Grammy CEO, Deborah Dugan, Fired By Recording Academy

Grammy Award President/CEO Deborah Dugan fired by the Recording Academy.

This past Monday (March 2), the Executive Committee of the Recording Academy released a statement revealing that they were firing their CEO/President, Deborah Dugan. Prior to her expulsion from her position, Dugan was accused of extorting the Academy of $22 million. However, just days prior to the 2020 Grammy Awards, she was placed on administrative leave by the Academy after accusing the collective of being a “boys club,” filing a sexual harassment complaint, and revealing that the Academy rigged the voting process for their own benefit. Grammy CEO, Deborah Dugan, Fired By Recording Academy Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

In April 2019, Deborah Dugan made history becoming the Grammy Awards’ first-ever woman CEO. Yet her tenure as President of the Recording Academy was short-lived due to her disputes with multiple members across the committee. According to Rolling Stone, the Board of Trustees voted for her termination and justified that her firing claiming that after “exhaustive and costly” investigations in relation to Ms. Dugan were unworthy of recognition.

The Recording Academy also stated that the investigations of her sexual harassment and collusion claims were conducted by a contingent of individuals who had no relationship with their organization. The Academy claims that her firing was warranted also due to Dugan’s “consistent management deficiencies and failures, and other factors.”

In her defense, Deborah Dugan and her legal team released a public statement to Rolling Stone, stating:

“I was recruited and hired by the Recording Academy to make positive change; unfortunately, I was not able to do that as its CEO. While I am disappointed by this latest development, I am not surprised given the Academy’s pattern of dealing with whistleblowers. Is anyone surprised that its purported investigations did not include interviewing me or addressing the greater claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities? So, instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within, I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color. Artists deserve better. To me, this is the real meaning of ‘stepping up.'”

Dugan’s legal council also chastised the Recording Academy’s decision to leak her firing to the public, adding:

“The Academy’s decision to terminate Ms. Dugan and immediately leak that information to the press further demonstrates that it will stop at nothing to protect and maintain a culture of misogyny, discrimination, sexual harassment, corruption and conflicts of interest. The decision is despicable and, in due course, the Academy, its leadership and its attorneys will be held accountable under the law.”

While the 2020 Grammys provided an entertaining musical display, the celebration drew in low ratings drew in low ratings with just 18.7 million viewers from the ages 18-47. While it looks like Deborah Dugan’s firing might be shady, hopefully, the Recording Academy can get their organization in good and fair standing in the future.

Check out Tyler, The Creator‘s 62nd annual Grammy Awards performance in the video provided below.

Mariah Carey Comes For The Grammys Neck With Shady Tweet

Mariah Carey isn't a fan of the Recording Academy.

Mariah Carey took some time to throw some subtle shade at The Grammys and the Recording Academy in a recent Tweet. Earlier this week, Mariah Carey posted a video of her daughter attempting to jokingly perform the #highnotechallenge which revealed that is none other than the "A No No" singer behind her daughter's impressive performance. With the clip going viral, one Tweeter responded to the video writing, "Mariah Carey is always dressed like she’s accepting a Grammy and I love it,” which prompted Carey to get in Twitter fingers mode and take shots at music industry gatekeepers.

Mariah Carey took her Twitter account to respond to the popular response Quote Tweeting it with a shrewd response, writing: "If only they felt the same way lol." As of today, Mariah Carey is a five-time Grammy Award winner and 33-time Grammy nominee. 2006 was her most successful year as a Grammy-nominated artist, as she nominated for a total of eight Grammy's including Album of the Year for The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) and Song of The Year and Record of The Year for "We Belong Together." That year she won honors for Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best Contemporary R&B Album of The Year.

This isn't the first time that Mariah Carey has thrown shade at the Recording Academy. In a 2018 interview with V Magazine, Mariah Carey discussed her disdain for the Grammys stating:

"In the music business, if you care about the Grammys and submitting your stuff before a certain time frame, you want a single out in the summer, and then you want to have your record [out] before the Grammys (consideration) deadline, which has changed. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn."

She then went to claim that the Recording Academy didn't want to be biassed towards popular artists during the beginning stages of her career as she continued:

"I mean, I have five Grammys. That’s cute. There (are) people that have been doing this half the time that have twice as many (Grammys). I won two Grammys the first year I started, but after that, (the Grammys) are like, ‘We don’t go with the people that are selling a lot of records and are popular; we’re gonna go the opposite way.’ So I got screwed out of certain years. I wasn’t bitter about it. I was just like, okay, well, I guess I’m not standing here barefoot onstage singing and trying to go a certain way. I’m just me."

While Mariah Carey might not be receiving as many accolades from the Grammys as she would like there are still many committees and boards that are singing her praises. The 49-year-old legendary songstress is one of this year's Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees, she's the first modern-day artist to have four number-one singles across four decades, she's been immortalized with one of the most popular holiday songs of all-time, and currently has one of better Las Vegas residency shows on The Strip.

Check out Mariah Carey's cryptic shot at the Grammys in the Tweet provided below.

Tyler, The Creator Criticizes Grammys For Racialized Voting

Tyler echoes a common complaint.

Tyler, The Creator secured his first Grammy win on Sunday night by taking home the Best Rap Album award for IGOR. While this may mark a monumental moment in his career, he stills has some reservations about the Recording Academy and he aired them out during a post-show press conference. The 28-year-old multi-hyphenate was asked to share his thoughts on the Grammys' voting practices, as this is a trending topic in the wake of accusations of bias within the Recording Academy made by its recently-ousted head, Deborah Dugan. Tyler replied:

“I’m half and half on it. On the one side I am very grateful that what I made can be acknowledged in a world like this… but it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category. And I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word, to me. So when I hear that, I’m just like, why can’t we just be in pop? So I felt like — half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment."

Many believe that IGOR not being recognized in the Album of the Year category is representative of this issue highlighted by Tyler. Diddy also called out the Grammys' racist history when receiving his "industry icon" award at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday night. "Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys," he said. "Black music has never been respected by the Grammys.”

Amidst Diversity Scandal, Recording Academy Announces New Initiatives

The Recording Academy has put forth new initiatives.

In the midst of a controversy surrounding accusations of lacking diversity relating to both race and gender, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences putting forth new initiatives to tackle the issue, according to CNN.

Recording Academy Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer Harvey Mason Jr announced the changes on Sunday in a memo sent to organization members that was obtained by CNN.

"Six months ago, when I put my hat in the ring to be your Chair, I did so because I believed that the Academy could do better -- could be better," Mason wrote in his message. "The music we create has always reflected the best of ourselves and our world. But what was true of music has historically not been true of the music business as a whole.

"Too often, our industry and Academy have alienated some of our own artists -- in particular, through a lack of diversity that, in many cases, results in a culture that leans towards exclusion rather than inclusion," he added.

The Academy plans to hire a dedicated diversity and inclusion officer, establish a fellowship that will independently report on the Academy's effort, create an annual fund to be distributed to "women in music" organizations, and more.

For more information, you can find the full CNN report here.

Diddy Speaks Out: "Black Music Has Never Been Respected By The Grammys"

Diddy made a powerful statement during his speech at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala.

Diddy was the honouree of the 2020 Grammys Salute to Industry Icons at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on Saturday night, and the hip hop OG used his speech as an opportunity to shed light on the wide range of overlooked artists in the industry. Following a tribute performance by various artists close to Diddy including Faith Evans, Ma$e, Lil’ Kim, and his son, King Combs, Diddy took the stage to accept the honour which resulted in a whopping 50-minute speech. Though he primarily focused on his own life and career for the majority of his allotted time, near the end of the speech, Diddy made the bold and admirable choice to call out the Recording Academy for their major musical oversights over the years, specifically of black artists.

“There’s something that I need to say to the Grammys, and I say this with love," he announced. "Every year, y’all be killing us, man. I’m speaking for all the artists here, the producers, the executives. The amount of time that it takes to make these records, to pour your heart out into it. And we just want an even playing field. In the great words of Erykah Badu, 'We are artists and we are sensitive about our sh*t.' We are passionate. For most of us, this is all we’ve got. This is our only hope." Diddy then comprehensively summarized his overarching point in two powerful statements: "Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys.”

Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The crowd applauds him as he proceeds to reference the current turmoil surrounding the Grammys, following the Academy's sudden decision to place its president and CEO, Deborah Dugan, on administrative leave after they received a “formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female [staff] member." Deborah has accused the Academy of its own misconduct, which includes voter manipulation, financial mismanagement, sexual harassment, and gender discrimination. Diddy spoke to how there have always been issues within the Academy, which includes a long history of excluding black music from its consideration.

Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

“So right now, with this current situation, it’s not a revelation. This thing been going on, and it's not just going on in music. It's going on in films, it's going on in sports, it's going on around the world. And for years we’ve allowed institutions that have never had our best interests at heart to judge us, and that stops right now. I’m officially starting the clock: you’ve got 365 days to get this sh*t together," Diddy declares, challenging the Academy to shift how they operate for the better. "We need the artists to take back control, we need transparency, we need diversity. This is the room that has the power to [force] the change that needs to be made. They have to make the changes for us: They’re a non-profit organization that is supposed to protect the welfare of the musical community. That’s what is says on the mission statement. They work for us. It’s going to take all of us to get this done. I’m here for the artists, so sign me up.”

Grammy CEO Files Sexual Harassment Complaint, Claims Recording Academy Is "Rigged"

Is the Recording Academy in shambles?

The National Academy of Recording Arts' first-ever, woman CEO, Deborah Dugan, was placed on academic leave, ten days prior to the 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony. According to Good Morning America, Dugan was placed on the leave of absence just three weeks after filing of a human resources complaint against the Academy.

The detailed reports of the EEO complaint were revealed this past Tuesday (Jan. 21). According to the documents, Dugan brings up allegations of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, voter manipulation, and more stating the Grammy's voting process is an "illustrative of the boys' club mentality that exists at the Academy and amongst its Board members."

The former President of Disney Publishing added verified statistics collected by a special task force she formed to calculate that the voting board's demographic of 68% male and 69% Caucasian members. Dugan also accused the board of finalizing nominees based on their personal relationships with specific artists. According to the complaint, the Academy manipulates song and album nominations based on ceremony performance setlist.

Part of the extensive complaint states:

"To make matters worse, the Board is permitted to simply add in artists for nominations who did not even make the initial 20-artist list. Naturally, the members of the 12 Board and the secret committees chose artists with whom they have personal or business relationships. This year, 30 artists that were not selected by the membership were added to the possible nomination list."

Dugan went into further detail, as the document reads:

"Moreover, in an outrageous conflict of interest, the Board has selected artists who are under consideration for a nomination to sit on the committee that is voting for the category for which that have been nominated. As a result, one artist who initially ranked 18 out of 20 in the 2019 'Song of the Year' category ended up with a nomination. This artist was actually permitted to sit on the 'Song of the Year' nomination committee. Incredibly, this artist is also represented by a member of the Board."

Dugan's accusations got even darker as she revealed that the Grammy's legal counsel, Joel Katz, improperly conducted himself at a business dinner they were having. In an email that was sent on Dec. 22, 2019, to the Grammy's human resources department, Deborah Dugan alleges that Katz invited her alone to dinner in May 2019, and "acted extremely inappropriately," calling her "baby," and attempting to kiss her.

In a statement by the Recording Academy, Dugan was placed on leave, "in light of concerns raised to the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, including a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team."

The Academy also added:

"It is curious that Ms. Dugan never raised these grave allegations until a week after legal claims were made against her personally by a female employee who alleged Ms. Dugan had created a 'toxic and intolerable' work environment and engaged in 'abusive and bullying conduct,'" the Recording Academy said in a statement. "

The Recording Academy claims that they put their freshly-established CEO on administrative leave after she demanded $22 million to step down from her position.

Deborah Dugan and her lawyer, Doug Wigdor, went on Good Morning America to address the controversy Thursday (Jan. 23). The Academy has yet to comment since the details of Deborah Dugan's in-office drama has become public. The 2020 Grammy Awards are set to air live from Los Angeles, this Sunday, at 5 P.M. PST on CBS.

Check out the clip of the Grammy CEO and her lawyer Doug Wigdor going in on Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos below.

Gabrielle Union Expresses Supoort For Ex-Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan

Union draws a comparison to her "AGT" firing.

Gabrielle Union has added herself to the growing list of public voices, speaking out in favor d Durboah Dugan, the Recording Academy CEO who was mos recently ousted from the organization. Less than two weeks away fromtehGrammys, theBoard of Trustees announced that they placed Dugan on administrative leave following reported finds of misconduct.

New reports, however, alleged that Dugan was actually kicked out of the organization for sending out a memo that challenged issues that included alleged misuse of duns, voting irregularities, and conflicts of interest within the Academy.

“Coulda sworn this is the same board that told women to ‘step up,'” Union most recently tweeted. “Clearly what they really meant was stand down, turn a blind eye to problems, or be fired. #DeborahDugan truly stepped up & tried to make necessary changes & was shown the door. Been there, done that, got fired too.”

Her "step up" reference connects back to the controversial comments made by former Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow who suggested that female artists "step up" if they expected to win more awards after calls for inclusivity.

Through a statement, Dugan also made an allusion to the line, vowing to uncover what really took place when she is legally able to do so.

“What has been reported is not nearly the story that needs to be told," said Dugan. "When our ability to speak is not restrained by a 28-page contract and legal threats, we will expose what happens when you ‘step up’ at the Recording Academy, a public nonprofit.: