Membership
The Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) is a nonprofit organization established to preserve, protect and promote one of Hawai‘i’s chief assets, its music. Membership is open to those who are now, or have previously been, active in the recording arts and sciences as professionals, such as radio, television, record company employees, arts and entertainment writers, and other members of the media, and, in a new category, individuals who are not professionally affiliated with the recording industry, but who have demonstrated a keen knowledge of and interest in the recorded music of Hawai’i.
The Academy annually produces the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in a live television broadcast honoring the achievements of excellence in the recording arts. All product created, produced, engineered, and recorded by a local resident artist, musician, or technician released during the eligibility year and primarily for distribution in Hawai’i is eligible for inclusion on the preliminary voting ballot. The final ballot is made up of a maximum of five of the top voted preliminary ballot nominees in each category. Only voting members of the Academy that have applied for membership at least two months prior to the awards ceremonies are eligible to vote in the Nā Hōkū Hanohano balloting.
Eligibility
Membership is open to active and retired recording arts and sciences professionals; members of affiliated industries, such as radio, television, record company employees, arts and entertainment writers, and individuals who are not recording industry professionals, but exhibit a strong interest in and/or substantial knowledge of the recorded music of Hawai‘i.
Regular Membership
Regular Membership is open to all professionals in the Hawai‘i recording industry. Included are resident recording artists, singers, musicians, studio technicians, engineers, producers, songwriters, graphic artists, liner note annotators, and editors (or text editors) with at least one verifiable recording credit. All recordings must have been commercially released in Hawai‘i. Commercially released recordings are defined as being released through distribution companies/outlets and retail Internet distribution outlets located within the State of Hawai’i. Resident recording artists, producers and other professionals with digital download–only releases which are for sale exclusively through established online retailers such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon.com, eMusic and CD Baby are also eligible or regular membership. Artists and other professionals whose recordings are distributed solely via personal sales at performances and/or non-retail Internet Web sites are not eligible for regular membership. Regular members may nominate, vote for and sit on the Board of Governors of HARA, chair committees; vote for all Nā Hōkū Hanohano ballot categories, including the technical categories and are entitled to receive the newsletter.
Associate Membership
Associate Membership is open to all members of related industries, including but not limited to: radio, television, retail record outlets, record distributors, record companies, arts and entertainment writers, other members of the media and professional musicians without a recording credit. Associate members may vote for all ballot categories except technical categories; sit on HARA committees; and are entitled to receive the newsletter.
Friends of the Academy
Friend of the Academy Membership is open to anyone who wishes to support HARA and its initiatives. Friends of the Academy are entitled to receive the newsletter. Designed for the non-professional who wishes to support the efforts of HARA.
Applications
Dues shall be $110.00 per two (2) year period, payable by January 31st at the beginning of the two (2) year period. Membership dues are tax deductible to the extent provided for by law. Please consult with your tax advisor for specific tax advice. Please note, all credit card and paypal transactions have a 3% handling fee added to total amount(s) due.
The application is confidential and is for HARA use only. Additional membership applications and other information regarding the Academy may be obtained from the Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts.