Two Former Recording Academy Execs Help Steer Grammy Campaigns: ‘We’re Just Fortunate to Now Be on the Other Side of It’
Categoria: Musica
At the Academy, a core value is being scrupulously non-partisan. Now, by definition, these execs are taking sides.
Por Billboard | 01/07/2026
Lisa Goich-Andreadis and Jeriel Johnson spent a combined 20 years at the Recording Academy. Now, they’re using their knowledge of Grammy rules and their connections in the music community to try to boost clients’ chances of receiving nominations and awards. They started doing this work together in July 2024 and officially launched the Awards Agency LLC in March of this year. Related 2027 Grammy Changes: 5 New Categories, More Lenient Rules on Best New Artist Eligibility and More How a Grammy Rule Change Gave 5 Artists Another Chance at a 2027 Best New Artist Nomination — UPDATE Here’s the Date of the 2027 Grammy Awards & All Key Dates They report that they had 32 clients leading up to the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, and that those clients received a combined 27 Grammy nominations and six wins. Both partners say that the transition from working for the Academy to working for their own awards consulting firm has required them to adjust their thinking. At the Academy, a core value is being scrupulously non-partisan. Now, by definition, they are taking sides. “The first year I was very uncomfortable doing it,” Goich-Andreadis acknowledges, “because I was [at the Academy] 13 years, 14 [awards] seasons, but now I’m used to it, because we have a rhythm, our business plan is very solid and we really found our space.” Goich-Andreadis oversaw the jazz and comedy genres when she was at the Academy, as well as the Special Merit Awards and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Johnson oversaw the hip-hop, R&B and reggae genres, was executive director for the Academy’s Washington D.C. chapter and was a co-founder of the Black Music Collective. Both are based in Los Angeles. Johnson moved back to L.A. from Washington D.C. in 2022. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. There have been Oscar consultants for decades, but it’s relatively new to have consultants on Grammy campaigns, isn’t it? Goich-Andreadis: The film industry has been doing this for a long time. The movie studios really go all-in on some of their films. For music it’s not quite the same, but it’s becoming a thing. Johnson: It’s almost been an if-you-know-you-know thing in music. Companies do identify their priorities usually by early spring that they’re going to want to focus on. They’ll decide, “We’re going to put a campaign behind this artist,” and so we get to work with amazing teams at the labels, amazing management companies, who have great things going on for their artists, and then we just kind of plug in to what they already have going on. When did you first have the idea to do this? Johnson: After seven years at the Recording Academy, I left and went to a label, but while I was there, people just continued to call and say, “Hey, how does this work?” or “What is the deadline for this?” or “Who should I call?” and I would find myself on the phone for an hour some