On Wednesday (September 27), in Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alongside the Recording Academy and other music industry leaders, organizations, and artists, launched the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative.
The initiative is described as “a worldwide effort to elevate the role of music as a diplomatic tool to promote global peace and democracy”.
The Global Music Diplomacy initiative was developed pursuant to the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act, which was passed in December 2022.
It was championed by the Recording Academy in 2022 at Grammys on the Hill and during the annual District Advocate Day.
This week’s launch event featured live music performances from GAYLE, Dave Grohl, Mickey Guyton, Herbie Hancock, LADAMA, and more.
Alongside Secretary Blinken, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. awarded Quincy Jones the first-ever Peace through Music Award, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of State and the Recording Academy.
The award “recognizes and honors an American music industry professional, artist, or group, that has played an invaluable role in cross-cultural exchanges and whose music work advances peace and mutual understanding globally”.
In a career spanning seven decades, Jones has worked as a composer, record producer, artist, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, label executive, film & TV producer, magazine founder, multi-media entrepreneur, and humanitarian.
Jones has earned a record 80 Grammy Award nominations, including 28 wins across an array of categories: jazz, R&B, pop, rap, spoken word, children’s, cast album, instrumental arrangement, music film, and music video, not to mention Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year.
His seminal work in the ‘50s and ‘60s saw him work with greats such as Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Count Basie (with whom Jones won his first Grammy in 1963), Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, LaVern Baker, Leslie Gore, and Frank Sinatra.
Also announced as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative was the American Music Mentorship Program (AMMP), created in partnership between the US Department of State and the Recording Academy, which will bring international mid-career artists and music industry professionals to the US for mentorship and networking opportunities, and is set to be first held in the fall of 2024.
“We’re honored to begin our work with the State Department to promote peace and cross-cultural understanding through music while continuing our mission to lift up music people around the globe.”
Harvey Mason jr., CEO, Recording Academy
Harvey Mason jr., CEO, Recording Academy said: “From advocating for the PEACE Through Music Diplomacy Act in 2022, to partnering with the U.S. State Department on the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, the Academy firmly believes that music’s transformative power can be a global force for good.
“We’re honored to begin our work with the State Department to promote peace and cross-cultural understanding through music while continuing our mission to lift up music people around the globe.”
“Music reminds us that we have more in common than what separates us. It heals us. It unites us. It gets us hyped.”
Lyor Cohen, YouTube and Google
Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music for YouTube and Google, said: “Music reminds us that we have more in common than what separates us. It heals us. It unites us. It gets us hyped.
“At YouTube, we have the incredible responsibility of helping music transcend borders through our global platform. For centuries, music has helped fuel important social and cultural movements.
Added Cohen: “Artists like Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Kendrick Lamar, and so many more have written songs that bring people together to create understanding and drive peace.
“This initiative creates a new avenue for us to raise their voices and drive global music diplomacy forward; breaking down cultural barriers and fostering peace through music.”
Lee Satterfield, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, added: “Music gives voice to democratic ideals, to the powerful and the powerless, across borders and beyond barriers, and the United States is elevating music to meet the moment, convey American leadership globally, and promote peace worldwide.
“All of us have a role to play in promoting peace, and with the support of the American music industry and private sector, such as YouTube and the Recording Academy, we can do even more through music.”Music Business Worldwide