Harry Styles, Lady Gaga support new Black Music Action Coalition
Newly launched coaliton demands more accountability and equitable treatment in music
Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Megan Trainor are among the celebrities who have publicly lent their support to the newly launched Black Music Action Coalition.
Dozens of the industry’s top managers, artists, songwriters, producers, record label executives and legal representatives have banded together to start the nonprofit coalition to combat systemic racism in the industry, as revealed in an open letter on Monday.
“We created BMAC to address long standing racial inequities in the business, the financial impact of those inequities for both Black artists and executives, and ways we can with you urgently to solve those problems,” they wrote.
“We are encouraged by recent efforts by Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music, Apple, YouTube, BMG and other industry participants. However, we know that more needs to be done and we must do it together.”
BMAC is aligned with #TheShowMustBePaused, an initiative started by Atlantic Records exec Jamila Thomas and Platoon’s Brianna Agyemang — two black women who work in music marketing — to bring awareness to the exploitation of black artists in the music industry.
“DEEPLY ROOTED SYSTEMIC RACISM”
The “murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and Rayshard Brooks” are referenced in BMAC’s open letter as a catalyst to these initiatives.
“Our highest priority at the moment is to meet with each company’s CEO, senior management, and your newly formed foundation boards to mutually develop a plan to address the deeply rooted systemic racism in our industry,” BMAC wrote.
“This plan must include a review that specifically examines: inequities in the treatment of Black artists, the recruitment, advancement and salary parity of Black executives, and a general analysis of how your company will make things right by Black artists, executives and the greater community.”
ARTISTS BACK BMAC
Since the letter went live on Twitter on June 22, many high profile artists have shown public support, including pop star Harry Styles who posted the BMAC logo — an illustration of a fist holding up a microphone at the centre of a vinyl record — on his Twitter page.
“Change in the music industry begins now,” wrote Lady Gaga.
“I love what @bma_coalition is doing. BLACK LIVES MATTER,” posted Megan Trainor.
According to Billboard, other artists who have endorsed the letter include Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Khalid, Diplo, Rosalia, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Missy Elliott, Mary J Blige and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.