Dear Industry,

We are the creatives, the club owners, the show curators, the gear heads, the sound engineers, the production teams, the managers, the booking agents, the label owners, the facilitators, the show designers, the support system, the fans, and we are here to request massive change. We ask that you stand up and loudly voice your support for the BIPOC members of our community. We ask that you redefine “success” and distance yourself from musical capitalism. We ask that you display your support by reaching beyond the optics of social media, constructively fighting alongside us for equity.

BIPOC artists have shaped American music, from the blending of traditional folk musics, to the birth of jazz, to the development of modern pop. The contribution is vast yet these communities have seen little in the way of wealth return and distribution. As BIPOC incarceration rates rise and Black Americans are disproportionately killed by police, it is time to affect deep systemic reformation. We can start by looking inward and reshaping our own industry. Let us set the example. We have come together as a community to amplify BIPOC voices, to work with existing music entities to ensure equitable practices, and to support BIPOC artists and individuals by creating infrastructure to fortify efforts of ownership, operation, and profitization within the industry.

We believe that if you profit from BIPOC music, you must stand up for BIPOC lives. Let’s work together to promote this mentality and make musical equity a reality. Join Musicians in Solidarity today!