The Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is defending his organization's controversial Grammy nominations for Marilyn Manson after he was accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
Mason spoke with The Wrap on Tuesday and said that the Recording Academy doesn't 'restrict' who can submit their names for awards consideration.
However, the 53-year-old producer and executive stopped short of saying that controversial artists would be welcome at the Grammy ceremony.
Pushing back: Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., 53, defended Marilyn Manson's Grammy nominations in an interview with The Wrap on Tuesday; pictured November 18 in Las Vegas
According to Mason, the Grammy nominations are purely aimed at singling out the best recorded work of the year.
'We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration,' he explained. 'We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria. If it is, they can submit for consideration.'
But those artists might find a colder reception when it comes time for the big night.
'What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets,' Mason continued. 'We’ll take a look at anyone who is asking to be a part of that, asking to be in attendance, and we’ll make our decisions at that point. But we’re not going to be in the business of restricting people from submitting their work for our voters to decide on.'
No preconditions: Mason said the Grammy nominations wouldn't look at 'people’s history' or 'criminal record,' though controversial figures might not be invited to the ceremony; Manson seen in February 2020 in Beverly Hills
Although Mason didn't specifically mention Manson (born Brian Warner) by name, the shock rocker and the Grammys came in for criticism after he earned two nominations, one for Album of the Year for his contributions to Kanye West's Donda
