Event Will Highlight Sound Quality and Pay Homage to Chair of Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Beats Electronics at The Village Recording Studios in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2012
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (December 22, 2011) — The Producers & Engineers Wing® of The Recording Academy® will celebrate its fifth annual GRAMMY® Week event honoring legendary music producer and entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine for his commitment to excellence and ongoing support for the art and craft of recorded music. The event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, at The Village Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Bono and Dr. Dre will serve as honorary event co-chairs. GRAMMY Week culminates with the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, airing live on the CBS Television Network, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (www.grammy.com)
“The work of the Producers & Engineers Wing is essential to ensure that the importance of sound quality and the integrity of recorded music continue to be acknowledged and preserved in our evolving landscape,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “This year we pay tribute to an industry leader, Jimmy Iovine, who has made an indelible impact as a recording engineer, producer, founder of Interscope Records, and now entrepreneur focused on audio quality. As we continue to highlight those who work ‘behind the glass,’ we are very pleased this year to celebrate someone of Jimmy’s stature who is so dedicated to this important cause.”
Jimmy Iovine began his career in the ’70s as a recording engineer for artists including John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen. He then made the transition to producer, working on classic albums with artists including Dire Straits, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Patti Smith and U2. In 1990, Iovine co-founded Interscope Records with partner Ted Field. He is now chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, a unit of Universal Music Group, and recently celebrated 20 years commitment as a label head to diverse and gifted artists including the Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Nelly Furtado, Lady Gaga, No Doubt and U2. Furthering his interest in and commitment to sound quality, in 2008 Iovine co-founded the high-performance headphone and sound transmission company Beats Electronics with GRAMMY-winning artist Dr. Dre, and he continues to passionately advocate for reversal of the degradation of sound quality in music that has resulted from the recording industry’s transition to digital distribution.
