Mini Global Climate Concert Series announced
AEG Presents is to produce the inaugural date of the newly announced Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series.
The show is the first activation of the Right Here, Right Now Music initiative, launched by the Recording Academy and the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance (Right Here, Right Now) in a bid to combat the human rights crisis resulting from climate change.
The series will present arena acts at small concert venues around the globe, while shining a light on alarming climate issues. It will launch on Thursday 13 April at the Boulder Theater in Colorado, headlined by Wesley Schultz, lead singer of the Lumineers. The show, which will also feature special guests including Yola, will be filmed by Citizen Pictures for a later broadcast.
“We are honoured to be working with several United Nations-supported global music initiatives to bring together artists and create unique music events to promote social justice around the world,” says Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “Music has no boundaries so we are excited to partner with the artist community and work with the United Nations to further their human rights goals and ultimately, better the world.”
“Music provides a platform for the biggest megaphone in the world”
Further concerts are being planned in cities on multiple continents, with discussions underway for potential events in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Johannesburg, Bogotá and Dubai. Proceeds will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice initiatives and music charity MusiCares.
“It is a privilege and honour to be partnering with the Recording Academy in the development of multiple global music initiatives supported by United Nations Human Rights, including Right Here, Right Now Music, which will elevate global awareness to help reframe climate change as the human rights crisis that it is,” adds David Clark, founder and CEO of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance.
“Music provides a platform for the biggest megaphone in the world, and working with the Recording Academy, the most renowned music organisation in the world, will help ensure the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert Series gives voice to those who all too often have none.”
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Line-up finalised for inaugural Grammy Festival China
The final line-up has been announced for the inaugural Grammy Festival, set to debut in Beijing next month.
Taking the stage at Changyang Music Theme Park in Fangshan, Beijing, on 30 April will be Grammy Award-winners Phoenix, Daya and Macy Gray, as well as 11-time winner Pharrell Willians, along with Grammy nominees OneRepublic, James Bay and Carly Rae Jepsen.
The festival – a partnership between Grammys organiser the Recording Academy and local firms Bravo Entertainment and China Music Vision – was announced last August as a new “touring, world-class live music experience”, and follows the partners’ previous collaboration on China’s first Grammy Museum.
“The Grammy Festival in China will bring together Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists with the extraordinary Chinese culture to provide audiences with a unique, unrivalled live music experience,” said Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow at the launch.
“China continues to expand and grow its role as a force in attracting and engaging more artists onto international stages, and we are excited to be a part of that.”
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Music Support announces London events
UK industry charity Music Support has announced two events taking place in London later this month.
The first, Where is the Line?, will take place at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill on Tuesday 30 January, and see Harold Owens, senior director of the Recording Academy’s MusiCares division, give a presentation on a number of issues around addiction.
Owens will also chair a panel feature veteran Manager Bill Curbishley (The Who, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page) and Warner Chappell UK managing director Mike Smith.
The event is free to music industry professionals.
The second event, Let’s Push Things Forward, is an all-day workshop focusing on addiction, mental health and recovery in the music industry, over a full day on 31 January at the Marriott in Kensington.
Addressing key issues for artists suffering from addiction and related mental health issues, as well as those responsible for them, Let’s Push Things Forward will be led by Owens in conjunction with Nanette Zumwalt of the International Recovery Institute.
“This is a significant coming together, symbolically and practically”
This workshop is being hosted by the International Conference on Addiction and Associated Disorders (iCAAD) and is presented in association with the Brit Trust and the Music Managers Forum.
Let’s Push Things Forward is open to anyone from the music industry. Tickets are priced at £35, with five bursaries available on application to [email protected].
Music Support co-founder Matt Thomas comments: “Creating a platform not only to discuss the issues among ourselves as an industry and share our experiences, but also to bring in experienced professionals to deliver practical hands on skills, is a major step forward. Education and training facilitate prevention, treatment and continuing care.
That this has been made possible by the support of the BPI, Brit Trust, Music Managers Forum, and sponsored by Crossroads Antigua, is a significant coming together symbolically and practically. Teaming up with MusiCares means that we are now truly international, and I truly believe that together we can make a difference.”
Music Support, co-founded by Thomas (pictured), a former artist manager, production manager Andy Franks, musicians Mark Richardson and Rachel Lander (both recovering addicts) and addiction counsellor Johan Sorensen, launched in April 2016.
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Toni Braxton, Robin Thicke, Chuck D for first Grammy-branded concerts
The Recording Academy has revealed the details of its upcoming Grammy Park concerts, the first live events to bear the name of its famous music awards.
A joint venture with venue operator Upsilon Ventures, the 10 concerts will take place in Brooklyn, New York, from 5 to 8 May and feature the talents of more than 30 artists collectively honoured with over 40 Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, including seven-time winner Toni Braxton, three-time winner Ne-Yo and Grammy nominees Robin Thicke and Aloe Blacc.
In addition to the paid events (which range between US$35 and, for VIP packages, $175) there are free gigs open to the public, such as a concert featuring emerging artists and jazz ensembles on Saturday 7 May and a gospel concert celebrating Mother’s Day (the American one) the following day.
The concerts will take place in the Kings Theatre, The LeFrak Center at Lakeside and Prospect Park Bandshell.
For a full list of performers (also on the bill are, among other things, a ‘Hip-Hop Groundbreakers’ event with Chuck D and a ‘Latin Mix’ with Natalia Lafourcade, Arturo O’Farrill and Alex Cuba) visit the Grammy Park website.