--- title: Grammys President Doesn't Think There's a Race Problem description: Grammys president Neil Portnow said that he doesn't think that the recording academy suffers from a race problem. canonical: https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-15T17:32:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:35.953Z og:title: Grammys President: 'I Don't Think There's a Race Problem' og:description: "It's always hard to create objectivity out of something that's subjective" og:url: https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d4c8f7abe4f6307/6988ba6eab6d7708ed6ace18/grammys-president-says-awards-not-racist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: The 59th GRAMMY Awards - Roaming Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Grammys President: 'I Don't Think There's a Race Problem' twitter:description: "It's always hard to create objectivity out of something that's subjective" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d4c8f7abe4f6307/6988ba6eab6d7708ed6ace18/grammys-president-says-awards-not-racist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Grammys President Neil Portnow: 'I Don't Think There's a Race Problem at All' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=16200be1-c426-45bb-a377-ef9fb0a47d16&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=16200be1-c426-45bb-a377-ef9fb0a47d16&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=16200be1-c426-45bb-a377-ef9fb0a47d16&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: What Is The Grammy Bounce? (No, It’s Not A Dance Move) [Watch (HLS stream): What Is The Grammy Bounce? (No, It’s Not A Dance Move)](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LXjNxjjl.m3u8) (1:10)  _Published 2017-02-09. What do Beck, Sam Smith, and Adele all have In common? The 'Grammy Bounce.'_  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 15, 2017 5:32 PM UTC  President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President/CEO Neil Portnow (L) and Adele backstage during during the The 59th GRAMMY Awards. President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President/CEO Neil Portnow (L) and Adele backstage during during the The 59th GRAMMY Awards. Michael Kovac—Getty Images for NARAS  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Feb 15, 2017 5:32 PM UTC As Adele’s _25_ beat Beyonce’s _Lemonade_ to the top prizes at this year’s Grammys, it was the latest in a series of controversial award-winners prompting [backlash from some artists and viewers alike](http://time.com/4668626/adele-beyonce-grammys-2017-reactions/). The ceremony was no exception, drawing criticism from those who feel the academy has [consistently undervalued black artists](time.com/4669085/grammys-2017-beyonce-album-of-the-year-adele/). Following the ceremony, in an interview with [_Pitchfork_](http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1443-grammys-boss-neil-portnow-on-race-boycotts-and-working-with-washington/) Recording Academy president Neil Portnow responded to the question “do you think the Grammys has a race problem?” --- > “” --- Portnow added that the academy takes the work of expanding their membership to be more inclusive seriously. “We are always working on increasing diversity in membership, whether it’s ethnicity, gender, genre, or age,” he said. “In order to maintain our relevance, we have to be refreshing all the time and we have to be doing that across the board.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/"},"headline":"Grammys President Neil Portnow: 'I Don't Think There's a Race Problem at All'","datePublished":"2017-02-15T17:32:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:35.953Z","description":"\"It's always hard to create objectivity out of something that's inherently subjective\"","url":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","Music","Beyonce","grammys","Adele","Grammys 2017"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d4c8f7abe4f6307/6988ba6eab6d7708ed6ace18/grammys-president-says-awards-not-racist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0d4c8f7abe4f6307/6988ba6eab6d7708ed6ace18/grammys-president-says-awards-not-racist.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The 59th GRAMMY Awards - Roaming Show","caption":"The 59th GRAMMY Awards - Roaming Show","creditText":"Michael Kovac—Getty Images for NARAS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/","name":"Grammys President Neil Portnow: 'I Don't Think There's a Race Problem at All'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What Is The Grammy Bounce? (No, It’s Not A Dance Move)","description":"What do Beck, Sam Smith, and Adele all have In common? The 'Grammy Bounce.'","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/LXjNxjjl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-02-09T16:49:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LXjNxjjl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/","duration":"PT1M10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4671779/grammys-president-no-race-problem/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```