FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, NY, August 28, 2020 — Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. and GRAMMY-nominated recording artist Aloe Blacc have joined the list of keynote speakers for a conversation at Mondo.NYC 2020, Wednesday, October 14, 2020. This year, the global business conference, showcase music festival and community of music and tech industry insiders and innovators, emerging artists and their fans, will celebrate its fifth anniversary as a four-day virtual interactive meeting and livestream.

Harvey Mason Jr. is Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy® and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. He’s a multi-GRAMMY nominee who has penned and produced songs for both industry legends and today's biggest superstars. Everyone from Whitney Houston to Beyoncé, Elton John to Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin to Ariana Grande, Britney Spears to Camila Cabello, Luther Vandross to Justin Bieber, and Michael Jackson to Chris Brown have called on Mason to deliver uniquely musical hit records. Simultaneously, Mason has been instrumental in producing memorable music for many of the biggest musical films and TV events from the past decade. Films such as Dreamgirls, Sparkle, Shrek, the Pitch Perfect franchise, Straight Outta Compton, Sing, and TV shows, including "The Wiz Live!" and "Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert” have counted on Mason's musical talent and taste. He is currently working on producing all the music for Sing 2 for Universal Pictures, Aretha Franklin’s biopic Respect for MGM, as well as musical projects for Disney and Netflix.

Mason donates his time and resources to several charitable organizations, including the GRAMMY Museum, MusiCares®, Ronald McDonald House, the American Cancer Society, and Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Harvey received the Spirit of Excellence Award in 2012 from the T.J. Martell Foundation for his philanthropic efforts.

GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc fell in love with hip-hop as a kid and started writing rap songs when he was nine. With his lyrics drawing influence from socially conscious artists like KRS-One, he put out his first hip-hop mixtape at age 17. Later developing a fierce admiration for such soul musicians as Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye, he also discovered an affinity for folk-rock singer/songwriters during his college years. Blacc is actively working with the Black Music Action Coalition and several organizations reaffirming his goal to use his platform for positive social justice transformation.

After inking a deal with indie label Stones Throw, Blacc released his solo debut Shine Through in 2006 and sophomore album Good Things in 2010. Boosted by the breakout success of “I Need a Dollar” (which was selected as the theme song to HBO’s How To Make it In America), Good Things reached gold status in countries around the world and paved the way for his signing to XIX Recordings/Interscope Records in 2012. The following year, Blacc co-wrote and provided vocals for “Wake Me Up,” the hit Avicii song that has garnered over one billion streams and close to two billion views on YouTube. Made in collaboration with groundbreaking producers like Pharrell Williams, Lift Your Spirit debuted at #4 in 2014 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and earned a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best R&B Album. Aloe Blacc’s fourth solo album All Love Everything drops on October 2nd with BMG Music.

The conversation is presented in partnership with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as part of its annual programming initiative offered to Mondo.NYC attendees. For 2020, among other panel content, the RIAA will be presenting “Everything You Need to Know About Music Policy In About an Hour,” featuring representatives from 50/50, the Black Music Action Coalition, First Avenue, Manatt, Music Artists Coalition, Music Business Association, MLC, NIVA, SAG-AFTRA and the U.S. Copyright Office.

In addition to Mason and Blacc, Mondo.NYC will feature the following keynote speakers:

Binta Niambi Brown, Founder, omalilly projects in conversation with Ty Stiklorius, Founder & CEO, Friends At Work; Jason Flom, CEO, Lava Records, Founding Board Member, The Innocence Project;
Kevin Lyman, Founder/Producer, Vans Warped Tour, Co-Founder, 320 Festival.

By day, Mondo.NYC participants will experience curated panels, conversations, workshops and special events to foster robust opportunities for virtual networking, collaboration and learning. By night, they will have the opportunity to venture out into the virtual world of Mondo showcases to be inspired by some of the best up-and-coming bands from around the globe.

For more information please visit https://mondo.nyc.

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