Consistent with its longstanding support of the professional recording community, Harman Professional today announced its sponsorship of the new GRAMMY MuseumSM at L.A. LIVE, which opens in downtown Los Angeles in December.   In doing so, the company will provide category-leading audio technologies from its JBL, Crown, BSS Audio, AKG and Soundcraft brands which will be deployed throughout the ambitious and impressive new museum and will also be the lead sponsor of The Recording Academy®'s Producers & Engineers Wing exhibit to be named ”Playback: From Mono to Surround.”
 
A collaboration between The Recording Academy and Anshutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the GRAMMY Museum was founded to explore and celebrate the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music — the GRAMMY® Award.  The Museum will feature interactive, permanent and traveling exhibits — featuring dynamic and engaging multimedia presentations — and will be located within L.A. LIVE, the downtown Los Angeles sports, entertainment and residential district.
 
The 30,000 square-foot facility comprises four floors of interactive and stimulating exhibit space for a celebratory, inspirational and educational experience.  The lobby greets visitors with exciting multimedia presentations and elevators which will take guests directly to the fourth floor where the Museum tour begins.  A tunnel of bold graphics and powerful GRAMMY music ultimately opens to an exciting gallery space filled with films, artifacts and interactive exhibits — all of which capture the legacy of recorded music and reveal the many ways in which it intertwines with social and cultural history.  The third floor takes guests behind-the-scenes into the art and technology of the recording process and features hands-on, in-the-studio experiences as well as an in-depth exploration of the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast. The second floor houses the 200-seat state-of-the-art GRAMMY Sound Stage and will feature an exclusive film that captures the backstage world of the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The second floor is also home to the Museum's Special Exhibits Gallery, where original temporary exhibits will be showcased on a rotating basis.
 
Commenting on the sponsorship, Michael MacDonald, Harman Professional Executive Vice President of Marketing & Sales said today, “With its new GRAMMY Museum, The Recording Academy has proven to be deeply committed to the history and advancement of music and recording arts, but also very innovative in how it will bring this special history to a wide and large audience of music enthusiasts and history fans.  We’re naturally very excited to have this great facility on our doorstep in Los Angeles and we’re also very pleased to participate in this impressive new institution of arts learning and entertainment.”
 
“For years, the JBL brand has been linked to the history of music production,” said Robert Santelli, Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum.  “It is fitting that the products of this brand are featured in the GRAMMY Museum.  Harman International has long been a supporter of The Recording Academy and we’re pleased to have such a valued partner join us in this exciting new venture.”
 
Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com), designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG®, Audioaccess®, Becker®, BSS®, Crown®, dbx®, DigiTech®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®, Revel®, QNX®, Soundcraft® and Studer®. Harman International’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NYSE: HAR.”