Recording Academy Appoints New VPs For P&E Wing and Artist Relations

The Recording Academy has appointed Maureen Droney as Vice President of the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing) and Chantel Sausedo as Vice President of Artist Relations. Reporting to Chief Awards & Industry Officer Ruby Marchand, Droney advises the Academy on technical matters related to recording. 

The P&E Wing comprises an international network focused on sound quality, the development of new technologies, technical best practices, education in the recording arts, and advocacy for the rights of all music creators. Reporting to Chief Operating Officer Branden Chapman, Sausedo leads artist relations activities. She is responsible for managing and developing relationships with artists and key members of their teams and collaborates with artist relations stakeholders on strategic planning, systems review, evaluation of outreach, and streamlining of efforts for the Academy and its affiliates. She serves as the key representative to speak on behalf of the organization and ensures talent activities are advancing the Academy's mission.

 

"I am thrilled to have Maureen and Chantel in their elevated roles in the P&E Wing and Artist Relations teams," said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. "What they both have been able to accomplish thus far at the Academy has been extraordinary, and their respective roles are integral to the success of the organization. I look forward to how they will continue to serve the Recording Academy and the greater music community."

 

Droney joined the Academy in 2005 as Executive Director of the P&E Wing in the Membership & Industry Relations Department. Within Membership, she has spearheaded numerous educational events and series across genres, genders and regions such as Songs That Changed My Life, The Art of the Craft, From Mic To Mix, and Keeping The Music Playing. She established the Producers & Engineers Wing GRAMMY Week Celebration including past honorees such as Quincy Jones, Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Neil Young, and Jack White. 

Droney also co-created with the Latin Recording Academy to launch En La Mezcla, the Latin GRAMMY Week signature event which honours its Circulo de Productores y Ingenieros, a sister network to the P&E Wing. As part of the Wing’s advocacy efforts, she has been active in Washington, D.C., including organizing a special event to lobby Members of Congress for all music creators — but particularly studio practitioners — by constructing a recording studio from scratch in the Capitol’s Cannon House Office Building for a session with Kelly Clarkson and Barack Obama that demonstrated what producers and engineers do.

 

Prior to her role at the Recording Academy, Droney was a recording engineer on GRAMMY-winning albums for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Santana — as well as numerous other projects, including two Billboard No. 1 Dance hits. In addition, she has worked in both artist and studio management, was the longtime Los Angeles editor for Mix magazine, and has published three books related to recording. Her most recent, co-written with its subject, is Al Schmitt on the Record: The Magic Behind the Music, chronicling the life and career of the most awarded recording engineer in history.

 

Droney currently serves on the Boards of the California State University Entertainment Alliance, the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) and the Entertainment Industry Professionals Mentoring Alliance (EIPMA). She holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast communication arts from California State University, San Francisco and has taught seminars on the theory and practice of recording for companies including ABC and CBS Television.

 

Sausedo joined the organization in 2021 as the Managing Director of Artist Relations, where she implemented an Artist Involvement Menu that provides all events and opportunities for artists to get involved at the Academy. She also helped establish an official internal ticketing system for talent-booking support. Additionally, she has further developed the Academy's Artist Summer Showcase Series and has brought in numerous diverse, notable artists across genres including Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, Lil Nas X, Måneskin, Carly Pearce, and Olivia Rodrigo, among others.

 

With over 20 years of experience, Sausedo has worked in artist relations and management within the production, corporate, political, and philanthropic space. Prior to joining the Academy, she booked and produced numerous Music Event Television Specials, including the GRAMMY Awards Telecast for 10 years, multiple other GRAMMY-branded specials and prior to that, was a talent executive for the GRAMMY Awards Telecast. Past programs she has also worked on include PBS's "In Performance At The White House," all "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" specials, NBC's "Elvis All-Star Tribute," the Laureus World Sports Awards, and the opening of the Taking the Stage exhibit for the African American Museum of History and Culture. Additionally, she has managed artists and produced events for various presidents, the Pope, Dalai Lama, Google, the United Nations, the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, and the Recording Academy.

 

Sausedo received an Emmy nomination in 2019 for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for her work as a producer for the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards under AEG Ehrlich Ventures, LLC.