Democrats had the arts as a whole in mind, setting aside millions for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in our nation's capitol. Sean Hannity of FOX News was critical of the president ear marking fund in the stimulus deal for the Kennedy Center, but Trump defended his decision to support it saying in a pres briefing,"I approved that," Mr. Trump said without missing a beat, saying he's a fan of the arts. "The Kennedy Center has suffered greatly, because nobody can go there - it's essentially closed." Trump approved $25 million of the $35 million . In a statement to The Slice, Mason was appreciative that artists will get some form of relief to help them get back on their feet. STATEMENT FROM THE RECORDING ACADEMY - MARCH 27, 2020

The Recording Academy® thanks the Congressional leaders who worked with the music community to craft a bill that allows the music to play on. In navigating this unprecedented crisis, all music industry professionals across the U.S., many of whom rely on multiple gigs for their livelihood, can be grateful that they are included in this extraordinary effort to help Americans. We will now turn our attention to helping music makers and others who make a living in our industry navigate the process of getting the financial assistance they need while anticipating the day when they can return to providing the soundtrack to our nation, which we'll all need when this crisis is over. Harvey Mason jr. Chair and Interim President/CEO Recording Academy