los angeles fire relief musicares

Photo Credit: CAL FIRE Official

The Recording Academy and MusiCares launch the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort with a pledge of $1 million as wildfires continue to ravage the LA area.

As the fires blazing throughout Los Angeles and beyond continue to devastate the community, the Recording Academy and MusiCares have launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort. The efforts will support music professionals impacted by the crisis, with a combined pledge of $1 million to kick things off.

“The entire Grammy family is shocked and deeply saddened by the situation that is unfolding in Los Angeles,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. “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 […] and we hope the broader industry will now rally to this cause.”

“We expected the disaster relief efforts in Los Angeles to be extraordinary, if even just on the basis of how many people have lost their homes in the last day,” added Laura Segura, executive director of MusiCares. “MusiCares is always committed to ensuring that music professionals are supported in times of crisis, and we ask for the largest community to donate for those in need at this dire time. MusiCares can help with short-term emergent needs for those currently displaced, and then longer-term services as we get a handle on the full extent of how music people are impacted.”

On Thursday, officials said they are still assessing the number of losses, but have confirmed over 1,000 homes have burned down in the Palisades fire. Roughly 1,000 more were lost to the fire in Eaton. Both communities are home to hundreds of musicians and independent contractors, and many have lost their recording studios and equipment in addition to their homes.

Those eligible for financial aid through MusiCares include producers, live crew, tour bus drivers, managers, agents, A&R, makeup artists, costume designers, music video creatives and technicians, and anyone whose livelihood depends on music. Applicants must provide documentation of employment history for a minimum of five years in the music industry, or six commercially released recordings or videos/singles.

Musicians impacted can reach out to the MusiCares team directly through email (musicaresrelief@musicares.org) and phone (1-800-687-4227).