Category Archives: Industry

Recording Academy Sets 2026 Special Merit Awards Honoring Santana, Khan, Cher and More

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The Recording Academy will honor a group of music legends at its 2026 Special Merit Awards Ceremony during GRAMMY Week, returning to the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on January 31.

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Cher, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon and Whitney Houston. Trustees Awards will be presented to songwriter Bernie Taupin, pianist and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, and music executive Sylvia Rhone. Composer and technologist John Chowning will receive the Technical Grammy Award.

The annual ceremony recognizes artists, executives and innovators whose contributions have had a lasting impact on the recording industry. The Special Merit Awards are presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees, with the Technical Grammy selected by the Producers & Engineers Wing advisory committees.

The event takes place on the eve of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards and is part of the Academy’s GRAMMY Week programming.

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Oscars to Move to YouTube in 2029 Under New Multiyear Deal

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oscarsThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has reached a multiyear agreement with YouTube that will make the platform the exclusive global home of the Oscars beginning in 2029. The deal will launch with the 101st Academy Awards and run through 2033, ending the ceremony’s decades-long run on ABC.

Under the agreement, the Oscars will stream live and free worldwide on YouTube, including red carpet coverage and behind-the-scenes programming. In the U.S., the ceremony will also be available to YouTube TV subscribers. ABC will continue to air the show through the 100th ceremony in 2028.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said the move is aimed at expanding the show’s global reach, calling YouTube “the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming.”

The partnership marks a significant shift for Hollywood’s most prominent awards show as viewing habits continue to move toward digital platforms. In addition to the annual ceremony, the deal includes year-round Academy content on YouTube, including awards events and educational programming.

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Recording Academy to Honor Jimmy Douglass at Producers & Engineers Wing 25th Anniversary Celebration

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jimmy-douglassThe Recording Academy will mark the 25th anniversary of its Producers & Engineers Wing during GRAMMY Week 2026 by honoring five-time GRAMMY winner Jimmy “The Senator” Douglass. The celebration will take place on January 28, just days ahead of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards.

Douglass, a veteran producer, engineer, and mixer, is being recognized for a career spanning more than four decades and collaborations across multiple genres. His credits range from early work with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Foreigner, and Led Zeppelin to later collaborations with Timbaland on projects by JAY-Z, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and others.

Originally scheduled to be honored in 2025, Douglass’ recognition was postponed following changes to GRAMMY Week programming amid Los Angeles wildfire response efforts. The 2026 event will now coincide with the Producers & Engineers Wing’s milestone anniversary.

Founded in 2001, the Producers & Engineers Wing represents thousands of music creators working behind the scenes in recording, mixing, production, and audio technology. The group has played a key role in shaping technical standards, education initiatives, and innovation within the recording industry.

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‘One Battle After Another’ Leads 2026 Golden Globe Nominations; ‘The White Lotus’ Tops TV as Globes Expand Into Podcasts

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goldenglobes2026The 2026 Golden Globe nominations were unveiled Monday morning, and the race quickly narrowed around a handful of major contenders. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the film side with nine nominations, the most of any title this year. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value followed with eight, while Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earned seven, and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet collected six. Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good landed five apiece.

On television, HBO’s The White Lotus led with six nominations, edging out Netflix’s Adolescence, which received five. Only Murders in the Building and Severance each secured four, continuing their awards-season consistency.

The ceremony returns to the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 11, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, with Nikki Glaser hosting. Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall announced the nominees from Los Angeles, including categories for film, television, stand-up comedy, and, for the first time, the best podcast award.

This year’s podcast lineup reflects the Globes’ push toward broader media recognition, while also avoiding the political and culture-war flashpoints that have defined the category elsewhere. Titles such as Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess, and NPR’s Up First made the inaugural shortlist.

On the distributor front, Neon led all film companies with 21 nominations, while Netflix dominated television with 22.

The Globes also continue building out their rebranding campaign, including the launch of “Golden Eve,” a primetime special honoring this year’s career-achievement recipients: Helen Mirren (Cecil B. DeMille Award) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carol Burnett Award).

Below is the full list of nominees:

Here’s the full list of nominees.

Motion picture – Drama
“Sinners”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sentimental Value”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“The Secret Agent”

Motion picture – Musical or comedy
“One Battle After Another”
“No Other Choice”
“Marty Supreme”
“Blue Moon”
“Bugonia”
“Nouvelle Vague”

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Republic Records Founders Monte and Avery Lipman Named 2026 GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honorees

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Republic Records co-founders Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman will be honored with the GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons award at the Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ 2026 Pre-GRAMMY Gala. The event is set for Jan. 31, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton, the night before the 2026 GRAMMY Awards.

The Lipman brothers launched Republic Records in 1995 and have since overseen one of the industry’s most dominant modern music operations. Under their leadership, Republic has repeatedly topped Billboard metrics, earning Hot 100 Label of the Year in 11 of the past 12 years and maintaining a high-impact presence across pop, hip-hop, alternative, and emerging genres. The pair were recently appointed to oversee Universal Music Group’s East Coast label group, which includes Island, Def Jam, Mercury, and Republic.

Beyond their commercial track record, the brothers have been active in philanthropy, supporting medical research, arts programs, and community initiatives. They have been recognized by organizations including City of Hope, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the T.J. Martell Foundation, and UJA-Federation, among others.

The Pre-GRAMMY Gala remains one of the recording industry’s most closely watched annual events, gathering major artists, executives, and creatives for an evening that honors influential contributors to the business.

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AFI Announces 2025 Honorees Across Film and Television

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AFI-American-Film-InstituteThe American Film Institute has unveiled its selections for the 2025 AFI Awards, recognizing ten films and ten television programs that the organization deems the year’s most significant artistic achievements. One additional project, It Was Just an Accident, received the annual Special Award, given to works outside AFI’s standard eligibility.

This year’s film lineup spans major studio releases, acclaimed auteurs, and international literary adaptations, with titles including Avatar: Fire and Ash, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good.

On the television side, the honorees reflect a broad mix of prestige drama, genre storytelling, and serialized world-building. The 2025 selections include Adolescence, Andor, Death by Lightning, The Diplomat, The Lowdown, The Pitt, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio, and Task.

AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale emphasized the awards’ long-standing focus on celebrating collective achievement rather than competition. Honorees will be recognized at AFI’s annual luncheon on January 9, 2026, a gathering known for bringing filmmakers and television creators together in an informal, industry-wide celebration of the year’s work.

The AFI Awards have become a consistent bellwether for awards-season momentum, often overlapping significantly with later Oscar and Emmy nominations.

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Rare Early Mariah Carey Demo Tape Heads to Auction

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A rare early Mariah Carey demo tape recorded before her rise to global fame is hitting the auction block next month through Wax Poetics. Bidding opens December 2 and runs until December 11.

The cassette comes from producer Arthur Baker, who received it at a late nineteen-eighties holiday party where Carey was performing as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. The tape is one of the few known surviving demos Carey used to shop for a record deal, and another copy from that same party famously reached Sony executive Tommy Mottola, who signed her shortly afterward.

Containing seven tracks, the demo includes early and unreleased versions of songs that later formed the core of Carey’s nineteen ninety debut album, which launched four number-one singles. The cassette case still features handwritten contact details for Carey, Starr, and collaborator Ben Margulies.
Wax Poetics calls the tape “one of the most sought-after items” in its archive, citing its significance as a snapshot of Carey’s pre-fame artistry. The auction package includes authentication documents and historical notes from Baker’s collection.

Baker, who has kept the tape for more than three decades, says Carey’s talent was unmistakable from the first listen. The auction will take place at WaxPoetics.com.

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Kendrick Lamar Leads 2026 Grammy Nominations With Nine

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grammy2026The Recording Academy has announced the nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards, with Kendrick Lamar leading the field at nine nominations. His album GNX and the single Luther position him as a top contender across major categories.

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Cirkut follow with seven nominations each. Rising artist Leon Thomas earned a breakout six nods, matching Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and mixer Serban Ghenea.

Bad Bunny scored nominations in album, record, and song of the year, marking a strong showing for Latin music in the general categories. Carpenter also returned to the top fields with Man’s Best Friend, while Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan secured placements with their standout singles.

Hip hop performed better than expected in a commercially slow year for the genre, with Doechii, Clipse, and Tyler, the Creator each picking up five nominations. Country artists were again largely absent from the top categories.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and Paramount Plus on February 1 at 8 p.m. ET.

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SAG-AFTRA, OpenAI, and Bryan Cranston Collaborate on Voice and Likeness Protections in Sora 2

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sag-aaftra-open-ai -ataSAG-AFTRA, OpenAI, and actor Bryan Cranston have reached a collaborative agreement to strengthen voice and likeness protections in OpenAI’s generative video model Sora 2, following early reports that Cranston’s likeness was generated without authorization during the model’s invite-only release.

The collaboration also includes the Association of Talent Agents (ATA), United Talent Agency (UTA), and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), all uniting to ensure performers’ rights are safeguarded in the era of synthetic media.

OpenAI confirmed it has reinforced its opt-in protocol, requiring explicit consent for any replication of a performer’s voice or likeness. The company also pledged to respond swiftly to any complaints or misuse, aligning its framework with the principles of the pending NO FAKES Act, federal legislation aimed at preventing unauthorized digital replication.

“I was deeply concerned not just for myself, but for all performers whose work and identity can be misused in this way,” Cranston said. “I am grateful to OpenAI for strengthening its guardrails and respecting our right to manage replication of our voice and likeness.”
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Sundance Institute Partners With Rolex to Support Feature Film Program

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sundance-instituteThe Sundance Institute has announced a new multi-year partnership with Rolex, naming the Swiss watchmaker as its Official Partner and Exclusive Timepiece. The collaboration will provide direct support and funding to the Institute’s Feature Film Program, one of the organization’s cornerstone initiatives.

For more than four decades, Sundance’s Feature Film Program has championed independent filmmakers through its Screenwriters and Directors Labs, Screenwriters Intensive, and year-round ELEVATE professional development track. The new partnership will expand those efforts, providing emerging storytellers with creative resources, mentorship, and access to Sundance Collab, the Institute’s global online learning platform.

Rolex’s support comes through its Perpetual Arts Initiative, which promotes artistic excellence and mentorship across disciplines. “We are incredibly grateful to Rolex for collaborating with us to uplift artists and their stories,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute. “Together, we’re empowering a new generation of independent filmmakers to bring bold, original work to life.”

Since its founding by Robert Redford, the Institute has helped nurture leading filmmakers including Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang, and The Daniels, continuing its legacy as a vital incubator for independent voices.

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