NEW YORK • The #MeToo movement finally came to music in the aftermath of the Grammy Awards.

Since the event on Sunday, high-ranking record executive Charlie Walk was accused of sexual misconduct and a coalition of female music executives has called for Recording Academy president Neil Portnow to resign over comments he made after the awards.

On Monday, a blog post accused Mr Walk, president of the Republic Group, of persistent harassment.

The post was written by Ms Tristan Coopersmith, who referred to events in 2004 or 2005, when she worked with him at Columbia Records. In her post, she said she had been paid a settlement and had left the entertainment industry.

Mr Walk has denied the accusations. But Universal Music Group, Republic's parent company, has placed him on leave and hired a law firm to conduct a review.

At the Grammys - where only one woman, Alessia Cara, accepted a solo award, Best New Artist, onstage - Mr Portnow said women in music needed to "step up" to advance their careers.

His comment drew rebukes from artists such as Pink and Kelly Clarkson and, on Thursday, 21 female executives called for him to resign.

"We step up every single day and have been doing so for a long time," they said in a joint letter. "The fact that you don't realise this means it's time for you to step down."

Before the letter was released, the Recording Academy said it is establishing an independent task force "to overcome the explicit barriers and unconscious biases that impede female advancement in the music community".

NYTIMES