Two years ago, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, led by Stacy Smith, released their first study of inclusivity in music, provided some eye-opening statistics that revealed the male-dominated status quo of the industry. This week, on Jan. 23, industry professionals and musicians gathered together in a sunny room of MasterCard's special GRAMMY Week One Love Hotel experience on Sunset Boulevard to hear from barrier-breaking women on exactly how we can even the playing field and fix these numbers.  

Split up with two delicious meals and space to chat with fellow attendees on the sunny, L.A. skyline-backed patio, Designing a Better Music Industry for Women: Equality on Both Sides of the Board featured two dynamic conversations that brought forward actionable ways we can all create a more inclusive music industry. The first conversation was a panel moderated by SiriusXM Hits Host Nicole Ryan and featuring Cheryl Guerin, Vice President of Marketing/Communications at Mastercard, Lori Feldman, Chief Marketing Officer at Paradigm, Stacy Smith, Founder/Director of USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Gabrielle Armand, Vice President of Marketing of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The after-lunch "fireside chat," moderated by Andrew Hampp of Variety, featured two behind-the-board powerhouses, GRAMMY-nominated producer, songwriter and former Four Non Blondes lead singer Linda Perry and GRAMMY-winning engineer and The Lodge Founder Emily Lazar. Here are the four major themes that emerged over the course of the day.

Sharing Truth With Data & Taking Action

While the statistics brought forth by the Annenberg studies can feel shocking, angering or even overwhelming, instead it is exactly these numbers that motivate action and can measure change. During her introduction, Smith declared her work's focus is to "disrupt systems of injustice" and later pointed to how the study helped highlight all the work that needed to be done and serve as a rallying point for many people across all touchpoints of the industry, including 2020 GRAMMY host Alicia Keys, who was inspired to start the new nonprofit music network, She Is The Music.

"Collective action only happens when people link arms and say we're going to do this together," Smith shared, pointing to She Is The Music as a perfect example of collective action making change. 

She also noted the improvement they've already seen in 2019, as opposed to 2017's numbers, including doubling the number of female producers that worked on hit songs. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, the shifts prove that change can be made when intention and energy is put towards doing things differently. "I'd never seen something like this happen so quickly and so sustained," Smith stated.

Read: Women In Music And Film Talk Self-Confidence & Inclusion At The GRAMMY Museum

Ryan, who underscored the very male-heavy world of radio, feels that really showing those standing against you how they are wrong, so they can actually understand it and see from your perspective, is one of the most fulfilling things to do. When she became pregnant, one of her coworkers at Sirius told her career was over. While it was an upsetting comment to receive, she later sat him down and explained why his opinion was unfair. When she did become a working mother, she demonstrated exactly how she could continue to achieve work-life balance with a child, like many women do. 

Everyone's stories echoed Ryan's point that not only is it important to stand strong in what you know is right and true, but to also go above and beyond often-limited expectations others may have of you. That in itself will not only bring you forward, but help pave the way for others.

Identifying Barriers & Breaking Them

Armand, who got her start in the industry 30 years ago at a jazz label, said that it was knowing her worth that always kept her on the right path: "I knew what my value, what my truth was." As she moved up in her career, she realized the value of modeling this for everyone around her, especially younger people.

As Feldman said, sometimes in the moment, it's hard to really see how bad things are, especially when others see them as "just how it is." Looking back, she's amazed at some of the behaviors that were left unchecked, like a male college photocopying (in the pre-cell phone days) an unflattering picture of her and passing it to all the other men in the office.

As everyone's stories of perseverance highlighted, you often aren't thinking about the fact that you're a female professional until your "otherness" is pointed out to you. 

For Lazar, who won her first GRAMMY last year for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical on Beck's Colors, the first female mastering engineer to ever win this award, the weight of it didn't hit until she won and was informed of this powerful accomplishment. 

When Hampp asked how they faced challenges in their path, especially when doors sometimes weren't even there, Lazar had a poignant answer grounded in optimism and courage. "It's about seeing the doors, seeing the giant padlock and kicking it down. For me, there's doors everywhere."

Advocating For Yourself & Others 

All the women echoed the importance of mentorship, fostering opportunities and education. 

With The Lodge, the mastering studio Lazar founded back in 1997 in New York City, she has an open-door policy and celebrates doing whatever creative things work best for the art. She also feels a responsibility to educate young engineers, so she speaks on college campuses to kids interested in a career in music "to show that it's okay to follow your dream."

Meanwhile, Perry works with her We Are Hear organization and donates hours of her time to countless panels and workshops across her home city of L.A. "If we can offer you one little nugget that can help your career, that's what we are here for," she said.

Guerin, who is grateful to work at an organization like MasterCard that values diversity both internally and with their many community programs, said it well: "Education is continuously important." Education should be ongoing and ever-evolving and really reflect the people they claim to serve. She shared that while women are opening up businesses at twice the rate of men, they are only receiving two percent of the venture capital funding. 

More: Linda Perry, Natasha Bedingfield & More Talk Creating A Collaborative Community For Female Artists At The GRAMMY Museum

Helping Artists Identify Methods Of Distribution

"When you find people in this field that are really accomplished, they're usually more than one thing," Lazar said. "We need to protect those special people; I'm here to protect artists." She underscored the vital importance of giving artists the space to make good art and to also help them distribute it in ways that allow it to really be heard as they intended. 

The official programming ended on this inspiring high note, but really it was just the beginning of many conversations, meeting new faces and, perhaps, movements that will come out of it.

Latin Music Industry And Artists Discuss The Genre's History, Cultural Impact And Future Trends At 2020 GRAMMY Week Panel

The end of GRAMMY Week is near, but there is still plenty more to unpack and celebrate, with the 62nd GRAMMY Awards taking place tomorrow, Sun. Jan. 26. You'll be able to view the Premiere Ceremony and Red Carpet livestreams right here on GRAMMY.com. Then, tune into CBS at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET to watch Music's Biggest Night live.

Since Mike Piacentini’s switch from computer science to audio engineering in college, his family has been his biggest champions. So, when he received his nomination for Best Immersive Album for Madison Beer's pop album Silence Between Songs, at the 2024 GRAMMYs, it was a no-brainer to invite his parents and wife.

“He’s always been into music. He had his own band, so [the shift] wasn’t surprising at all,” Piacentini’s mother says in the newest episode of Family Matters. “He’s very talented. I knew one day he would be here. It’s great to see it actually happen.”

In homage to his parents’ support, Piacentini offered to let his father write a short but simple acceptance in case he won: “Thank you, Mom and Dad,” he jokes.

Alongside his blood relatives, Piacentini also had support from his colleague Sean Brennan. "It's a tremendous honor, especially to be here with [Piacentini]. We work day in and day out in the studio," Brennan explains. "He's someone who's always there."

Press play on the video above to learn more about Mike Piacentini's support system, and remember to check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Family Matters.

How Madison Beer Broke Free From Pressures Of Internet Fame & Created Her New Album 'Silence Between Songs'

Artists on the rise got their metaphorical flowers on Feb. 1, when GRAMMY House played host to the Beats & Blooms Emerging Artist Showcase. The performance-heavy event was produced in conjunction with PEOPLE and Sephora and hosted by comedian Matt Friend.

Some took the floral theme quite literally — like Texas rapper and singer Teezo Touchdown, who took to the stage clasping a giant flower bouquet, his microphone tucked somewhere inside. With his crisp white leather jacket and white gloves, Teezo looked fresh as he performed tracks from his recently released debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night? It wasn't hard to see how late legends like Prince and Rick James have influenced his artistry, and the audience appreciated his fly sartorial style.

Another dynamic performance came from Cocoa Sarai, a Jamaican-American singer/songwriter who has worked with artists such as Dr. Dre and Anderson .Paak (the latter of whom helped Sarai earn a GRAMMY in 2020 for her work on his Best R&B Album-winning project, Ventura). The Brooklyn-born artist — who is part of the new Music Artist Accelerator initiative presented by MasterCard, GRAMMY House’s primary sponsor — delivered an impactful set that included her bird-flipping anthem "Bigger Person" and was assisted by a great beatboxer named Fahz.

As many attendees got glammed up at Sephora's makeup station, the event co-sponsor also presented one of the night's performers. Sephora Sounds highlighted twin sisters Inah and Yahzi of the viral group Ain't Afraid, whose energetic performance hit home. During their charismatic set, which featured the sisters both singing and rapping, the pair told the crowd that their lighthearted stage presence is a way to turn some of their trauma into positive art.

Inah and Yahzi weren't the only sibling duo to take the stage at Beats & Blooms. Brandon and Savannah Hudson — aka BETWEEN FRIENDS — first got national attention as quarter-finalists on "America's Got Talent" in 2013, and have since racked up millions of monthly plays on Spotify for what they like to call "laptop dream pop". BETWEEN FRIENDS performed songs from their 2023 album, I Love My Girl, She's My Boy.

Tiana Major9 closed out the event with an exciting performance that featured a song debut and a sing-along. After premiering a new track called "Braids," the Motown artist got everyone to join together for an exquisite cover of Faith Evans' smoldering "Soon As I Get Home". 

GRAMMY House's three days of events are a place for a diverse array of music industry professionals, musicians and social creators to immerse in the pulse of culture, take the torch and carry it forward — and Beats & Blooms was a powerful example of just that.

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The Recording Academy has announced three-time GRAMMY winner NE-YO as the headliner of the exclusive 2024 GRAMMY Celebration — the Recording Academy’s Official After-Party for the 2024 GRAMMYs, which honors the winners and nominees of Music’s Biggest Night. As well, current GRAMMY nominee SuperBlue: Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter will perform in the GRAMMY Celebration Jazz Lounge; Ben Bakson will be the evening’s DJ.  

Taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center immediately following the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, on Sunday, Feb. 4, the GRAMMY Celebration will bring the industry together to commemorate a year of musical milestones and honor the GRAMMY nominees and winners who shaped the year in music.

“The GRAMMY Celebration serves as the perfect finale to Music’s Biggest Night, uniting the nominees and winners of the 66th GRAMMY Awards to revel in their year’s worth of accomplishments,” Recording Academy Chief Operating Officer Branden Chapman said. "As an Academy committed to serving, uplifting and advancing the music community, we look forward to the GRAMMY Celebration each year — a momentous occasion where our shared passion for music is celebrated and meaningful connections are made."

Levy, the hospitality partner at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will present this year's chef-curated menu. Following the event, the Recording Academy will once again partner with the charitable organization Musically Fed — whose mission is to mobilize the music industry in the fight against hunger — to repurpose leftover food to feed those in need in the local community. The organization works with artists, promoters, management, and venues nationwide to donate unused backstage meals to community organizations that feed the unhoused, hungry and food insecure. Musically Fed will also repurpose food from this year's GRAMMY Awards and the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala.

The 2024 GRAMMY Celebration is a private, ticketed event.

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4, from 5-8:30 p.m. PT/8-11:30 p.m. ET, broadcasting live on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+. (Live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs)^.

^Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach Music's Biggest Night!

How To Watch The 2024 GRAMMYs Live: GRAMMY Nominations Announcement, Air Date, Red Carpet, Streaming Channel & More

The Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing are joining forces to host “A Celebration of Craft.” Taking place Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the GRAMMY Museum in Downtown Los Angeles, the inaugural event, the first-ever joint GRAMMY Week event for the Academy’s craft Wings, will honor seven-time GRAMMY winner Leslie Ann Jones for her prolific work as a recording and mixing engineer and record producer. The event will also salute the year-round work of the Producers & Engineers and Songwriters & Composers Wings and shine a light on the people working behind the scenes to create the year’s best musical works, including this year’s Songwriter Of The Year nominees. The premiere celebration kicks off the official start of GRAMMY Week 2024, the Recording Academy’s weeklong celebration comprising official GRAMMY Week events honoring the music community in the lead-up to the 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards.

“A Celebration of Craft” also debuts during a major development for the production and songwriting fields at the annual GRAMMY Awards. For the first time ever, the Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical and Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical categories will be awarded in the General Field of the GRAMMY Awards at the 2024 GRAMMYs next month. The Recording Academy announced these significant additions last June after they were voted on and passed by the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees last May; relocating these categories allows all GRAMMY voters to participate in the voting process for these non-genre-specific categories and recognize excellence in the important fields of producing and songwriting.

“Songwriting and producing are some of the fundamental building blocks of our industry — in addition to, of course, performing and recording,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. told GRAMMY.com about the GRAMMY category changes." “We feel this change is an opportunity to allow our full voting membership to participate … We are excited that our entire voting body will be able to contribute to such important categories like Songwriter Of The Year and Producer Of The Year. Again, these are such important parts of our Awards process. But bigger than that, they're an important part of the music ecosystem. Since these categories are not genre-specific, and they are across many different genres, we felt it was responsible to put them in the General Field so everyone could vote for these important awards.”

A recording and mixing engineer and record producer for more than 40 years, Leslie Ann Jones has held staff positions at ABC Recording Studios in Los Angeles, the Automatt Recording Studios in San Francisco, and Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Now at Skywalker Sound, she continues her career recording and mixing music for records, films, video games, and television, and producing records primarily in the classical genre. Over the course of her career, she has worked with artists from Herbie Hancock, the Kronos Quartet, Holly Near, and Michael Feinstein to Santana, Bobby McFerrin, Charlie Haden, BeBe & CeCe Winans, ConFunkShun, and many more.

The first woman Chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees (1999-2001), Jones is the recipient of seven GRAMMY Awards, including four for Best Engineered Album, Classical and one for Best Immersive Audio Album. She serves on the Advisory Board of Institute for the Musical Arts, the Board of Directors of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), and she is an Artistic Advisor to the Technology and Applied Composition degree program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Jones was also inducted into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame in 2019 and is a Heyser lecturer. She was also the recipient of the 2022 G.A.N.G. Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Jones chaired the committee that wrote “Recommendations for Hi-Resolution Music Production,” published by the Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy, and is also a member of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board.

“I’m so excited for our Producers & Engineers and Songwriters & Composers Wings to come together for ‘A Celebration of Craft’ later this month,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “Both Wings are a critical part of our mission at the Recording Academy to create spaces for music creators to thrive, and I look forward to joining with music people from both of these communities to kick off our GRAMMY Week celebrations.”

“From her decades-spanning recording career to her work as former Chair of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees, a co-chair of the P&E Wing, and much more, Leslie Ann Jones has always been committed to the music community and to excellence in recording,” said Maureen Droney, Vice President of the Producers & Engineers Wing, in a statement. “It’s a privilege to convene our national network of creatives and technicians to salute her at ‘A Celebration of Craft’ with the Songwriters & Composers Wing, an essential collaborator in our effort to recognize the people behind the music.”

“‘A Celebration of Craft’ will mark the first GRAMMY Week event for the Songwriters & Composers Wing since our Wing was founded in 2021, and we could not be more enthusiastic to come together with our community for an evening dedicated to celebrating their creativity,” said Susan Stewart, Managing Director of the Songwriters & Composers Wing. “We’re thrilled to co-host this event with our friends in the Producers & Engineers Wing and pay tribute to the diverse creative professions in our industry together.”

The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards, will air live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4 (8 -11:30 p.m. LIVE ET/5-8:30 p.m. LIVE PT) on the CBS Television Network and will stream on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

How To Watch The 2024 GRAMMYs Live: GRAMMY Nominations Announcement, Air Date, Red Carpet, Streaming Channel & More