The Recording Academy®'s Black Music Collective (BMC), a group of prominent Black music creators and professionals who share the common goal of amplifying Black voices within the Academy and the music community, has announced today a new multi-year mentorship and scholarship program in partnership with Amazon Music that will provide select students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) the opportunity to learn all facets of the music industry. Select students will receive scholarships from Amazon Music, the opportunity to meet and network with members of the music industry, including Amazon Music executives and the Black Music Collective, and will accumulate a network of mentors who will help them realize their dreams and bring them to life.
"We are proud that the newly-established Black Music Collective is already making an impact in developing the next generation of Black talent in music and creating a direct pipeline to career opportunities," said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "This is a collaborative industry, and we're incredibly grateful to our partners at Amazon Music for being equally committed to cultivating a more equitable and inclusive music community."
The Black Music Collective will select three students enrolled at an HBCU who will be awarded $10,000 each for a 2021/2022 scholarship and the application process will open in summer 2021. The scholarship recipients will also participate in a two-week immersive rotation program with Amazon Music department leads. Additionally, Amazon Music will provide a $20,000 donation for musical equipment to two HBCU music programs.
"We've teamed up with the Black Music Collective to build this program, and ensure we're taking the steps toward creating an inclusive environment where Black creators can realize their career objectives," said Ryan Redington, VP of Music Industry at Amazon Music. "We couldn't have asked for better partners to develop a multi-year commitment with, that will utilize our resources to give students more opportunities to reach their own goals while ushering in a new generation of Black leaders."
More details on the scholarship and mentorship program, including eligibility requirements, will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on the Black Music Collective, visit
here. Progress and future announcements regarding the Recording Academy's recent initiatives can be found
here.
