Tammy Hurt
Tammy Hurt's entire life has been about music - creating it, working in the industry, and helping others understand the role it plays not only in our hearts and our community, but also in our economy. The daughter of a musician, Tammy learned firsthand about the art and business of music. A lifelong music creator and advocate, she is an accomplished entrepreneur, music producer, Emmy-nominated television producer and drummer. As the founder of Placement Music, a boutique entertainment firm launched in 2010, she has delivered custom music and scoring for major clients including FOX Sports, Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, HBO, BET, SONY, the NFL, and NASCAR. Her passion project, Sonic Rebel, blends original, high-fidelity, genre-blurred music beds with mashups and DJ remixes powered by expertly recorded live drum tracks.
She is the Chief Strategy Officer for Star Forest, an animated, virtual, band distributed by Magic Star, the Global Kids & Family Entertainment Division of The Orchard, a part of Sony Music Entertainment UK. The multimedia brand spans music, videos, podcasts, live events, character-driven animation, merchandise, and a mobile game – expanding into online gaming environments Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite.
She currently serves as a board member of Marathon Live, as a Trustee of the Latin Recording Academy® (Latin GRAMMY Awards®), as Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy® (GRAMMY Awards®), and is a member of the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Commission. In 2025, Tammy was honored as a Billboard Women in Music recipient, recognized by Alicia Keys' She Is the Music, and presented with a proclamation from the Atlanta City Council for her unwavering commitment to advancing the music community. Widely celebrated for her entrepreneurial vision, civic leadership, and creative achievements, she has received numerous accolades, including two Silver Telly Awards and a Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Best Score, Special Feature”, a Creative Excellence Award from Women In Film and Television, Catalyst Magazine’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch, a Most Admired CEO award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and a TEDxAtlanta speaker invitation. She led the successful campaign to pass Georgia’s first standalone music tax incentive—the Georgia Music Investment Act—and was formally commended by Governor Brian Kemp for her national impact on the music industry. 2021-2025, Tammy was elected by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees, to serve for two terms as Chairwoman of the Board, where she guided the organization through a pivotal era of transformation—modernizing governance, advancing transparency, expanding diversity, and reaffirming the Academy’s steadfast commitment to music creators everywhere. She was the first openly LGBTQ+ Chair, a landmark for the Recording Academy, the second Atlantan, and the third woman to have served in the position in the Academy’s 68-year history. Her leadership and vision continue to shape the future of the creative industries.
She currently serves as a board member of Marathon Live, as a Trustee of the Latin Recording Academy® (Latin GRAMMY Awards®), as Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy® (GRAMMY Awards®), and is a member of the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Commission. In 2025, Tammy was honored as a Billboard Women in Music recipient, recognized by Alicia Keys' She Is the Music, and presented with a proclamation from the Atlanta City Council for her unwavering commitment to advancing the music community. Widely celebrated for her entrepreneurial vision, civic leadership, and creative achievements, she has received numerous accolades, including two Silver Telly Awards and a Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Best Score, Special Feature”, a Creative Excellence Award from Women In Film and Television, Catalyst Magazine’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch, a Most Admired CEO award by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and a TEDxAtlanta speaker invitation. She led the successful campaign to pass Georgia’s first standalone music tax incentive—the Georgia Music Investment Act—and was formally commended by Governor Brian Kemp for her national impact on the music industry. 2021-2025, Tammy was elected by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees, to serve for two terms as Chairwoman of the Board, where she guided the organization through a pivotal era of transformation—modernizing governance, advancing transparency, expanding diversity, and reaffirming the Academy’s steadfast commitment to music creators everywhere. She was the first openly LGBTQ+ Chair, a landmark for the Recording Academy, the second Atlantan, and the third woman to have served in the position in the Academy’s 68-year history. Her leadership and vision continue to shape the future of the creative industries.
In the News
VoyageATL: Meet Tammy Hurt of Atlanta
"Looking back, the challenges didn’t harden me — they sharpened me. They gave me clarity, confidence, and a deep commitment to lifting others as I move forward. Today, resilience means leading with intention, integrity, and accountability —
and leaving the door wider open than I found it."
Read the full interview here: https://voyageatl.com/interview/meet-tammy-hurt-of-atlanta
Billboard Women in Music, a prestigious annual event established to recognize women in the music and entertainment industry who have made significant contributions to the business and who, through their work and continued success, inspire generations of women to take on increasing responsibilities within the field, announced, Tammy Hurt as a 2025 Executive honoree.
In honor of her dedication, service and contributions to the Recording Academy, Tammy was invited to join Cheche Alara and the GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony house band on stage on GRAMMY Sunday, drawing praise from Shelia E., Jimmy Jam, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo and record producer Andrew Watt.
Tammy Hurt's 11 Good Things
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On March 21, Hurt was named as a top executive on the 2025 Billboard Women in Music list following an announcement days earlier that she was included on a list by She Is the Music, an organization cofounded by Alicia Keys that works with women producers, engineers and other behind-the-scenes jobs in the music industry. She told GPB she was overwhelmed, receiving the two honors in the same week as a surprise proclamation from the Atlanta City Council on April 2.
Read the full article here: https://www.gpb.org/news/2025/04/15/atlanta-music-exec-tammy-hurt-receives-billboard-award-atlanta-city-council
Tammy Hurt attends White House Juneteenth Celebration in recognition of Black Music Month (L to R: Ashley Biden, President Joe Biden, Dr. Chelsey Green, Tammy Hurt, Ryan Butler, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff)
Recording Academy Board Of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt's Inspiring Message Of Acceptance:
"Our Door Is Wide Open"
https://www.grammy.com/videos/tammy-hurt-speech-watch-2023-grammys-premiere-ceremony-live-recording-academy-chair-of-the-board
Tammy Hurt on cover of Atlanta's Creative Loafing June Edition
THRILLED to be on the cover of Atlanta’s Creative Loafing!!
Read the full article here: https://creativeloafing.com/content-490247-a-sonic-rebel-as-well-as-an-industry
Tammy Hurt Nominated for Southeast Emmy for work with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
"I am OVER-THE-MOON honored to be a part of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Southeast EMMY-nominated team‼️"
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Tammy Hurt featured speaker at TEDxAtlanta's 2021 Event.
Click Below to Watch Tammy's TEDxAtlanta Interview
Tammy Hurt in the AJC: Atlanta music businesswoman Tammy Hurt debuts electrifying new project, Sonic Rebel
Forbes
Atlanta Magazine
Variety
Billboard
The Atlanta 100
Billboard
Watch Sonic Rebel's "Reign" Video
Recording Academy Elected Leaders Unite To Recreate John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery"
“John Prine was one of the most influential songwriters of his generation and we joined the world in mourning when we learned of his passing,” said Tammy Hurt. “John was a much-beloved country and folk singer/songwriter, with a very giving spirit. This project is a tribute to honor that spirit and, in turn, raise awareness for the work that MusiCares is doing to support music creators around the country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The need is still so great and these times remain critical for music people." Read the article on Grammy.com
