Grammys on the Hill's 25th anniversary celebration highlights the Recording Academy's year-round advocacy work, with Harvey Mason jr. emphasizing that music creators must remain at the center of every conversation about AI and emerging tech.
The NO FAKES Act is the legislation everyone's watching—artists are finally getting federal protections against unauthorized AI voice and likeness replication, and these lawmakers stepped up to make it happen across party lines.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-De.) and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fl.) were honored for their bipartisan work on the NO FAKES Act. Amazon Music and Black Music Collective presented a $10,000 donation to Howard University's 2026 'Your Future Is Now' music equipment grant. Paul Epworth's catalog includes his work on Adele's '21' and the Academy Award-winning 'Skyfall.'
This is what it looks like when D.C. actually gets it right—musicians getting concrete protections against AI exploitation while the next generation gets real opportunities. The industry better keep this energy.
Grammys on the Hill just marked 25 years of advocacy, and they brought out the big guns this week. Sen. Chris Coons (D-De.) and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fl.) received flowers for their bipartisan push to protect musicians against AI deepfakes—specifically championing the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act, landmark legislation that would establish federal protections against unauthorized AI-generated replicas of a person's voice and likeness.
The celebration kicked off with Advocacy Day, where artists, songwriters, producers, and music advocates descended on Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and discuss AI's impact on the music community. The Academy's Black Music Collective, in cooperation with the Congressional Black Caucus, hosted a reception featuring a performance by Durand Bernarr. Amazon Music and the Black Music Collective also presented a $10,000 donation to Howard University as recipients of the 2026 "Your Future Is Now" music equipment grant.
"Grammys on the Hill represents the core of the Recording Academy's year-round work to advocate for music people and ensure their rights are safeguarded in our culture," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "As we mark 25 years of Grammys on the Hill, we are reminded that music creators must remain at the center of every conversation shaping the future of the industry, especially as AI and other emerging technologies continue to transform it."
Meanwhile, Bella Figura Music just snapped up the publishing catalog of Paul Epworth—the Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe-winning producer behind Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and the James Bond theme "Skyfall." Epworth's got seven Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, three BRIT Awards for British Producer of the Year, and more. Terms weren't disclosed, but this is a massive catalog changing hands.
Over at NYU's Clive Davis Institute, the "Office Hours with Industry Leaders" class of 2026 just dropped, featuring heavy hitters like former Atlantic Music Group CEO Julie Greenwald, Warner Chappell Music co-chair Guy Moot, and Grammy-winning songwriter Emily Warren. And in country music news, three-time Grammy winner Miranda Lambert is taking her future releases to MCA Records— she's the most-awarded artist in ACM history with eight nods at this year's ceremony.
The industry keeps moving, and honestly? This week felt like a win for the creators.
