Neil Portnow Biography
Neil Portnow (Neil R. Portnow) is the president of The Recording Academy. He was formerly the vice-president of the West Coast division of Jive Records.
Portnow grew up in Great Neck, New York. While in high school, he played the bass guitar in a rock band, The Savages, who released a 45 rpm record “Cheating on me”/”Best thing you ever had” on Red Fox Records.
He graduated from The George Washington University in 1971. Portnow began his career as a record producer although he has only four production credits and music supervisor. He worked with RCA Records as staff producer, and as vice-president of EMI America and A&R at Arista. Portnow was also senior vice-president, then president, at 20th Century Records.
Neil Portnow Recording Academy | Neil Portnow Grammy
Portnow became the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) (also known as The Recording Academy) in November 2002, replacing C. Michael Greene, who served as president from 1988 to 2002. At the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, Portnow made his first Grammy night address as president.
He led efforts to help musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina through the Academy’s MusiCares Foundation.
Portnow has also played a significant role in the digital music revolution, lobbying on Capitol Hill regarding artist compensation rights, particularly with regard to the Performance Rights Act, which requires artists to be paid for airplay on the radio.
During the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, he spoke about the election of President Barack Obama and encouraged his administration to add a cabinet-level position for Secretary of the Arts.
In May 2017, Portnow was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
In May 2018, it was revealed that money intended for the Recording Academy charity MusiCares, were siphoned off to pay for the cost-overruns of hosting the 60th Annual Grammy Awards at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
In July 2019, Portnow announced will step down as President of the Recording Academy after his contract is up.
In October 2018, he was present at The White House for the signing of the Music Modernization Act.
He had been a vocal supporter of getting the bill passed and signed into law.
Neil Portnow Jive Records
Portnow joined Jive Records in 1989, where he oversaw the expansion of their West Coast operation. In this position, Portnow played a small role in the careers of some of the biggest acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including R. Kelly, Britney Spears, and NSYNC. He worked alongside Jive’s president Clive Calder who ran Jive’s parent company, the Zomba Label Group.
Neil Portnow Age | How old is Neil Portnow?
He was born in 1948 in New York City, New York, United States. He is 75 years old as of 2023.
Neil Portnow Height
Portnow stands at a height of about 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Neil Portnow Family | Neil Portnow Wife
Portnow likes to keep his personal life hence there is no any information or news about his parents, siblings or whether he is married or not. It is also not known whether Portnow has any children.
Neil Portnow Salary
Portnow earns a base salary of $1.014 million.
Neil Portnow Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of around 102 million dollars.