Hailed as the “Mother of Black Music Month”, celebrity strategist and media broadcaster Dyana Williams joined us on The Morning Hustle as we take time and celebrate the legacy & impact of our music.
We open things up about why it’s important to not only celebrate Black Music Month in June, but to realize the impact that we have as listeners and consumers. Last year the music industry made approximately $20 billion, hip-hop is the biggest genre in the world, but there is still a huge disparity in ownership of the music we create.
“We don’t own what we create and thats a travesty”
The need for better contracts, ownership of what the artists create, and diversity within the music industry is needed, and was one of the key focuses for last weeks #BlackOutTuesday, though some people turned it into something completely different. The movement is trying to get more parody and equity within ownership/leadership roles, because “right now white people control the music industry.”
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So how can you support an artist? Dyana Williams still stresses the best way is to buy directly from the artist, and to actually BUY the music. Streaming is here to stay, but again, these platforms are not owned by us (besides Tidal) and the payouts for these creators is very minimal to the value they are bringing to these music services.
“We as black folks have to keep advocating for our ownership and control of what we create.
One way of controlling what we create is happening in the Fall of 2020, which is when the Black Music Museum is scheduled to open up in Nashville, Tennesse. Acording to their website, “the National Museum of African American Music will be a 56,000-square-foot facility that will encourage visitors to discover the central role African Americans have played in shaping and creating all genres of American music. From classical to country to jazz and hip hop, NMAAM will integrate history and interactive technology to share the untold story of more than 50 music genres and sub-genres. It will be an unparalleled institution, unconfined by record label, genre or recording artist, and tell a unique narrative through the lens of Black music.”
Listen to the full podcast with Dyana Williams above as we continue to celebrate Black Music Month all month long.
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Dyana Williams: “We Don’t Own What We Create And This Is A Travesty” [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] was originally published on themorninghustle.com
