Grammy organizers announced global growth initiatives in Africa

The Academy has reached agreements with Ministries of Culture and major players in the Middle East and Africa to cooperate on a framework to strengthen the Academy's presence and services in these rapidly expanding music regions.

"This is exciting because music is one of humanity's greatest natural resources," stated the Recording Academy's CEO, Harvey Mason, Jr. "It is critical that the people who dedicate themselves to creating music have support, resources and opportunities, no matter where they are from."

For the past two years, the Academy's leaders have visited around these territories, participating in listening sessions, receiving high-level briefings, visits, and demos, and gaining direct feedback from both government departments and music creators pushing innovation in these markets.

The Academy collaborates with the Ministries of Culture in Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and Nigeria, the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and the Ministry of Sports, Arts, and Culture in South Africa.

In addition, MOUs have been struck with Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Through these collaborations, and in line with our objective, the Academy hopes to investigate several critical initiatives, including:

Championing music creators at all levels, providing them with a platform and advocacy.

Empowering creators through enhanced training. Through its online learning platform, GRAMMY GO™, the Academy will look to provide educational programs and resources specifically tailored to the needs of music creators in these regions.

Producing original content that celebrates the rich musical heritage and dynamic emerging scenes of Africa and the Middle East.

Enhancing support for existing members. Cross-cultural learnings will benefit all music creators, and a presence in these rapidly growing music regions would provide numerous benefits to the Recording Academy’s current and future members.

Advocating for strong Intellectual Property (IP) legislation and protections for music creators.

Fueling the music economy by collaborating with partners to develop and strengthen the creative economy in Africa and the Middle East.

As a cornerstone of this initiative, the Academy will publish a series of reports, highlighting the Academy’s research and insights into these music markets.

"The Recording Academy is committed to assisting music creators all over the world," said Panos A. Panay, Recording Academy President.

"Our expansion efforts into these fast-growing regions reflect our commitment to fostering a truly global music community, where creators at every stage of their careers and from every corner of the world have the resources and support they need to thrive."

This exploration of the Middle East and Africa is only the first phase of plans to support music creators abroad, and it comes as the Academy commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMY Awards®, and months after Seville hosted the Latin GRAMMY Awards, the first GRAMMY Awards show to be held abroad.

Also, last year, the Recording Academy collaborated with the U.S. State U.S. State Department on an initiative to promote peace through music.