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Recording Academy Announces Rule Amendments and Dates for 59th Annual Grammy Awards Process

grammys-ratings-2016 The Recording Academy® has completed its annual awards review and established new amendments and key dates guiding the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards® process. Among other changes, the updates allow previously ineligible streaming-only works into the process and limit the number of categories in which members may vote. The new guidelines go into effect immediately in the current-year awards cycle.

“The GRAMMYs® aren’t just peer-awarded, they’re peer-driven. Throughout the year, members of the music community come to us asking to make changes to the Awards process, and we work with them to figure out how those changes might work,” said Bill Freimuth, Senior Vice President of Awards for The Recording Academy. “I’m proud of this year’s changes because they’re a testament to the artists, producers, and writers – the people who rolled up their sleeves to shape the proposals and, in turn, the future of the GRAMMYs. It’s exactly what they should be doing. It’s their award.”

Key Dates

Eligibility Period: Oct. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2016
Nominations Date: Dec. 6, 2016
Awards Date: Feb. 12, 2017 Continue reading →

President John Acosta Elected to IEB

The new AFM International Executive Board members – including our own President John Acosta – being sworn in at the 100th Convention. (Photo: Bonnie Janofsky)

Exciting news to share from the American Federation of Musicians 100th Convention: Our own Local 47 President John Acosta has been elected to serve on the International Executive Board.

Running on the Team Unity slate, as a member of the IEB Acosta will act as a conduit to bring the concerns of our Los Angeles music community directly to our international leadership. Continue reading →

Calendar Politics, or What to do When Asked to ‘Hold That Date!’

by EMD Administrator Gordon Grayson

On stand-by calls, or the dreaded “avail” call, Section I (“General Conditions”), Paragraph 1 (“Stand-by Calls”) of both the AFM Basic Television and Theatrical Agreements state, unequivocally: “There shall be no stand-by calls.”

Similarly, Exhibit A (“Minimum Wages and Other Working Conditions”), Section I (“Instrumentalists, Leaders, Contractors”), Paragraph F (“Advance Notice of Sessions and Contract Info”) of the AFM Sound Recording Labor Agreement also states in pertinent part: “Stand-by calls shall be prohibited.” Continue reading →

Composer John Williams Receives AFI Life Achievement Award

For the first time in AFI history, America’s highest honor for a career in film was bestowed upon a composer when John Williams received the Life Achievement Award.

“John Williams has written the soundtrack to our lives,” said Sir Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “Note by note, through chord and chorus, his genius for marrying music with movies has elevated the art form to symphonic levels and inspired generations of audiences to be enriched by the magic of the movies. AFI is proud to present him with its 44th Life Achievement Award.”

AFM Local 47 President John Acosta and composer John Williams. (Photos: Eleonora Ghioldi)

Williams’ storied career as the composer behind many of the greatest American films and television series of all time boasts over 150 credits across seven decades. Perhaps best known for his enduring collaboration with director Steven Spielberg, his scores are among the most iconic and recognizable in film history, from the edge-of-your-seat “Jaws” (1975) motif to the emotional swell of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and the haunting elegies of “Schindler’s List” (1993). Always epic in scale, his music has helped define over half a century of the motion picture medium. With five Academy Award wins and 49 nominations in total, Williams holds the record for the most Oscar nominations of any living person.

Williams was honored at a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on June 9. The televised special, “AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to John Williams,” aired on TNT June 15, followed by an encore presentation on sister network Turner Classic Movies Sept. 12 during a night of programming dedicated to Williams.

Final Note: Lloyd B. Luhman

Note Tree Life Member. Trumpet
(2/15/1921 – 5/16/2016)

Lead jazz trumpeter Lloyd B. Luhman passed away May 16, 2016. He was 95 years old.

Music was his life. His piano playing will be sadly missed by his soul mate, Louise Allen.

BlackMusic, BlackWork presents: Jam Session on Justice in the Arts Fundraiser

BlackMusic, BlackWork is a dynamic history of organizing in the arts that spans the founding of the Black musicians union Local 767 in the 1920s to the contemporary struggles of working musicians who understand the transformative power of art and culture.

Your tax-deductible donation will help us raise our goal of $40,000 in proceeds to be used to present this powerful exhibit on music and labor for Black History Month in February 2017.

Donors at the $5,000 level will receive 2 box seat tickets to the Hollywood Bowl!

FREE ADMISSION. RSVP @ jamsessiononjustice.eventbrite.com

Continue reading →