Grammys going ahead as scheduled, will raise money for fire relief [UPDATED]

[Update 12:30 pm]: The 2025 will in fact go on as scheduled, and will raise money for wildfire relief in Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Academy members received a letter from Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and from the chair of the board of trustees Tammy Hurt on Monday, reading in part: “In close coordination with local authorities to ensure public safety and responsible use of area resources, the 67th Grammy Awards telecast on CBS on Feb. 2 will proceed as planned. This year’s show, however, will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”

[Original story]: With devastating wildfires still raging across L.A., the city has bigger things to worry about than whether Taylor Swift will take home album of the year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, discussions are “underway” about how to handle this year’s Grammy Awards, currently scheduled to be held in downtown L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena on February 2.

As the big night is currently only a few short weeks away, one of the options on the table is to simply postpone the ceremony. This outcome is “highly likely” considering multiple fires around the city are still active, a source for THR said. (It wouldn’t be the first time music’s biggest night was pushed back. The ceremony was postponed from its original date due to COVID in both 2021 and 2022.)

Another insider shared that Recording Academy head Harvey Mason Jr. is currently weighing multiple options, including pivoting the broadcast to some sort of fundraiser. Whether or not he goes with that option, there are currently separate plans for a benefit concert in motion from Live Nation, the Azoff family, and AEG Presents, which will involve the Academy’s MusiCares foundation. The lineup and participating broadcast partners for that event, scheduled for January 30, are still TBD.

Last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares pledged $1 million to support music professionals impacted by the ongoing crisis. “The entire Grammy family is shocked and deeply saddened by the situation unfolding in Los Angeles,” Mason said in a statement. “The music community is being so severely impacted, but we will come together as an industry to support one another. Our organizations exist to serve music people because music is a powerful force for good in the world, and we hope the broader industry will now rally to this cause.” Entities like Disney and Paramount and individuals like Beyoncé, Jamie Lee Curtis, Paris Hilton, and Halle Berry have also donated millions to relief efforts.