Grammy hangs in Gotham

By VARIETY STAFF

For the second year in a row, the Grammy Awards will be held in New York. But the 40th annual ceremony, which will be held on Feb. 25, 1998, will return to Radio City Music Hall.

The move ends the experiment by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to bring the event to a larger venue allowing the inclusion of more industry execs and members of the public.

The 39th annual ceremony was held earlier this year at the much larger Madison Square Garden, which held more than 12,000 fans and industry movers and shakers. Radio City has a capacity just north of 6,000 seats.

The announcement had been expected (Daily Variety, Sept. 3) and was made Monday at a City Hall press conference attended by recording academy prexy/CEO Michael Greene, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the Bee Gees, country singer Tim McGraw and R&B diva Erykah Badu.

Giuliani said the show and its related events will bring more than $23 million into the city's economy. "It's only natural that one of the music industry's biggest nights should be held in the music capital of the world," he said.

Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Doug Morris and Goldman, Sachs chairman/CEO Jon Corzine will serve as co-chairs of the New York host committee. Members of the committee will be named in the coming months. Pierre Cossette will again serve as exec producer of the three-hour CBS telecast.