NATIONAL ACADEMY OF
RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES
®
529 14th St. NW, Ste. 840
Washington, D.C. 20045
Capitol
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™
®
WINTER 2006
Capitol
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Capitol
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NATIONAL ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES
®
ADVANCING THE RIGHTS OF THE MUSIC COMMUNITY
®
A “CONGRESSIONAL RECORD”
LIKE NO OTHER
The G”RAMMY Congressional Band “cuts a track with Kelly Clarkson
A “CONGRESSIONAL RECORD”
LIKE NO OTHER
The “GRAMMY Congressional Band” cuts a track with Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson and the “GRAMMY Congressional Band” at Recording Arts Day
(l-r):
Reps.
Joe Crowley, Connie Mack, Mary Bono; Clarkson; Reps. Steny Hoyer, Stephanie Herseth,
Marsha Blackburn and Charles Gonzalez
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Merchandisers; National Music Publishers’
Association; The Academy’s Producers &
Engineers Wing; Recording Artists’
Coalition; Recording Industry Association
of America; SESAC; Songwriters Guild of
America; and SoundExchange.
Legislators Offer Support
The day began with morning orienta-
tion and briefings at the Hotel Washington
and a keynote appearance by Karan K.
Bhatia, deputy U.S. trade representative.
He outlined the grim statistics that call
for further administration efforts to ensure
China and Russia more vigorously enforce
laws designed to protect against the
rampant music piracy subculture in
those nations.
The advocates then boarded buses and
headed to Capitol Hill, arriving at the base
of the Capitol for a short walk to the House
side and a visit to the House chamber.
Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.),
Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Cliff Stearns
(R-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz
(D-Fla.), Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.), and
Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) attended a working
lunch to address the group and show their
support for the music community.
Cooper, whose district includes
Nashville,
underscored the need for
aggressive advocacy on the part of the
music community. “We’ve got a tremen-
dous amount of work to do,” he said.
“The world is stealing us blind.”
Cooper also cautioned the group that
despite differences, they must present
a unified front to lawmakers to address
protection problems, especially in light
of the short amount of time left in the
session. Another goal for Cooper is to
pass legislation that would ensure “music
is in every school in America.”
Congress Is In (Recording) Session
Next on the agenda was a “famous
first,” the music recording session in the
Cannon Caucus Room, which took on the
look of a high-end studio — complete
with console, amps, mics and an isolated
Plexiglas drum booth. Congressional mem-
bers and staffers were in attendance to get
a firsthand look at the recording session
featuring Kelly Clarkson. The program
was both entertaining and educational,
as the policymakers learned about the
large number of “behind-the-scenes”
professionals needed to produce a track.
Recording Academy Vice Chair Jimmy
Jam took the stage first. Serving as narrator
for the recording demonstration, he
explained the steps in achieving a final
Academy Hosts Star-Spangled Event By Bill Holland
Music people call attention to creative industry at Recording Arts Day events
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The second annual Recording Arts Day
on Capitol Hill — during which dedicated
music professionals from across the country
visit our nation’s lawmakers to remind
them of the importance of music in
American life — brought together most
major music business associations resulting
in attendance by more than 160 artists,
songwriters, producers and other music
professionals.
Singing sensation Kelly Clarkson, stellar
jazz guitarist Earl Klugh, Texas swing
champ Ray Benson, Oscar winner Louis
Gossett Jr. and top producers Jimmy
Jam, Desmond Child and Randy Jackson
were among the luminaries on hand. They
joined Recording Academy President Neil
Portnow and the heads of virtually every
major U.S. music association to spread the
word on the need for protection of the
music creators’ work in the digital age.
The event, conceived and organized
by the National Academy of Recording
Arts & Sciences, was an all-day affair,
capped by the evening GRAMMYs on
the Hill Awards Dinner and show at the
historic Willard Hotel.
The highlight of the day’s events was
the first professional music recording
session ever staged on Capitol Hill. The
session, held in a packed Cannon House
Building Caucus Room, featured Clarkson,
songwriters Aben Eubanks and Jimmy
Messer, and the “GRAMMY Congressional
Band,” a backup team of House members
providing percussion and finger-snaps.
Walking together down the halls of
the Senate and House were reps from
the American Association of Independent
Music; American Federation of Musicians;
American Federation of Television and
Radio Artists; ASCAP; BMI; Gospel Music
Association; GRAMMY Foundation;
Harry Fox Agency; and Jazz Alliance
International Inc.
Also visiting lawmakers’ offices were
officials from Music Managers Forum —
US; National Association of Recording
(l-r)
Kelly Clarkson demonstrates the recording process with help from musicians Gerald Veasley and Jimmy Messer
and the GRAMMY Congressional Band, Reps. Connie Mack, Mary Bono, Steny Hoyer, Stephanie Herseth, Joe
Crowley and Charles Gonzalez
Photo: Jeff Fishbein/WireImage.com
Recording Arts Day host organization representatives: Hal Ponder (AFM), Don Rose (A2IM), Pat Collins (SESAC),
John Styll (GMA), Karen Sherry (ASCAP), Gary Churgin (HFA), Kim Roberts Hedgepeth (AFTRA), John Simson
(SoundExchange), Neil Portnow (The Academy), Barry Bergman (MMF-US), Rebecca Greenberg (RAC), David
Israelite (NMPA), Suzan Jenkins (JAI), Fred Cannon (BMI), Joel Flatow (RIAA), Jim Donio (NARM) and songwriter
Victoria Shaw
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Continued on page 4
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master recording. “It always begins with a
good song,” he said, which has to meld
with the right artist. Then there’s the
selection of a compatible producer,
finding simpatico musicians, working
out arrangements, finding the right studio
and recording engineer, and then booking
time to “lay down tracks” to create a
fleshed-out production.
Jam jokingly “dissed” the importance
the engineer plays in the process and was
left speaking into a dead mic until he gave
credence to session engineer Malcolm
Harper, who also serves as The Academy’s
Texas Chapter President.
Songwriters Aben Eubanks and Jimmy
Messer, who had collaborated with Clarkson
to co-write the new tune “Maybe,” were
the next to speak to the crowd.
They explained the genesis of the
tune,
which began with idea sketches
from both
writers. The song was then
suddenly solidified by an undeniably
catchy and slightly melancholy guitar riff
on the part of Eubanks, and expanded
by experimenting with additional sections
that clicked.
When they were unsure where to take
the fledgling song next, they e-mailed the
tune to Clarkson, who added a new part
herself “that took the song in a whole new
direction,” Messer said. “And it was better.”
Messer also explained that at a
recording session, he prefers cutting
the basic tracks with the core band to
give the track “a more organic feel.”
A shy but confident Clarkson then took
the stage, admitting charmingly to the
crowd that she was uncomfortable in front
of audiences “except when I’m singing.”
And sing she did, launching into “Maybe,”
backed by Eubanks and Messer and the
crack rhythm section of James “Biscuit”
Rouse and bassist Gerald Veasley, who
is also a Governor for The Academy’s
Philadelphia Chapter and The Academy’s
National Advocacy Chair.
The basic track finished, the recording
required overdubs by a session backup
group. To the crowd’s delight, a game
group of House lawmakers formed a
strong line behind the mics.
Perhaps they’ll never become the next
Raylettes or Sweet Inspirations, but Reps.
Mary Bono (R-Calif.), Connie Mack (R-Fla.),
Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Mark Foley (R-Fla.),
Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas) and Joe
Crowley (D-N.Y.) along with Blackburn
and Herseth, got the crowd’s attention
for their efforts.
In addition to the performance,
Clarkson and Jam were also onstage when
Neil Portnow presented a GRAMMY Award
to another rising star, Sen. Barack Obama
(D-Ill.). Obama had been unable to pick up
his Best Spoken Word Album GRAMMY for
his 2005 recording of
Dreams From My
Father
at this year’s ceremony. Even with
his political popularity, Obama insisted
that only his GRAMMY has finally
impressed his wife.
After the working lunch and recording
session, the advocates divided into small
groups to visit the offices of hometown
elected officials and House members
grounded in intellectual property and
protection issues.
During the afternoon, one delegation
tackled the Senate side, and met with
Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas).
GRAMMYs On The Hill
The evening festivities were held in the
ballroom of the grand Willard Hotel, which
dates back to Abraham Lincoln’s time.
Lawmakers and their senior staff net-
worked and swapped on-and-off-the-job
stories with national and local recording
artists, producers, artists’ unions, music
publishers, and reps from songwriter,
online music service and performing
rights organizations.
Fellow GRAMMY winners Jimmy Jam and Kelly Clarkson
(left)
welcome the newest member of the class, Sen. Barack
Obama
(right).
Academy President Neil Portnow presented the award
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Louis Gossett Jr. presents Sen. Dianne Feinstein
with the GRAMMYs on the Hill award
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting performs during
GRAMMYs on the Hill
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Continued on page 6
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In the ballroom, before the awards
were handed out, master guitarist Earl
Klugh brought silence to the buzzing
room with a gentle and moving solo
rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”
on his classical nylon string guitar.
“American Idol” star Randy Jackson,
who serves on the Board of The Academy’s
Los Angeles Chapter, co-hosted the event
with award-winning entertainment reporter
Shaun Robinson.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), one
of the evening’s honorees, spoke about
her efforts to champion music creators and
provide upgraded copyright protections.
Feinstein has been a co-sponsor of every
piece of significant copyright legislation
since she entered the Senate in 1992.
Clarkson was honored for her partici-
pation with The Academy’s What’s The
Download program, which educates and
informs music fans about why downloading
“free” music imperils the efforts of the
entire creative community.
The Brooklyn Center Junior/Senior High
School from Brooklyn Center, Minn., was
awarded a $15,000 grant at the event
to augment the courageous fundraising
efforts of both students and teachers to
keep its music programs afloat despite
massive funding cuts. The grant was
bestowed by the GRAMMY Foundation
as part of its GRAMMY Signature Schools
program. GRAMMY Foundation Senior
Vice President Kristen Madsen and Fred
Cannon of BMI — the evening’s lead
sponsor — presented the grant to the
school’s music teacher, Christine Porter,
and music student Channel Chatham.
Singer/songwriter John Ondrasik of
Five For Fighting provided the entertain-
ment, singing his platinum and GRAMMY-
nominated hit, “Superman (It’s Not Easy),”
“100 Years” and a new song, “Freedom
Never Cries.” Ondrasik teased Rep. Bono,
“who downloaded the song — legally,”
for asking him to explain more about the
song’s lyrics.
Kelly Clarkson
(third from left)
accepts her award with fellow members of the What’s The Download Interactive
Advisory Board
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
(l-r)
Legendary recording artist Sam Moore, Neil Portnow, Randy Jackson and Rep. Mary Bono
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Journalist Chris Matthews, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Recording Academy CFO Wayne Zahner
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
Academy President Portnow also
offered a three-tiered plan to effectuate a
truce to end the contentious negotiations
between the music community and the
technology industries (see page 10),
while Vice President of Advocacy &
Government Relations Daryl Friedman
spoke of recent successes brought about
by grassroots advocacy.
Fourteen hours after it began, Record-
ing Arts Day on Capitol Hill ended for
an exhausted but inspired core of music
professionals from around the country
and lobbyists and strategists from inside
the beltway. As the delegation moved on
to the Willard lounge, many were already
talking about their trip to next year’s
Recording Arts Day.
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8
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The music community delegation at Recording Arts Day on Capitol Hill
Rep. Howard Coble
Sen. Norm Coleman with
constituent Jimmy Jam
Sen. Hillary Clinton
(center)
with Neil Portnow and Kelly Clarkson
Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Rep. Jim Cooper
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and
daughter Rebecca Schultz
Briefing the delegation:
(l-r)
NMPA’s David
Israelite, Digital Media Association’s Jon
Potter, SGA’s Rick Carnes and The
Academy’s Daryl Friedman
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison with Kelly Clarkson
Sen. Patrick Leahy with members of The Academy’s leadership:
(back)
Terry Lickona and Leahy;
(front)
Paul Corbin, Jimmy Jam,
David Grossman and Helen Bruner
Rep. Cliff Stearns
Recording Academy Chairman Terry Lickona
(right)
introduces U.S. Deputy Trade Rep. Karan Bhatia
Music Makers And Policymakers Participate In Recording Arts Day And GRAMMYs On The Hill
Photos: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
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The last 12 months have seen great
achievements (such as the industry’s
settlement with Kaaza) and challenges
(such as a dispute with one of our most
promising partners — satellite radio). But
regardless of the result on any issue our
music community faced, one theme has
consistently emerged. We have seen it
referenced in the media, in our industry,
and even in Congress. That theme, as
Business Week
put it, is ”the collision of
technology and intellectual property.”
Rhetoric on both sides too often tends
toward the extreme or simplistic. A recent
consumer electronics publication wrote
that the music industry is asking Congress
to restrict innovation and consumer choice.
An inflammatory cliché no doubt, as all
we seek is compensation for our members
when their music is used. But as clichéd
as those comments about us can be,
quotes from the music community have
painted the tech community with equally
broad — and simple — brush strokes.
Within The Recording Academy, one
segment that most clearly sees the irra-
tionality of this “collision of technology
and intellectual property” is our Producers
& Engineers Wing. This community of
leading studio professionals includes
many musicians who are simultaneously
copyright owners, music creators and
technologists. They push musical bound-
aries
and
technological boundaries, and
they comfortably exist in both worlds of
content and innovation.
Perhaps we have something to learn
from them.
After all, artists, songwriters and all
music professionals have a stake in
advancing technology. We need it to
capture the live or studio performance,
and we need it to deliver our music to
fans in convenient and engaging ways.
And naturally, the tech community
needs — in fact requires — us, the music
makers, as well. It is music that drives
consumer demand for music devices,
not vice versa. And ironically, the tech
community’s very own foundation lies in
intellectual property; they protect their
patents and trademarks with vigor, but
then tell us we are being anti-consumer
when we seek to protect music copyrights.
So how did these two mutually
dependent industries become entangled
in what author Howard Rheingold called
“the war over innovation”? Or more impor-
tantly, how can we become disentangled?
Well, if we really are in the midst of
“a war over innovation,” then it is time
for a truce. A Music & Technology Truce.
Tonight, I am asking leaders from our
Producers & Engineers Wing to be the
frontline ambassadors in this effort. The
Wing consists of tech-savvy music pros
who are already actively involved in
bridging the gap through numerous pro-
grams, such as their enlightening round-
table at the Consumer Electronics Show
in January.
This Music & Technology Truce will not
be easy, and no one should expect an
immediate end to litigation or legislation.
But there are three steps we
can
take
immediately to increase the harmony of
our two industries.
First, let’s reduce
the rhetoric. How many
times have you heard
that we in the music
community are “anti-
consumer”? Or “anti-
innovation”? How many
times have we accused
technology companies
of being “anti-copy-
right”? Or of “stealing
our music”?
Now, I realize we live
in a world of soundbites,
and this type of posturing
is par for the course. But
we can go a long way by agreeing to
tone down the verbal divisiveness.
Second, let’s increase direct communica-
tion. For the most part, our two industries
communicate with each other through
the media, or on opposite sides of a
negotiating table. There is a better way.
For example, this past year, the Recording
Industry Association of America and
National Music Publishers’ Association
participated in the Consumer Electronics
Show, finding common ground with the
Consumer Electronics Association by
sponsoring a legal downloading area of
the show. This sets a great example for all
of us, as do the productive negotiations
currently underway between the Digital
Media Association, publishers and other
stakeholders on copyright reform.
To take this type of interaction further,
The Recording Academy will host leaders
of our industry and leaders of the tech
industry at a music and technology summit,
and we look forward to having the same
type of constructive dialogue with the
technology community that we now have
within our own music CEO summits.
And finally — perhaps
most importantly —
the voices
of artists and
songwriters must be
present
in all discussions
and negotiations with
technology companies.
We all understand that
copyright owners have
the ultimate authority to
negotiate on behalf of
the music creators they
represent. But it will serve
all our interests to ensure
that artists and songwriters
are informed of and includ-
ed in those discussions.
As current negotiations continue — with
broadcasters, satellite services, and
others — I encourage all parties to
include the creator’s perspective at the
table. This inclusiveness can only serve
to help the process — and remind the
parties who we all really work for.
These three steps — reducing the
rhetoric, increasing communication and
including the creators’ voices — may sound
simple, but the Music & Technology Truce
can only be implemented if both sides
are willing to end the battle and work
toward cooperation.
SOUND POLICY
SOUND POLICY
by Neil Portnow
Continued on page 13
(Sound Policy is a regular column by Recording Academy President Neil Portnow on
Recording Arts issues. The following is an excerpt from Portnow’s keynote address at
GRAMMYs on the Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 6, 2006.)
“
The technology and
music industries
can continue the
‘war’…Or, we
can work together
toward an environ-
ment in which we
can all win.
”
Photo: Douglas A. Sonders/WireImage.com
109th Congress Ends But The
Song’s Not Over
As Congress moved into the election
season and recessed in the last hours of
September, many of the music-related
bills that went unpassed will have to be
reintroduced in the next Congress.
Section 115 Reform.
The Section 115
Reform Act (SIRA) was introduced on
June 8 by Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)
and Howard Berman (D-Calif.). Although
the key concepts in SIRA were important
and workable (as it aims to create a
blanket license for use of compositions
in digital services) the details caused
concern for different organizations.
During the last days of September,
Judiciary Subcommittee Chairman
Smith and interested parties, including
the National Academy of Recording Arts
& Sciences, tried to reach a compromise.
Unfortunately, time ran out and the legis-
lation was pulled from the Judiciary
Committee calendar.
In a letter to Daryl Friedman, Academy
Vice President of Advocacy & Government
Relations, Chairman Smith stated that,
“you can be assured that I intend to move
forward with this legislation. What we have
accomplished so far will provide the
foundation for a new law early next year.”
There is hope that the new legislation
will include concepts such as the blanket
license, a recognition of a mechanical
royalty in an interactive stream, and a
rate setting procedure for compositions
accessed through digital services.
PERFORM Act.
On April 25, Sen.
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced
the Platform Equity and Remedies for
Rightsholders in Music Act of 2006
(PERFORM Act). The legislation was
co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham
(R-S.C.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). The
Academy worked closely with Sen.
Feinstein’s office and other stakeholders
to negotiate a key pro-artist provision in
the bill. The bill was supported by The
Academy, AFTRA, AFM, RAC and other
music stakeholders.
The bill would have restricted satellite
radio devices from recording, storing and
separating out individual tracks from the
broadcast. At GRAMMYs on the Hill in
Washington, honoree Feinstein spoke of
the need to continue to fight for creators’
rights; further action on platform equity is
expected in the next Congress.
Audio Flag.
In the Senate, a favorable
provision for the music industry (protection
of digital audio broadcasting content) was
included in the massive Communications,
Consumers Choice and Broad-
band Deployment Act, also
known as the Telecom Act. After
passing through the Senate
Commerce Committee, the bill
did not have enough votes to
be called to the Senate floor.
Songwriters Tax Break.
A
bright note for music creators
was included in the massive
Tax Increase Prevention and
Reconciliation Act. The new law
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Advocacy Roll Call
Paul Katz, Suzanne Vega, Daryl Friedman and Tom Chapin at the New York Chapter’s advocacy event
Photo: Mychal Watts/WireImage.com
We all know that the next five years
will set in motion new policies and busi-
ness models that will guide our industry
for decades to come. How we approach
building the new music world is up to us
all. The technology and music industries
can continue the “war,” with each playing
a zero-sum game in which one side must
win and one must lose. Or, we can work
together toward an environment in which
we all can win. An environment in which
artists, songwriters, producers and engi-
neers can rely on both a
music
industry
that works to develop talent and promote
the music to the widest possible audience
and a
technology
industry that works
to develop new and efficient models of
distribution that respect creators’ rights.
I thank our Producers & Engineers
Wing for accepting this challenge to
bridge our two industries, and I challenge
all of us to prove that we can be both
pro-copyright and pro-technology. Let
the truce begin.
SOUND POLICY
Continued from page 11
Rep. Howard BermanRep. Lamar Smith
(which goes into effect in January 2007)
will allow songwriters who sell their
publishing catalog to treat the income
as a capital gain, which provides for a
lower tax rate than regular income.
Recording Arts and Sciences Caucus
member Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
championed the bill, backed by a five-
year effort by the Nashville Songwriters
Association.
New York, Nashville Chapters Focus
On Advocacy
In June, the New York Chapter of The
Academy produced “Do You Know: An
Educational Advocacy Event,” designed
to discuss the complex legislative and
music technology issues in real-world
terms. The membership-only event was
hosted by the Chapter’s Advocacy
Committee, co-chaired by Paul Katz and
Suzanne Vega, as well as by Committee
member Tom Chapin and Daryl Friedman.
The following month in Nashville, The
Academy’s South Regional Director Susan
Stewart participated in an industry-wide
town hall on some of these same issues.
Stewart gave that community an in-depth
demonstration of the XM Inno, which
plays satellite radio broadcasts and stores
songs without a distribution license, and
she joined a panel discussion with nearly
every organization representing music
creators and copyright owners.
Award of the Education Commission of
the States.
Victory In Georgia: Music Program Saved
This spring, the Fulton County Board
of Education in Georgia signaled their
intention to eliminate elementary school
music programs. For years, the program
had been recognized nationally by the
American Music Conference as one of the
top 100 music programs in the country.
Members of The Academy’s Atlanta
Chapter, joined by other parent and
music organizations, participated in school
board meetings, sent hundreds of e-mails
to the school board, and had prominent
music leaders such as Usher, Ludacris and
Earl Klugh weigh in. Within a week, the
school board reversed its decision and,
hearing the voice of their community, kept
music in the schools in Fulton County.
The Academy thanks its members
who were involved with these advocacy
efforts and helped deliver major victories
for music creators.
CAPITOL TRACKS 1514 CAPITOL TRACKS
Editors
Jennifer Cebra
Courtney Kemp
David Konjoyan
Art Direction and Design
Top Design
[www.topdesign.com]
Pre-Press and Printing
Challenge Graphics / Tara Curtis
©2006 The Recording Academy
®
National Officers
Chairman
Terry Lickona
Vice Chairman
Jimmy Jam
Secretary/Treasurer
Richard Perna
Chairman Emeritus
Daniel Carlin
President
Neil Portnow
Advocacy Advisors
Legislative Consultant, Greenberg Traurig
Diane Blagman
Advocacy Committee Chair
Gerald Veasley
General Counsel
Joel Katz
National Legal Counsel
Chuck Ortner
Deputy General Counsel
Bobby Rosenbloum
For more information, please contact The Academy’s
office of Advocacy & Government Relations:
Vice President
Daryl P. Friedman
Executive Assistant
April Canter
529 14th St. NW, Ste. 840, Washington, D.C. 20045
tel: 202.662.1285
•
fax: 202.662.1342
advocacy@grammy.com
www.grammy.com/advocacy
®
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF
RECORDING ARTS & SCIENCES, INC.
Capitol
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Advocacy Victories: “Citizen Lobbyists” Deliver
Grassroots action makes the difference at federal, state level
If there’s any doubt that indi-
vidual grassroots advocacy can
make a difference, Recording
Academy members have put it
to rest. At the federal level, as
well as in California and Georgia,
citizen activists recently made
major impacts on critical music
community policies.
Victory In Congress:
Broadcast Decency
After more than a year of
advocacy work by the National
Academy of Recording Arts &
Sciences and other organizations, Congress
passed broadcast decency legislation that
does
not
increase fines to individual artists.
An earlier House version had increased
potential artist fines to a maximum of
$500,000. Intense lobbying by a coalition
of artist organizations plus nearly 4,000
e-mails sent by Academy members to
Congress drove the point home: Don’t
fine artistic speech.
Victory In California: Arts Education
Budget Increased
Entertainment industry leaders and
music creators gathered in California in
January 2006 to discuss a single topic of
great importance to them: increasing their
state’s music and arts education budget.
At a GRAMMY Roundtable convened
by Academy President Neil Portnow and
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (a leading
arts education advocate) and moderated
by Sir Ken Robinson, a world-renowned
education advocate and creative consultant,
the group developed a plan. Leaders from
the music, motion picture, television and
video game industries contacted their
representatives in Sacramento and made
the connection between arts education
and California’s entertainment economy.
Supporting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
arts education budget request, the
delegation conveyed their message:
Tomorrow’s entertainment industry
requires arts education today.
Members of The Academy’s Los
Angeles and San Francisco Chapters
joined in the effort, lighting up the
phones in the state Capitol. The result
was an unprecedented increase in the
arts education budget of $105 million,
with millions of dollars more for musical
instruments. After the bill was signed,
Gov. Huckabee noted of the budget
increase, “I am convinced that if it hadn’t
been for Neil and for the work of the
members of The Academy, that simply
would not have happened.” Following
this historic budget increase, Huckabee
honored Portnow with the Chairman’s
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
(center)
celebrates California’s increased
music education budget with The Academy’s Los Angeles Chapter
Board members Randy Jackson
(left)
and Philip Bailey
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
(left),
chairman of
the Education Commission of the States, bestows
the ECS Chairman’s Award on Academy President
Neil Portnow. Portnow was honored for his efforts
to increase access to music education for students
in California and across the country
