Recording Academy head talks efforts to help musicians during pandemic: 'Many of our people are suffering'

Musicians continue to face acute hardships related to the coronavirus pandemic, Recording Academy chair, interim CEO and president Harvey Mason Jr. told "The Clayman Countdown" Thursday.

"I'm hearing from them every day. We've never faced anything like this," Mason said. "I've been here six or seven months, could have never predicted we would be in this position."

Host Liz Clamon, who has two siblings who work in the music industry, asked Mason to highlight the work his organization to help musicians get stimulus money as part of the CARES Act.

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"We were able to get some consideration around some of the stimulus relief packages that were happening, specifically the CARES Act," Mason said. "Right now, we're continuing to do some of those activations."

The music executive said his organization and its members are concerned with "getting musicians back into the studios," "help[ing] independent venues survive" and "trying to ensure that music people are always considered" for relief in upcoming stimulus legislation.

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"Many of our people are suffering. They're not able to play live. They're not able to do some of the recording they normally do there," Mason said. "There's no tours, even if you're playing in a hotel lobby, in a jazz band, you're not making that income."

Mason said his organization's philanthropic arm is helping starving musicians get the basics to get through the pandemic.

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"So we're seeing that people in need [get] real help, paying rent, getting food. So our philanthropic arm, Music Cares, has really went above and beyond," Mason said. "We've raised over $20 million and given that money out to music people in real need, not just members, but people across the entire industry."

"We've had great partnership from the music industry as a whole," Mason said, highlighting "geat contributions from major artists, who are some of the people that have been fortunate enough to make a good living making music, they've given back the industry as well."

Mason also told Claman that the Grammy Awards, which the Recording Academy oversees, will take place as scheduled on Jan. 31 of next year.

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"What we're gonna do on that date is a little up in the air. You know, there's obviously, we're not going to be having an audience at this point," Mason said. "I think we're parallel tracking a couple of different show ideas and creative around that show, whether that's all virtual or partially virtual, partially prerecorded.

"But we're definitely going to have a show. We really want to celebrate music right now," Mason added. "And we want to be able to use that platform in that time to bring some some entertainment, some feel-good to our country. And I think it's important that we do that."