Mike Greene, also known as Charles Michael Greene, is an American arts executive who served as head of the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

(NARAS) from 1988 to 2002, and the president and CEO of Artist Tribe and myMuse.

Early years

Greene earned his BBA in Business from West Georgia College, studied ceramics at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, later earned a special Doctorate in Music from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

, and was awarded Honorary Doctorates from both

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptists, Baptist minister Russell Conwell an ...

and the

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

. The son of a

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

leader, Greene began his career as a recording artist, singer-songwriter and producer with

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, and GRC Recordings. Greene built and was CEO of Apogee Studios, as well as publishing companies working with artists such as

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, James Brown, Keith Jarrett,

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

, Sarah Vaughan,

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo ca ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

, and many more. Greene was Executive V.P. of Crawford Communications; CEO of the Video Music Channel; GM of WVEU television network in Atlanta; CEO of the

; founder of

Musicares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...

and the Grammy Foundation; and also CEO of Artist Tribe and MyMuse Partners. Greene founded The Cable Marketing Group Ltd. and Total Entertainment & Media Productions, Inc. These were two of the country's first cable consulting, production and ad placement companies. In 1981, Greene built The Video Music Channel into one of the world's first cable video music networks. VMC was a national pioneer in multi-genre video music programming and live event production, with over 4 million subscribers. Next, VMC added traditional VHF and UHF television stations into its network, and Greene was named VP/GM of the network's flagship station, WVEU (UHF) in Atlanta, Georgia. During this same period, Greene served as Senior Vice President of Universal Video Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana producing 16 hours of original programming daily for the first Direct Broadcast Satellite Service, U.S.C.I. (the Prudential and General Instruments venture). Next, Greene helped build Crawford Post Production, Satellite Services, Communications and Interactive Services Companies, in Atlanta. While Greene was Executive V.P., Crawford became one of the nation's largest media production companies serving clients such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

, IBM,

Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (l ...

, the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

, and

Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United S ...

among thousands of others. Greene was President of Crawford-Greene, Inc. Crawford is still a leader in these fields. Greene served as a consultant to the

Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of Culture (MOC) was a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of China which was dissolved on 19 March 2018. The responsibilities of the MOC, which were assumed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, encompassed cultu ...

Career at NARAS

In 1986, Greene was elected as Chairman of

(NARAS), made famous for its annual Grammy Awards. In 1988, Greene was named the Academy's first President/CEO and served as CEO for 14 years. Greene led the growth of membership from 3,200 to over 27,000, built 12 regional offices, and launched the

Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences pt, Academia Latina da Gravação , image = Latin_grammy_logo_(2022).png , image_border = , size = 150px , caption = , map = , msize = , mcaption = , motto = , formation = , extinction ...

. During his presidency, Academy revenue increased by 30 fold. Under Greene's leadership, the Grammy Awards ceremony grew from being syndicated in 14 countries to over 180. Greene also established the Academy's Political Advocacy Initiatives. NARAS emerged as a voice for music and the arts in Washington D.C. and the state houses on issues such as: * Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright Infringement * First Amendment protection * Music and Arts Education * Preservation of funding for the national arts agencies * Digital Music Distribution and Artist Rights * Archiving and Preservation of the world's musical legacy Under Greene's Academy leadership, NARAS developed: *

* Grammy in the Schools * Grammy High School Jazz Bands and Choir Ensembles * Grammy.com and the Live Grammy Webcasts * The Grammy Nominees CD series * Leonard Bernstein Centers for Learning * National Music Industry Coalition * Grammy National Mentoring Partnership * National Music Education Coalition * Grammy Living History Video Archive * Grammy Music on Film Preservation Initiative * Grammy Foundation and MusiCares Foundation * NARAS Journal and Grammy Magazine * Grammy Concert Series for Children * Grammy Signature Schools * Grammy Gateway and Grammy Sessions * Grammy Preservation and Recording Technology Timeline

The Grammy Foundation

During Greene's tenure, the Academy produced hundreds of educational events across the nation and the world. Greene founded and was President of two 501C-3 Foundations while presiding over the Academy. The Grammy Foundation spent over $4 million annually to provide grants and educational programs reaching over 2 million people. Their work in Congress helped launch the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

designed to preserve historically significant recordings, the National Coalition for Music Education, and coalitions to save the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

, and NPR.

MusiCares

In 1990, Greene founded

MusiCares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...

to provide financial grants, substance abuse intervention, treatment and educational programs to music professionals in need worldwide. MusiCares has distributed well over $20 million since its inception. Greene was also the national spokesperson for the National Association of Music Therapists, now known as the American Music Therapy Association.

Artist Tribe

Greene founded Artist Tribe, LLC in 2005 and currently serves as its president and CEO. Artist Tribe is an innovation enterprise which houses seven operating divisions serving the creative and cultural communities at large. The Artist Tribe Foundation is involved in the field of Arts Mentoring, Education, Arts and Wellness, and produces culturally significant documentaries. The most recent is Girls in the Band.

Ceramics

Greene is a ceramicist and instructor, with works in the permanent collection of the

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (2 ...

Accolades

Greene was inducted into the

Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Miller to attract the musi ...

, receiving a Georgy Award for his contributions to music. Greene received a special Doctorate in Music from the

and an Honorary Doctorate in Music and Arts Education from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

in Boston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Mike American chief executives Presidents of The Recording Academy Living people Year of birth missing (living people)