Recording Academy’s Neil Portnow to Step Down from President/CEO Post
Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy—the organization that presents the annual GRAMMY Awards—announced today that he is stepping down from his post upon the expiration of his contract in July 2019.
New leadership is coming to the Recording Academy.
It’s a transition that won’t happen for some time yet, but there are many who might say it’s been a long time coming.
While Portnow has led the Academy through ups and downs for the last 16 years, he has become increasingly criticized in his post. He created controversy directly following this January’s 60th GRAMMY Awards when he stated that women must “step up” to achieve better representation in the music industry—a comment he attempted to walk back later on, with little success.
On May 21st, a former VP of the nonprofit MusiCares accused him of steering money away from the charity in order to fund the deficit created by moving the GRAMMYs from Los Angeles to New York in 2018.
It will be interesting to see if Portnow gets the opportunity to finish out his contract. It’s hard enough to be a lame duck, but stretching that status over a protracted period with so much negative PR, not to mention allegations that his financial management reduced funding for a popular GRAMMY-related charity, is even tougher.
In his open letter, below, he talks about his involvement in the search for a successor. How might a new leader for the Academy, whose operative word is in fact “Recording” and seeks to elevate all those in the audio profession as well as artists, ultimately impact what comes out of the studio? We’re all going to find out—maybe later, but perhaps sooner.
The letter that Neil Portnow released today follows in full:
Dear Friends,
The evolution of industries, institutions, and organizations is ultimately the key to their relevance, longevity, and success. Having been a member of the Recording Academy for four decades, serving as an elected leader and President/CEO, I have not only witnessed our evolution, but proudly contributed to the Academy’s growth and stature in the world.
Serving as President/CEO of the Recording Academy has been one of the greatest joys of my life. When I had the honor of being selected to lead this great organization in 2002, I vowed that on my watch, for the first time in our history, we would have a thoughtful, well-planned, and collegial transition. With a little more than a year remaining on my current contract, which expires July 2019, I’ve decided that this is an appropriate time to deliver on that promise.
Last week, I shared my plans with the Board of Trustees and pledged to lead a smooth transition that would allow new leadership to take the Recording Academy into its seventh decade. Today, I wanted you to hear about it from me personally. Throughout the coming year, I will work with the Board to chart out an organizational succession plan, while continuing to serve as active President/CEO.
There will be opportunities to share thoughts, comments, and dialogue with you in the months ahead, as I hope to visit or connect with many of your Chapters. But I do want to take this moment to thank you for the dedication, commitment, and effort you have given to advance the Recoding Academy’s important mission of ensuring that the recording arts remain a valued part of our cultural heritage.
From our successes in music advocacy, to the growth of MusiCares, the establishment of the first GRAMMY Museum, the launch of the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition, and the continued celebration of our community’s most inspiring creators, it has been an extraordinary journey.
We can all be proud of what we’ve collectively done for the betterment of the creative community we love so dearly. And I continue to look forward to our mutual pursuit of excellence—in all that we are and all that we do.
sponsoredWarm regards and gratitude,
Neil Portnow
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