Gospel Music Association

== Positions and controversies ==

In 1971, a scandal broke out over the [[4th GMA Dove Awards]] when [[The Blackwood Brothers]], some of whose membership was also part of the GMA leadership, won almost every award for which they were eligible, a total of nine out of fourteen awards.<ref name=":5">Goff, James R. 2002. p. 235</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine |date=October 23, 1971 |title=Blackwood Bros. Return 'Dove' Awards; New Ballot Possible |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media]], Inc. |volume=83 |issue=43 |pages=36, 42 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> The group was accused of unfairly stacking the vote through an aggressive recruitment campaign, with some industry members accusing the group of also distributing "marked ballots, gifts and free memberships."<ref name=":5" /> As a result of the controversy, all awards from that year were stripped and [[James Blackwood]], a GMA board member, took responsibility for what he called "unethical behavior."<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

The GMA has staunchly supported anti-[[music piracy]] efforts, and launched its own antipiracy campaign in 2004.<ref name=cusic/> In 2011, the GMA appeared on a list of organizations supporting the "Stop Online Piracy Act" ([[Stop Online Piracy Act|SOPA]]) before the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2011 |title=The 439 organizations SOPA opponents should worry about [updated] |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/the-439-organizations-sopa-opponents-should-worry-about/ |access-date=May 4, 2019 |website=Digital Trends}}</ref>

The GMA drew criticism from [[Kirk Franklin]] after his speech at the 2019 Dove Awards, which addressed [[shooting bias]] in police violence, was censored. The GMA later issued Franklin a formal apology.<ref>[https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-gospel-music-association-apologize-kirk-franklin-censorship-boycott-20191029-le6ohvnmrzbnbj43zypfv6cq3u-story.html Gospel Music Association issues apology to Kirk Franklin in aftermath of proposed boycott over editing his comments about police brutality for telecast]. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]], New York'', October 29, 2019.</ref>