Tina Tchen heads task force probing music industry, Grammys

WHITE HOUSE PHOTO

Tina Tchen at her old job with Michelle and Barack Obama.

FACED WITH the perception of bias in its voting process, The Recording Academy™ is creating a  task force to examine issues of inclusion and diversity within the Academy, the broader music community and the Academy's premiere event, the Grammys.

Leading that task force will be Tina Tchen, chief of staff to former first lady Michelle Obama, who gaining the reputation as the go-to lawyer for the entertainment industry. when it comes to issues of equality and diversity.

As part of its charter, the task force will identify the various barriers and unconscious biases faced by underrepresented communities throughout the music industry and, specifically, across Recording Academy operations and policies. In an effort to determine pathways toward greater parity at every level of the organization, the task force will look specifically at Recording Academy governance, hiring and promotion practices, membership, awards, and telecast.

"The music industry faces numerous challenges—from combatting long-held biases to making sure women are represented and respected within the community," said Tchen. 

"This task force is an important initial step by the Recording Academy to demonstrate its commitment to tackling these challenges in a comprehensive way. I am honored to partner with them in this effort and look forward to working with members of the task force as we look to make the music industry a diverse and inclusive community for all."

This year's Grammy Awards was a prime example that something was amiss with the awards.

Of the eight awards presented during the telecast, only one – Best New Artist – was given to a woman, Alessia Cara; the full list of 84 categories, which included solo artists and bands, songwriting committees and liner-notes scribes, women didn't fare much better, percentage-wise.

Last month's awards show was not an aberration, as Monáe pointed out in a Tweet over the weekend, why have only 9.3 percent of the Grammy nominees in the past five years been women?

With a record of advocacy on behalf of women and girls, Ms. Tchen currently heads the Chicago office of the Buckley Sandler LLP law firm, where she is a partner and leader in advising companies on gender inequity, sexual harassment, and lack of diversity. 

Most recently, she played an integral role in spearheading the formation of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which provides legal support to victims of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse in the workplace. 

During her tenure in the White House, Tchen was the executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, established by President Barack Obama to ensure that the needs of women and girls would be accounted for in the development of all government agency policies and programs.

"In this moment, the Recording Academy can do more than reflect what currently exists; we can help lead the industry into becoming the inclusive music community we want it to be—a responsibility that the Board and I take seriously, " said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy.

"Tina Tchen is an accomplished advocate for women and impact-oriented leader versed in convening disparate stakeholders for a common purpose. In addition, the fact that she lacks business ties to the music industry ensures her objectivity as Chair. We are honored to have her at the helm, guiding the Academy and our industry toward a greater good for everyone involved."

In the coming weeks, the Recording Academy will complete the formation of its task force. With an eye toward assembling a leadership group balanced in perspective and independent of bias, the task force is set to comprise music executives, music creators, academia, and experts in diversity in entertainment. The group is expected to deliver a series of recommendations to the Recording Academy in the months ahead. 

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