Grammy's Recording Academy Names Producer Harvey Mason Jr. as Permanent President and CEO

The Recording Academy, the governing body responsible for the Grammy Awards, recently announced that the organization's board of trustees named producer and interim president/CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. as the permanent and official president and CEO.

Mason held the unpaid interim position since January 2020. Assuming his new position, he will relinquish his role as chair of the board of trustees, which he had held since 2019.

In a joint statement, search committee co-chairs John Burk and Leslie Ann Jones said, “We are delighted that Harvey will remain at the helm and continue to steer the organization through this pivotal time. As we journeyed deeper into our extensive search, it became clear that the best person for the job was Harvey. We are immensely impressed by the remarkable work he has done during his interim tenure and look forward to the continued evolution of the Academy under his effective, results-driven leadership.”

Mason replaced former president/CEO Deborah Dugan, the first female to hold the position, after she was dismissed from her position following allegations of mistreating employees.

Dugan was previously the CEO of (RED), co-founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver, and served as the president of Disney Publishing Worldwide.

The Recording Academy relieved her of her duties in January 2020 and officially fired her in March of the same year.

“I want to commend the search committee and our partners at Heidrick and Struggles for orchestrating a robust and exhaustive search for our next President and CEO,” said Tammy Hurt, Vice Chair of the Recording Academy.

“I am not surprised that they faced a significant challenge in finding candidates that would meet the standard that has been set by Harvey during these past 16 months. He has led the Academy through one of the most difficult periods in our history. As a music creator himself, he has provided hope, inspiration and a vision for the future that we are well on our way to achieving. We are all thrilled that he has agreed to become our permanent CEO and will continue to lead us into the future.”

Mason's career includes writing and producing songs for Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Justin Bieber, Beyonce, John Legend, Ariana Grande, and many more.

Additionally, he produced music for television and films, including Dreamgirls, Sparkle, Pitch Perfect, Sing, Straight Outta Compton, and The Wiz Live!.

“There is nothing more rewarding than having the trust and respect of your colleagues and peers,” Mason said. “I am honored to have been appointed to continue to lead the Recording Academy on our transformative journey. While I had not initially expected to be in this position, I remain deeply invested in the success of the organization and am motivated to help us achieve our greatest ambitions. I will serve humbly with a steadfast commitment to building a more inclusive, responsive and relevant Academy.”