#ChangeMusic Roadmap Initiative Launched by The Recording Academy And Color Of Change

The Recording Academy and Color Of Change have announced the collaborative release of the #ChangeMusic Roadmap.

#ChangeMusic Roadmap is a guide created to help move the music industry beyond conversation and intention and move it towards actionable racial justice. This collaborative effort is the latest initiative the partnering organizations have launched to promote tangible change within the music industry.

“The #ChangeMusic Roadmap urges the industry to change patterns of exclusion and degradation and take action toward progress through the following:

• Invest in Black talent + careers by supporting retention and training measures for Black people.
• Commit to transparent reporting of Black representation by conducting a third-party and public-facing diversity audit and annually reporting pay disparities.
• Align and partner with the Black community by contracting with Black-owned and Black-led businesses and partnering with brands that are in alignment with anti-racist social justice values.
• Promote civic advocacy and participation by giving employees paid time off to participate in national elections.
• Invest in Black safety by aligning with and supporting current calls around reexamining the role of police in Black communities and addressing structural issues in the criminal justice system.”

“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,” Harvey Mason jr., chair & interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a written statement. “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.”

“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,” Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, said in a statement. “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.”