Recording Academy and Color of Change Announce #ChangeMusic RoadMap

The Recording Academy and racial justice organization Color of Change have announced the #ChangeMusic RoadMap—an initiative that aims to create racial justice within the music industry. The full RoadMap may be viewed at the Color of Change website.

According to the groups’ mission statement, the purpose of the initiative is to “work to increase the number of Black people and other underrepresented groups in key roles in the Academy, [its] affiliates, and across the broader industry (i.e., voting members, musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals).”

In addition, the groups want to ensure “greater equity by increasing representation of Black people and other underrepresented groups in critical roles throughout the broader music industry,” and also “identify and dismantle systemic barriers to representation and equitable treatment of Black people and other under-represented groups across the industry.”

Along with the aforementioned goals, the initiative includes planned investment in Black careers, funding for anti-racist training events, the establishment of pay equity, an increase in the number of Black people in leadership roles, and more.

“In a year of uprising, sickness, and distance, music has been both a healing force and a call to action. It’s helped us process our pain and drive social change. This moment offers an unparalleled opportunity to change patterns of exclusion and degradation and take action toward progress,” Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said in a press release. “To honor and amplify Black artists’ past, present, and future contributions, the music industry must tear down the barriers that have been up for far too long. #ChangeMusic is our first step.”

Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, added:

Change cannot wait. We believe this #ChangeMusic Roadmap will be key to driving progress in the Academy and the music industry. It was developed over the last few months with the goal of holding ourselves accountable. The roadmap is intended to serve as an important tool to support the changes we must urgently make together in music. This is a new era of the Recording Academy and we won’t stop until the work is done. The Recording Academy and Color of Change invite our peers and partners to join us on this transformational journey.

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