Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was proud of the initiative and hoped the concept could “move the needle”.
The Grammys will stick to their promise with the public release of the Full Inclusion Rider to ensure equity and inclusion in hiring at all levels of production for next year’s ceremony.
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The Recording Academy released an eight-page document on Tuesday detailing the rider’s aims and objectives. The agreement requires producers to recruit and hire more diverse candidates backstage and in front of the camera for the 64th annual awards ceremony on January 31.
Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was proud of the initiative and hoped the concept could “move the needle.” The Academy announced the adoption of Inclusion Rider in August.
“The inclusive rider is something that will provide opportunities for those who haven’t before,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s really important to me. I wouldn’t be here if no one had given me a chance. I’m trying to create pathways and make sure there’s a system for people to work in and climb their way into the area.” Huh. “
Ryder requires Grammy producers to audition, interview, and hire people on stage and offstage from groups that have historically and systematically been excluded from the industry. Riders are an addendum to the contracts.
The Academy’s initiative was created in partnership with several groups including Color of Change; Inclusion Rider co-writers Kalpana Kotagal and Fanshain Cox DiGiovanni; Ryan Butler, founding director of the Warner Music/Blavtnik Center for Music Business at Howard University; and Walysha Butterfield Jones, co-chair of the Recording Academy.
Civil rights lawyer Kotagal said the rider comprises four key elements that will lead to reforms for representation and equity. Commitment to diversify hiring pool, benchmark and target hiring, collection and analysis of applicant and hiring data and strict accountability measures, he added.
“By using the inclusion riders for their 2022 production, the Grammy Awards is not only ensuring a more equitable and diverse recruitment process, it is also setting an important standard for inclusion and representation at award shows going forward. is,” she said. Statement.
Mason echoed Cotagal’s sentiments of being committed to doing the “real work” of holding people accountable and helping to build a pipeline for diverse talent. He wants to work under the idea of ensuring that the Academy is “inclusive, diverse and equitable”.
The term “inclusion rider” was made headlines in 2018 when Frances McDormand mentioned it during her Best Actress Oscar acceptance speech. Michael B. Jordan, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Paul Feig and Warner Bros. followed suit, pledging to use inclusion riders in their production projects.
“You won’t find an organization that cares more about diversity and is turning and moving in that direction,” Mason said. “We’re dedicated to that work. I hope we can be a leader in that field and make sure we’re doing it in a way that people see and say ‘Oh, the Academy did it right’ .'”
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