Recording academy announces task force for gender balance

Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow says the organization is creating a task force to uncover unconscious biases and other barriers that impede women’s success in the music industry.

Thursday’s announcement comes days after Portnow claimed his comments on women needing to “step up” in the music industry were taken out of context.

Portnow says in Thursday’s statement that he now understands that his “poor choice of words” after Sunday’s Grammy Awards have caused. He says while his comments aren’t indicative of his beliefs, they do reflect real women’s experiences in the industry.

He says the issue of gender bias “needs to be addressed” in the music business and that the Recording Academy will put itself under a microscope and “tackle whatever truths are revealed.”