Here’s How the Grammys Are Planning to Pivot on Their Feb. 2 Show
Harvey Mason Jr., CEO, Recording Academy and MusiCares and Tammy Hurt, chair of the academy’s board of trustees, held a webinar on Wednesday (Jan. 15) to tell Academy members of their plans for the Feb. 2 show and other Grammy Week events.
Mason also released a press statement in which he explained the rationale for going forward. “We understand how devastating this past week has been on this city and its people,” Mason said. “This is our home, it’s home to thousands of music professionals, and many of us have been negatively impacted. So, after thoughtful consideration and multiple assurances from state and local elected leaders, public safety agencies and with support from our incredible artist community, we have decided to go ahead with the Grammy telecast and some select events. Grammy Week 2025 will not just be about honoring music, it will be about using the power of music to help rebuild, uplift and support those in need.”
More from Billboard
The academy also released a revised (they used the term “condensed”) 2025 Grammy Week event schedule. As previously announced, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards telecast on CBS will continue to be held on Feb. 2, “but with a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”
The academy’s decision to go forward with the 67th annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, despite the wildfires that have devastated parts of the city, has been controversial.
Even before the Grammys announced plans to go on with the show, Lucas Keller, president and founder of Milk & Honey Management, announced that he was cancelling Milk & Honey’s popular Grammy party. “It would be tone deaf to celebrate and I hope all other companies will follow suit,” he wrote on his Instagram Story.
Many followed Keller’s lead. Just hours after the Recording Academy announced that it planned to go ahead with the telecast, Universal Music Group (UMG) announced it was canceling all of the company’s Grammy-related events, including its artist showcase and after-Grammy party, and will instead “redirect the resources that would have been used for those events to assist those affected by the wildfires.” Within 24 hours, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment had also canceled plans. BMG and Billboard also canceled party plans.
Many executives not based in Los Angeles expressed concern about taking up hotel rooms that may be needed by evacuees and planned not to attend.
In the web session, Mason showed an awareness of the objections that have been raised and attempted to counter them, one by one. “It’s really important I put to rest or just dispel some misinformation that’s been floating around,” he said. “The first thing that I hear a lot about is why are the Grammys happening in L.A. because it’s going to take away resources. It could displace people in hotels [or] there’s a shortage of supplies or police or fire.”
Mason rebutted these points by noting that he has talked to managers of high-end hotels (like the ones many, but not all, Grammy attendees would favor), who have told him they are running at 30% of capacity and could use the business. “The concern about hotels is misplaced,” he said. He also noted that Grammy events aren’t a drain on police or fire resources, because the academy generally hires off-duty police officers. “We’re not going to take [police] out of the city of L.A. for our events.”
He also noted that two major conventions are set for late January, and sporting events are ongoing. “L.A. is still functioning.”
He also noted that the Grammys bring work to many people. “There’s thousands and thousands of people that rely on events like the Grammys to make their living,” he said. He also pointed to the fund-raising potential of these events, with all the affluent people they typically draw.
And he cited other reasons, too. “We’re proceeding because we believe in the power of music to heal and bring people tougher. L.A. needs events like this to keep our city’s morale high. … By acting thoughtfully and respectfully and doing it sensitively, I know we can create a meaningful set of events that honor artists and our community’s resilience. It’s not just ‘the show must go on.’ It’s ‘the show must serve the greater purpose.’
Mason noted that the show will be different. “The Grammy telecast and the Premiere Ceremony are also going to look and feel very different. Of course we’re going to honor music, but … there will be different talking points, a different tone. The performances are being reimagined throughout. You can be sure it’s not going to be a typical Grammy party atmosphere. We are scaling back on the some of the red-carpet.”
Mason acknowledged that some critics of the academy’s choice to go forward with the show won’t be satisfied with his explanations. “I also know that we’re going to get some feedback that’s probably not positive, but this is the right thing to do,” he said. He added that the academy has set up a web address ([email protected]) where people can write in to give information and feedback, questions, ideas and suggestions.
“Canceling for us does not help anyone,” he said. “It doesn’t help the city, doesn’t help the academy, doesn’t help our members, doesn’t help the workers. Canceling, pushing, moving does not accomplish what us standing together, unifying and coming together, honoring music, but also using the power of music to heal, rebuild and provide services to people who need it. I think this might be one of the most important Grammy Weeks we’ve ever had. We’ve had some shows where we get a chance to party, to celebrate and dance around and that’s great, but this show will be a chance to do something different, to have a real purpose; make a real impact.”
In their messaging, the Academy is stressing the philanthropic angle. They note that each event on the schedule “will have a fundraising element.” Clive Davis’ & the Recording Academy’s legendary pre-Grammy gala – which most simply refer to as “Clive’s party” – has been rebranded for this year as Clive Davis’ & the Recording Academy’s Pre-Grammy Fundraising Event. The academy also made sure to include the word “charity” in the name of another of its most exclusive events — the MusiCares Persons of the Year Charity Gala.
The revised schedule for Grammy Week events is as follows:
Friday, Jan. 31: MusiCares Persons of the Year Charity Gala honoring the Grateful Dead
Saturday, Feb. 1: Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Grammy Nominees Reception
Saturday, Feb. 1: Clive Davis’ & the Recording Academy’s Pre-Grammy Fundraising Event
Sunday, Feb. 2: 67th Annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony & Telecast
The academy statement also confirmed that other academy-sponsored Grammy Week events are not going forward as planned, as the organization focuses on its flagship events that it believes can raise the most money. “In order to generate maximum support not only for members of the music community but also for all those affected by the crisis in Los Angeles and the city at large, many events that traditionally make up Grammy Week have been canceled or repurposed,” the statement noted. Among the previously announced events that have been canceled for this year are the Producers & Engineers Wing celebration, the Black Music Collective’s event honoring Kirk Franklin and numerous events at Grammy House.
Since launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares have raised and pledged more than $2 million in emergency aid to music people affected by the wildfires.
This is the third time in the last five years that the Grammy telecast has been impacted by outside events. The 2021 and 2022 shows were both postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 show was bumped from Jan. 31 to March 14. The 2022 ceremony was pushed all the way from Jan. 31 to April 3, and its location was moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas due to scheduling conflicts with the Crypto.com Arena.
The Recording Academy has yet to announce the host of this year’s Grammys. The announcement was expected last week, but has been delayed to avoid stepping on the news about whether the show was going to proceed or not. The announcement is expected soon.
The Recording Academy had first announced Feb. 2 as the date for this year’s telecast last May. Dates are not easy to move. For one thing, the Oscars, the oldest and most heavily covered awards show, are set for March 2.
The Grammy telecast will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fifth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.
Beyoncé is the top nominee for the 67th annual Grammy Awards with 11 nods, followed by Charli XCX and Post Malone with eight nods each, and Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar with seven nods each. Final-round voting closed on Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. PT.
Best of Billboard
Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
