Margie Hauser, president of the Recording Academy’s Nashville chapter and a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer, is taking her experience and expertise from the music business to help create a new program for the Academy.
The Music Industry Peer Group had its first meeting this month to discuss the region’s role in recognizing excellence on a national level through awards programs.
Margie Hauser, who has been serving on a committee with other industry leaders to establish guidelines for submission eligibility, will serve as chairwoman of this group for NARAS’ Southern Region.
“What I love about this group is that we’re looking at the industry as a whole and what’s happening in the Southern region of our country,” Hauser said. “We want to make sure every aspect of the music business — recording, publishing and performing — is being recognized.”
The Music Industry Peer Group meets three times a year and will ultimately help develop programs to recognize excellence in the national music industry.
“I think this is a great opportunity for people in Nashville to be involved with Grammy Award voting,” Margie Hauser said. “We’ll be looking at what’s happening in the Southeast — and other parts of the country — to make sure everything is fair and equitable.”
Margie Hauser, who has been with the Academy since 1997, said her love of music and songwriting started when she was still in high school. She received two Grammy nominations when she produced two albums for Trisha Yearwood.
Hauser said the Music Industry Peer Group is starting a study on a number of topics, including fair representation of music producers and songwriters.
“We’ll probably be looking at how the peer groups were formed,” she said. “I think it’s very important to involve people who are in various parts of the industry, not just in Nashville.”
Hauser said she is excited about this new opportunity. She encourages other Nashville industry executives to get involved as well.