Diversity in the Music

Industry By Shelby Brooks

Diversity in the Music

Industry: Why Representation is Important

The overwhelming dominance of the

black/white dynamic in Western music.

Today’s instantaneous access to the internet has drastically changed society and that includes the music industry. Where before you had to get meetings with A&R reps to get your barebones idea of music heard, you can now create a studio in your room and upload whole finished projects to sites like soundcloud and even iTunes.

Why Representation is Important Regardless of this easy access for A&R to find new and extremely talented artists, there is a noticeable lack of diverse perspectives being shared in popular culture. On the Billboard Top 100 for the week of March 26, 2015, every artist in the top 20 is either black or white or a combination of the two.

Why Representation is ImportantRepresentation is important for today’s impressionable young people because they are the largest consumers of media. Seeing someone who looks like you and shares the same cultural perspective as you could be inspiring to young talent, as well as a confidence booster in a society that is constantly telling you that you are not good enough.

Billboard Hot 100

Is an music industry standard record chart for songs in the United States. Rankings are based on radio play, online streaming, and physical and digital sales.

Diversity in Organizations

Multicultural Organizations

A multicultural organization moves beyond the concept of have a diverse working environment onto a larger scale of adopting policies that deliberately capitalizes on cultural and gender diversity.

Multicultural Organizations Women, minorities, and other co-cultural groups are proportionally represented at all levels of an organization. Multicultural organizations are also marked by full informal integration. Meaning that these groups are included in social, mentoring, and developmental activities as well.

How Does Diversity Apply?

Lack of Diversity in Mainstream Music In mainstream music there is a lack of diversity. Although there are minority talent present there are still only two perspectives being heard. The music industry should adopt multicultural practices in order to bring more creativity, perspective, and of course more money to their companies.

Why Does It Apply?

The US is Not Black & White ...But mainstream music is. The top three spots for the most #1 hits are: Rihanna at #3 with 14 hits, Mariah Carey & Elvis Presley tied for #2 with 18, and The Beatles are #1 with 20 #1 hits. There is no consistent presence of any other ethnicity in the top 20 of the hot 100.

Top 3 slots for #1 hits

Where Does It Apply?

The mainstream industry does not practice multiculturalism but because of internet sites like SoundCloud, datpiff, and individual blogs, many new artist are taking the route of going independent which would mean more opportunity & representation.

Nowhere Yet

Independence Going independent often means they have more artistic freedom, and they have more involvement in their promotion which means the artist has more control over their careers. We are already reaping the benefits of independent artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Fetty Wap, Bon Iver, dvsn, Kali Uchis, & CL.

SuggestionsOpportunity

❏Provide more opportunity for other ethnicities to be more than a fad.

❏Many artist draw from world music in their music, segway that to introduce new artist that play that music.

SuggestionsRepresentation

❏Take the risk and spend more money on artist of different cultures.

❏Promote, promote, promote.

Questions ❏Why do mainstream record labels not seek artist of different

backgrounds?

❏Why has there not been a major selling artist that is not black or white since Selena?

❏Why are Asian artist like, Psy (Gangnum Style), typically only fad acts? They disappear as fast as they came.

❏How can we change all this?

Works Cited ❏ Holley, C. (2015, September 07). Diversity in the Music Industry:

Why Representation is Important. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://theodysseyonline.com/azusa-pacific/diversity-in-the-music-industry-why-representation-is-important/158202

❏ Trust, G. (2016, March 21). Rihanna Rules Hot 100 for Fifth Week, Ariana Grande Debuts at No. 10. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7263992/rihanna-hot-100-no-1-fifth-week-ariana-grande-debuts