Congratulating Mr. Portnow and the Recording Academy

CONGRATULATING MR. PORTNOW AND THE RECORDING ACADEMY -- (Extensions of Remarks - February 10, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. STENY H. HOYER
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2004

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share remarks made by Recording Academy President Neil Portnow at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8th, 2003. Mr. Portnow worked on behalf to the Recording Academy in a variety of volunteer leadership roles for over 20 years before being selected as President by the Board of Trustees in September of 2002.

In his first two years as President of the Academy, Mr. Portnow has used his creative talents in marketplace development and his many years in the entertainment industry to advocate on behalf of the Music and Arts community, especially in the area of Music Education funding.

I know I am joined by my colleagues in the House of Representatives in congratulating Mr. Portnow and the Recording Academy on their success in fostering, supporting and promoting a myriad of music-based education and community programs throughout the country.

To follow are the remarks presented by Neil Portnow, President, Recording Academy, on February 8th, 2004 on the occasion of the 46th Annual Grammy Awards:

Thank you for joining as we celebrate the 46th Annual Grammy Awards.

Tonight, you've seen some remarkable performances that span the spectrum of recorded music, with musical icons joining wonderfully talented young artists to demonstrate that we are all one family.

But our family extends beyond the boundaries of the artists nominated tonight for Grammy Awards. You, the music fans, are the most important part of our family for whom all of us in this creative community give our all. We are inspired to create and make our music so that you can hear and enjoy it. After all, music uplifts the very fabric of our daily lives.

As in all families, there are times when we must all come together as one. Tonight is one of those times.
Many of our music family have arrived here on this Grammy stage because they had the benefit of exposure to music and the arts in school. Proposals for dramatic cuts in funding for the arts mean that our children will be denied that vital opportunity. We cannot sit idly by and allow this to happen. If our leaders spend our resources to search for something, it ought to be for tools of mass education and cultural enlightenment in our nation.

The Recording Academy recognizes your hunger and passion for music. We also represent the music-makers and many others involved in the creative process whose livelihood depends on your support. And tonight we are asking for that support.

We have spent the past year researching and examining the complex issues created by the digital world and this evening, we are announcing a national program designed to educate and inform music lovers everywhere about the serious issues and alternatives surrounding digital downloading of music. We encourage you to visit our new Web site, What's The Download.com, and learn about legal downloading and the ethical choices you can make about how you get your music.

The coming months and years will be a critical time for all of us who bring you the music. Our industry will emerge from what has been a perfect storm. And we will reinvent and renew that which requires change, providing more choices and options to discover and enjoy music.

Just as you would respond to one of your family members seeking your help, we ask you to help us keep music strong and alive for this and for generations to come. You can be sure that we will continue to do our part; we're counting on you to please do yours.

END