The Black Music Action Coalition and Audiomack, an artist-first music streaming and discovery platform, today announced the launch of “Black Music Executives Are The Future,” an internship and mentorship program aimed at grooming and developing the next generation of Black executives in the music industry.
As part of the initiative, Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition will select five Black undergraduates – or recent graduates – for three-month paid internships at Audiomack in a variety of departments, including marketing, creative design, editorial & content strategy, content operations, and tech development.
Over the duration of the program, the five participants will be allocated at least two notable music industry leaders to act as mentors. The following executives have received awards:
Amina Diop – Senior Vice President of Republic Records & Artist Manager
Andrew McInnes – CEO of TMWRK; manager for Diplo, A-Trak, etc.
Cortez Bryant – CEO of The Blueprint Group; served as artist manager for Lil’ Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Lil Nas X
Damien Smith – Artist Manager at Full Stop Management; manager for Offset and Anderson. Paak
Gordan Dillard – Artist Manager at SALXCO, manager for Doja Cat
Prophet – Co-founder and co-chair of Black Music Action Coalition; Artist manager
Tariq Cherif – Co-founder and CEO of Rolling Loud
“It’s disheartening to see that, of the 70 major and independent music companies, only 4.2% of high-level executives are Black,” Audiomack VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy Jason Johnson said. “As leaders in this industry, we must commit to hiring, developing and elevating Black talent to better reflect the communities that we serve. With this partnership with BMAC, our hope is to establish a strong pipeline of young, Black talent to enter the music industry and equip them with the resources to thrive.”
“If we are serious about closing the wealth gap and building an equitable industry and society, then there must be a true investment made into the next generation of Black executives and artists,” Black Music Action Coalition co-chair and artist manager Willie “Prophet” Stiggers said. “BMAC’s mission is not to only hold our industry accountable for dismantling systems that have historically prevented us from reaping the benefits of a culture we created, but to also to create new systems, new ideas and new leaders. It starts with leveling the playing field and ensuring that the executives and artists coming up, has the tools, support, resources, and access to excel. If Black lives matter – prove it.”
Prospective interns must apply HERE, create an Audiomack account, upload their résumé, select their preferred internship department, and follow Audiomack, Black Music Action Coalition, and Culture Fusion Agency on Instagram and Twitter. Applicants must submit a 300-word piece explaining why they wish to be chosen as a “Black Music Executives Are The Future” recipient and how they plan to use the opportunity to advance their careers. The application date for the program is March 4th. Following that, Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition will assess entries, announce program winners on March 14th, and assign beneficiaries to begin their internships on March 21st.
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