Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) have announced their latest initiative; a paid internship and mentorship program that aims to nurture the next generation of Black executives in the music industry.
For the program, called “Black Music Executives Are The Future,” Culture Fusion Agency, Audiomack, and BMAC will pick five Black undergraduates, who could have graduated as recently as April 2021. The mentees will then take part in a three-month internship at Audiomack, where they’ll learn about marketing, creative design, editorial and content strategy, content operations, and tech development.
“It’s disheartening to see that, of the 70 major and independent music companies, only 4.2% of high-level executives are Black,” Jason Johnson, Audiomack VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy, said in a press release. “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.”
Each mentee will also have two music industry executives act as their mentors during the program. Those executives include Amina Diop, senior vp of Republic Records and artist manager; Andrew McInnes, CEO of TMWRK and artist manager; Cortez Bryant, CEO of The Blueprint and artist manager; Damien Smith, artist manager at Full Stop Management; Gordon Dillar, artist manager at SALXCO; Prophet, co-founder and co-chair of BMAC and artist manager; and Tariq Cherif, co-founder and CEO of Rolling Loud Festival.
“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,” BMAC co-chair and artist manager Willie “Prophet” Stiggers added. “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.”
Prospective candidates can apply on the program’s website, and must make an Audiomack account, upload their resume, select their preferred internship department, and follow Audiomack, BMAC, and Culture Fusion Agency on Instagram and Twitter. Additionally, candidates must write a 300-word explanation of why they’d like to be chosen and how it will help their careers.
Applications will be accepted until March 4. Audiomack and BMAC will announce winners on March 14, with the program beginning March 21.
