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Recording Academy Reponds to Steve Stoute's Criticism of Grammys

NARAS president pledges to improve diversity in voting body

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March 4, 2011 2:45 PM ET
Eminem attends The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Eminem attends The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Lester Cohen/WireImage

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences finally responded to music mogul Steve Stoute's recent full-page ad in the New York Times criticizing the Grammys for losing touch with popular culture by failing to honor artists such as Eminem, Kanye West and Justin Bieber. In a joint statement signed by Stoute and NARAS president Neil Portnow, the two announced that they have agreed to talks about how the Recording Academy can "evolve in an ever-changing cultural environment."

Grammy Awards 2011: Complete Coverage

The statement is a bit vague, but promises to revise the Grammys' nominating and voting process in order to "actively incorporate generational and artistic diversity." Reading between the lines, this seems to mean that the Academy will be doing its best to balance out its voting body to even out what could be understood as a bias against hip-hop and chart pop among its older members.

Recording Academy Responds to a Critic [NY Times]

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