Mariah Carey in 2019

Mariah Carey

Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

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"Rise Up New York!" COVID-19 Relief Benefit To Feature Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Tina Fey, Bon Jovi & Many More

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Tina Fey is hosting the star-studded May 11 TV special raising money for the most in-need New Yorkers during the coronavirus crisis
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
May 4, 2020 - 1:47 pm

On Mon. May 11, famous New Yorkers will gather together virtually to share music, jokes and stories to support their most in-need neighbors on behalf of local non-profit Robin Hood's COVID-19 Relief Fund. "Rise Up New York!," an hour-long fundraising special, will be hosted by Tina Fey and feature performances from GRAMMY-winning legends Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey and Sting. Jennifer Lopez, Barbra Streisand, Ben Platt, Bette Midler, Idina Menzel, Trevor Noah and many more are also slated to appear on the show.

More performers will be revealed, but iconic director Spike Lee, actors Chris Rock, Christopher Jackson, Robert De Niro and Jake Gyllenhaal, along with NY Giants Super Bowl champs Eli Manning Michael Strahan, will also make cameos. N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and N.Y.C. Mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as some of the city's brave frontline workers, will also speak.

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According to their website, Robin Hood is the biggest poverty-fighting organization in N.Y.C., working with over 250 local non-profits that support food, housing, education, legal services, work opportunities and more. Their COVID-19 Relief Fund was created to ensure that the city's most vulnerable can survive the harrowing pandemic, with 100% of donations going directly to the orgs working on the frontlines, as overhead costs are paid by board members.

With "Rise Up New York!," which is co-hosted by iHeartMedia, Robin Hood is aiming to raise $10 million for the fund. They are asking for $10 donation from individuals and hoping to get at least 1 million out of over 8.5 million New Yorkers on board.

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"New York City is at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has created a whole new set of challenges for the millions of New Yorkers who already struggled to make ends meet," Robin Hood CEO Wes Moore said in a statement. "This is a moment where we must all come together and rise up together as a community in support of our neighbors and in support of one another."

The show will air on Mon., May 11 at 7 p.m. ET on all local TV stations, iHeartMedia and Entercom broadcast radio stations, News 12, Spectrum News NY1, SiriusXM and nationally on CNBC.

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Rio Cinema in London

Rio Cinema in London

Photo: Barry Lewis/InPictures/Getty Images

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UK Government Pledges Arts Relief Package: "Biggest Ever One-Off Investment In UK Culture"

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Cultural institutions, including music venues, will be sharing funds from the "£1.15 billion support pot for cultural organizations in England," as the announcement states. £880 million of that money will be offered as grants and the rest as loans
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 7, 2020 - 1:17 pm

On July 5, the British government announced a £1.57 billion ($1.96 billion USD) coronavirus relief package for the gravely affected arts and culture sector of the country, including music venues, theaters, museums, galleries, independent cinemas, cultural institutions and freelance workers in the arts. No information on how to apply for funds—which will be distributed as loans and grants—has been given yet.

The news comes days after a coalition of over 1,500 British musicians, including Dua Lipa, the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora, urged the government to assist the £4.5 billion ($5.6 billion) live music sector with the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign.

Read: Congress Works To Improve COVID-19 Relief For Creators

"Our world-renowned galleries, museums, heritage sites, music venues and independent cinemas are not only critical to keeping our economy thriving, employing more than 700,000 people, they're the lifeblood of British culture," wrote Rishi Sunak, U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the announcement. "That's why we're giving them the vital cash they need to safeguard their survival, helping to protect jobs and ensuring that they can."

"I understand the grave challenges the arts face and we must protect and preserve all we can for future generations. Today we are announcing a huge support package of immediate funding to tackle the funding crisis they face. I said we would not let the arts down, and this massive investment shows our level of commitment," U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added.

The immediacy of the "immediate funding" is unclear, as applications and guidelines are not yet available. As Billboard reports, "Exactly how much funding will benefit the music sector, and what the process will be for allocating the funds, has not yet been fully fleshed out."

"We don't know the breakdown of how much will go to live music venues versus other sectors as applications are not open yet," the spokesperson says. "They will be soon."

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All applicable cultural institutions, including music venues, will be sharing funds from the "£1.15 billion support pot for cultural organizations in England," as the announcement states. £880 million of that money will be offered as grants, while the remaining £270 million will be repayable loans. An additional £188 million will be allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The government will determine who the grants are allocated to in partnership with "expert independent figures from the sector including the Arts Council England and other specialist bodies such as Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute. [Additionally,] repayable finance will be issued on generous terms tailored for cultural institutions to ensure they are affordable."

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As Billboard highlights, "The funding will also target employment, including freelancers in the music industry. More than 350,000 people in the recreation and leisure sector have been furloughed since the pandemic began. (The U.K. live music sector supports 210,000 jobs)."

"Eligibility for grants and loans must be as broad as possible to ensure maximum take up from across the industry from those in desperate need of help," Tom Kiehl, acting CEO at U.K. Music, told the outlet.

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For more information on COVID-19 relief for those in the music industry, please visit MusiCares useful resource page. You can also find more info on applying for a one-time grant from the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, or donating to the Fund, if you are able.

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Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Museum

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#DoorsClosedMissionOpen: GRAMMY Museum Staff Curates Daily Playlists To Soundtrack Your COVID-19 Quarantine

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The daily playlists are part of a larger digital initiative from the GRAMMY Museum during the location's temporary closure, which includes never-before-released free digital content from the archives
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Apr 2, 2020 - 10:42 am

Like many other businesses, arts organizations and museums around the world, our beloved GRAMMY Museum home base in Los Angeles is currently being impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since mid-March, the GRAMMY Museum has temporarily closed its doors until further notice for safety and health precautions in light of the coronavirus pandemic. 

But while the location may be physically closed for now, the GRAMMY Museum's mission of cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music remains wide open and alive online. And they're keeping that mission at the forefront in the best way they know how: music. 

As part of their ongoing digital initiatives, the music-loving staff at the GRAMMY Museum is sharing exclusive Spotify playlists to soundtrack your daily life during this time of social distancing. Updated daily at 10 a.m. PT, the playlists are curated by staff members from across the GRAMMY Museum team in an effort to keep all employees engaged with each other and with the Museum's followers and patrons during this closure. 

Featuring selections from everyone from guest services and security team members to the executive team and spotlighting everything from disco hits and Afrobeat to classic rock and Latin trap, the playlists highlight the wide range of personal tastes reflected in the Museum's diverse staff and honor the genres and artists both the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum celebrate every day in our missions.

Read: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

"Once we made the decision to temporarily close our doors, it was a priority for me that we maintain staff engagement as much as possible," GRAMMY Museum President Michael Sticka said. "Asking each member of our staff to curate their own playlists has been one way that we've been able to do that. For me personally, I have loved getting to know our staff better by listening to their music choices and hearing their personalities shine through! I'm proud that we have been able to build a digital museum that properly continues each pillar of our mission, including public programs, education and virtual exhibits. Our digital museum has been a key element of our strategic plan for some time now, so I'm happy that all of these initiatives will continue after we re-open our doors. For the time being, our doors may be closed, but our mission isn't and we look forward to continuing to bring music content to the general public during this time and into the future."

The daily playlists are part of a larger digital initiative from the GRAMMY Museum during the location's temporary closure, which includes never-before-released free digital content from the archives. The newly announced lineup of April 2020 programming includes exclusive content from Tanya Tucker, Ben Platt, Common, Los Tigres del Norte, Courtney Barnett and many more. They join previously announced programs featuring Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, Greta Van Fleet and Kool & The Gang, making this April a can't-miss event for the GRAMMY Museum's digital content public programming. 

This month, the GRAMMY Museum will also debut the Digital Exhibit Series, exhibit slideshows featuring past exhibitions and museum installations, featuring Jenni Rivera, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. 

The Museum's Public Programs digital series features intimate sit-down interviews with artists and musicians in its 200-seat Clive Davis Theater from past programs. Since the Museum opened 12 years ago, it has offered more than 900 Public Programs.

Additionally, the Museum continues to release digital educational content and lesson plans titled GRAMMY In The Schools Mini-Lessons, continuing its mission of paying tribute to our musical heritage and bringing our community together through music.

In all, the Museum is releasing new content every day of the week, with GRAMMY In The Schools Mini-Lessons on Sundays and Tuesdays, Digital Public Program Series on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and Digital Exhibit Series on Friday. Thursdays are Member Engagement Nights. Exclusive for Museum members, these special nights include an Album Club, which is an interactive experience similar to a book club, except members listen to music instead of reading books.

To experience all the Museum At Home digital content and to view the full programming schedule, visit the GRAMMY Museum website, where you can also find more information about the organization and its programs.

GRAMMY Museum's April Online Lineup: Tanya Tucker, Ben Platt, Common, Los Tigres Del Norte & More

GRAMMYs

GEMA CEO Dr. Harald Heker

Photo: Isa Foltin/Getty Images

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Germany's GEMA Launches $43 Million Songwriter Emergency Coronavirus Fund

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The performing rights organization sets up the fund to aid its members and will roll out the support in two phases
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Mar 23, 2020 - 4:09 pm

As the world's goverments work to manage the economic fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic, the entertainment indutry also searches for solutions. German perfororming right organization GEMA has announced the launch of a $43 million emergency fund for its songwriter and composers members.

“It is already foreseeable that the economic consequences of the corona pandemic will be devastating for the entire creative industry,” said the organization's CEO, Dr. Harald Heker. “GEMA will use all available means to support its existentially threatened members as best [we can] to cushion the economically catastrophic effects for our customers.”

Read More: Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

The funds will be provided in a two-stage program, with the first wave given to composers and lyricists who also act as performers, a way of addressing financial difficulties due to the cancellation of live concerts. The fund's second stage will provide financial support to individual hardship cases among its songwriters.

Just last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares launched the COVID-19 Relief Fund, contributing $1 million each for a total of $2 million. The funds will go toward helping people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease outbreak and subsequent widespread cancellation of music events. Already, artists such as Alicia Keys and companies like Bandsintown have pledged to raise money for the fund.

GEMA's statement in support of its members also comes after Friday's announcement of a Netflix $100 million emergency relief fund  to support those hit hardest by suspension of its productions due to COVID-19. The company’s Chief Content Office, Ted Sarandos said, "This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide.”

Grammys Newsletter

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

Billy Porter & Rosie O'Donnell

Billy Porter & Rosie O'Donnell

Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for GLAAD

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Rosie O'Donnell To Host Livestream With Billy Porter, Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman & More For Broadway Coronavirus Relief

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On Sun. March 22, the daytime TV icon will revive her Emmy-winning show with a star-studded special guest cast for one night only, to benefit The Actors Fund
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 19, 2020 - 2:31 pm

Today, Emmy winner Rosie O'Donnell revealed she will be hosting a star-studded special livestream show this Sun., March 22 to benefit The Actors Fund, a non-profit org supporting entertainment professionals in need. Billy Porter, Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Jordin Sparks, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Jessica Parker, Barry Manilow, Ben Platt, Kristen Chenoweth and many more stars will join the show for performances and conversation—while practicing safe social-distancing from their own homes.

The special edition of The Rosie O'Donnell Show will be streamed on Broadway.com's YouTube and website at 7:00 p.m. ET, and will encourage viewers to donate to the Fund. A week ago, on March 12, Broadway closed its doors until at least April 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with many other aspects of the entertainment industry that have come to a screeching halt.

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"Everybody who knows me knows that Broadway has been one of the brightest lights in my life since the time I was a little girl. It has also been the lifeblood of New York City for generation after generation. After all Broadway has given to the world, now—in this time of tremendous need—it's our turn to give something back," O'Donnell said in a statement to People. "There is no better way to support this community than via The Actors Fund. And, with a line-up like this, I dare you not to tune in."

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John McDaniel, The Rosie O’Donnell Show's original music director/composer/producer will return for the epic reunion.

"This is the ultimate win-win proposition; The Actors Fund needs our support, and we're all desperate for some fabulous entertainment we can enjoy from the safety of our own homes. I'm so grateful to Rosie, and to this truly jaw-dropping array of talent that have agreed to participate," said actor/producer Erich Bergen, who will be joining in on the online fun.

The Actors Fund supports people working in arts and entertainment in many ways, such as with housing, career and health care resources,including counseling, addiction/recovery, HIV/AIDS and senior services.

Grammys Newsletter

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund