To ring in Black Music Appreciation Month, Audiomack is pairing with the Black Music Action Coalition to offer paid internship and mentorship programs for Black music industry executives in the making. The new initiative is an addition to the “Black Music Executives Are the Future” program launched last year, which aims to create more opportunities for Black executives in music.
Six Black undergraduate students or recent graduates will be offered a three-month paid summer internship in a number of music business departments, including finance, technology development and marketing. The deadline for candidate applications is June 8.
Each recipient will be paired with an established music industry executive to serve as their personal mentor throughout the program. The participating executives includeMax Gousee, CEO of the Artistry Group; Al Branch, CMO and partner at the Blueprint Group; Kathryn Frazier, CEO of Biz 3 Publicity; Yves Pierre, an agent at Creative Artists Agency; Lydia Asrat, CEO at 10Q Management; and Marcus “Don Dada” Johnson, a talent buyer at AEG.
Commenting on the organization’s commitment to mentiorship programs, BMAC’s Co-Founder/Chair Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, adds, “BMAC’s ‘Black Music Executives are The Future’ Mentorship/Internship program provides six current HBCU students with industry insights and leaders. This program exposes and teaches students through real time experiences and mentorship from some of our industry’s most successful executives. Our inaugural cohort, enriched by this experience, will surely be future industry leaders.”
He continues, “Until there is a level playing field, BMAC and Audiomack team will activate, agitate, and innovate to ensure accountability and establish equitable pathways to opportunities, access, and success. Although some have gone quiet after loudly committing to the cause of racial justice, BMAC remains steadfast and true to our commitment to repair and build a more equitable and representative music industry.”
Earlier this year, BMAC shared the second edition of its Music Industry Action Report Card (MIARC) which observes dozens of organizations in multiple categories — from labels, publishers, streaming services, live entertainment and touring, the Recording Academy and more — in order to address and combat the lack of diversity in those sectors. The report found that most of the major labels had responded to staggering statistics — take for example, the 2021 USC Annenberg study, which concluded that just 7.5 percent of VP music executives were Black — with new initiatives to increase and encourage diversity.
“Representation is a priority for our team,” said Jason Johnson, senior VP of marketing and brand strategy at Audiomack. “We remain committed to providing Black students and graduates with the real-world experience and opportunities to jumpstart their careers and pursue their passions in the music industry. We have a responsibility as leaders to pay it forward, open doors for the next generation of young, Black talented leaders and level the corporate playing field.”
