Reid playing Jazz Fest Acura Stage other universities for guidance on their programs, he learned, “There weren’t that many back then. We had started this record label and were trying to figure out how that worked and so we thought we should look at an organization we can get involved with that is like a trade association for the music industry.” That search led to his involvement with the Grammys. In 1997 the Recording Academy sponsored a music conference in which Loyola was an educational partner. That conference led to Wick meeting his current boss, Academy Senior Executive Director Jon Hornyak, who recruited him as a voting member, a position he still holds. Involvement with the organization and interaction with its members brought him to a higher awareness of problems musicians are faced with and what steps can be taken to address some of those issues. The need for cooperation and help for musicians became especially acute after Hurricane Katrina scattered most of New Orleans’ music community and action had to be taken to bring home those musicians who wanted to return. cover story Through the MusiCares Foundation under the Grammy umbrella, Wick and others were able to help many returning musicians with their rent and other expenses until the returnees were able to start making their own money again. Many of them lost their instruments in the flooding and the foundation helped them buy new ones. “Through the program we raised close to $4 million and helped thousands of musicians with financial assistance,” Wick said. “MusiCares partnered with Gibson Guitar, Guitar Center, famed producer Bob Ezrin and U2 guitarist The Edge to form Music Rising which provided instruments to over 2,000 professional musicians.” Two years after the storm, Wick was promoted to the Academy’s Department of Membership and Industry Relations, a key position that further increased his involvement with the business end of the music industry. Over the ten years since then he has become an advocate for those in his profession, especially when it comes to tracking legislation affecting those in the industry. Of special concern to him is the current copyright law, which was last updated in 1998 to cover some early aspects of digital recording. “The Academy is very much involved with protecting the rights of artists and music creators,” Wick said. “As the technology develops, the law is so far behind the times. The law needs to come into compliance where we make sure that our music creators are paid fairly for what they create and how their music is used.” In the current legislative session, Wick is closely monitoring the progress of the two bills currently making their way through the House and which, if passed, would go on to the State Senate. Wick is guardedly optimistic for passage from both chambers and attaining the governor’s signature but he’s not overconfident. “We have some of the pieces of the big ecosystem of the music industry in place but there’s a lot of those pieces we don’t have in place,” he said. “Many of our musicians still have to leave the state to get those services. So, if this bill (the sound recording investor rebate program), gets passed, it will open the door for some companies to come in and help bolster our industry. It would seal the deal and then the snowball effect would start to happen. “That and a full-blown economic impact study would make a big difference,” Wick added. “I want to build a music industry that can support the natural talent that we have. That’s really the goal here.” �� Jon Cleary and Reid Wick backstage at the GRAMMYs 2016 just after Cleary won his award. PHOTOS COURTESY OF REID WICK 18 | BREAKTHRU MEDIA | breakthrumediamagazine.com MAY / J U N E 2 0 1 7
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