JOE SMITH TO HEAD RECORDING GROUP

Joe Smith, former chairman of Elektra Records and former president of Warner Bros. Records, has been named the first full-time president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, it was announced Monday.

Michael Greene, chairman of the academy’s board of trustees, said the new post will enable the organization, which presents the annual Grammy Awards for recording excellence, to increase its profile in various areas affecting the recording industry, including educational programs and legislation.

Smith, who has been active in the record business since the early ‘60s, has lobbied for copyright revisions and served as a government witness in record and tape piracy cases.