Academy Invites 487 New Members, Including 21 Musicians

The Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards 2024 are set to be a star-studded affair, with top names in the music industry gracing the stage. The announcement of performers for this year's event includes multi-talented actor and rapper Will Smith, Nigerian singer Rema, British songwriter Steve Mac, and producer Lostboy. 
 
Smith, known for his illustrious career spanning over three decades in both the film and music industries, will take center stage at the BET Awards. He has been instrumental in shaping hip-hop culture while earning recognition as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. 
 
Rema, Steve Mac, and Lostboy have also just recently been honored at the prestigious 2024 ASCAP London Music Awards. This nod from one of the UK's leading award-giving bodies further cements their influence on modern pop culture. 
 
In other news related to entertainment awards, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited an impressive number of artists and executives to join its organization—a total of 487 individuals, including those from various branches such as music. 
 
This move by The Academy reflects its commitment to representation, inclusion, and equity within its ranks. A significant portion (44%) identify as women, which represents an increase from last year's new member class percentage (40%). Additionally, underrepresented ethnic and racial communities comprise 41%, a notable rise compared to last year's figure of 34%.. 
 
Interestingly enough, more than half the invitees hail from countries outside the U.S., signifying that international talent is being recognized more than ever before by The Academy. 
 
With respect to gender diversity among different branches within The Academy, excluding the music branch, six invited more women, while four extended majority invitations to members belonging to underrepresented ethnic or racial communities. 
 
On acceptance of an invitation by candidates, demographics will be confirmed, reflecting accurately the diversity numbers that are currently based upon research projections. 
 
If all invitees accepted membership for this year, it would result in an overall strength totaling up to 10,910 members, inclusive of emeritus members. The voting membership would comprise 9,934 individuals. 
 
In such a scenario, the representation of women will be at least 35%, underrepresented ethnic or racial communities will constitute 20%, and a similar number, i.e., 20%, will be from outside the U.S. 
 
"We are thrilled to welcome this year's class of new members to the Academy," said Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy, and Janet Yang, president of the organization, in their joint statement. "These remarkably talented artists and professionals from around the world have made a significant impact on our filmmaking community." 
 
Of note is that eight invitees received invitations from multiple branches, but they must select one branch upon accepting membership. 
 
Among these new additions, there are also Oscar nominees (71) that include winners (19). 
 
This move towards diversity is indeed encouraging, as it not only validates talent across different demographics but also enriches storytelling through varied perspectives.