5.10.2023
Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) Announces New Partners and Schedule of Events for Maymester Music Business Accelerator Program at Tennessee State University
Newly Announced Sponsors Include Amazon Music, Def Jam Recordings, Rolling Loud, and More
The Second Maymester Music Accelerator Program, Powered by Amazon Music, Is Presented in Partnership with Nashville Music Equality, the Recording Industry Association of America, and Wasserman Music
Confirmed Guest Speakers and Artists Include Waka Flocka Flame, Coco Jones, Rolling Loud Co-Founder Tariq Cherif, actress/artist Bre-Z, artist/activist YelloPain and Many More
One Lucky TSU Student Will Earn the Chance to Open for Waka Flocka Flame at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville
The Announcement:
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), Nashville Music Equality, the Recording Industry Association of America, and Wasserman Music have launched the second annual installment of their Maymester Music Accelerator Program, at HBCU Tennessee State University.
The program, powered by Amazon Music, offers Black college students in Tennessee career resources to help them break into the music industry. With an emphasis on mentorship, the Coalition brings in executives and artists to guest lecture throughout the program. This year’s program will be sponsored by Primary Wave’s BMAC-James Brown Education Fund — a fund announced at BMAC’s second Music In Action Awards Gala that’s set to grow annually and that will cover the costs for 30 students to take this elective class for free.
The program announces additional sponsors who will join to bring music industry insight and expertise for the TSU Students. These sponsors include:
- Monday, May 8: Tri Star Sports and Entertainment presented a reception, hosted by company representatives Lou Taylor, Heather Kinder, and Tyler Hubbard
- Tuesday May 9: Life of Song hosted by Eric Holt of Love Noise with guests AB Eastwood (Producer/Writer), Katie Fagan (Prescription Songs), Tim Gent (Artist/ Songwriter), Bryant Taylorr (Artist/Songwriter), Rachel Wein (Prescription Songs)
- Thursday, May 11: Record Label 101 with Def Jam Recordings, featuring Actress/Def Jam artist Coco Jones, Naim McNair, EVP A&R, and Charlene Thomas, VP Marketing, with moderator, Prophet, from the Black Music Action Coalition.
- Monday, May 15: a Rolling Loud Takeover with Co-Founder / Co-CEO Tariq Cherif. Focusing on live music, the new takeover will also feature representatives from Goldenvoice (Marcus Johnson), Live Nation (Gade Raferty), and William Morris Endeavor (Kevin Shivers).
- Thursday, May 18: The TSU Artist Session will feature Waka Flocka Flame. As part of the engagement, one (1) TSU student will be chosen to open for Waka Flocka at a show at the Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville.
- Monday, May 22: Music 101, hosted by Amazon Music, with representatives Gary Bushrod and Frankie Yaptinchay
- Monday May 25: Closing retreat, with moderation from Sirus XM Host Swaggy Sie, actress/artist Bre-Z, artist/activist YelloPain, and Tennessee native artist and songwriter Daisha “The Rap Girl” McBribe at the National Museum of African American Music. Topic: How to use your platform to impact change
The 2023 Maymester Music Accelerator follows in the footsteps of last year’s successful inaugural program, which placed students in opportune internships across multiple music industry companies, including Wasserman Music, Warner Music Nashville, and LVRN. The program included speakers from various sectors of the music business, including recording artists BRELAND, Blanco Brown and Joy Oladokun, team members for artists like Post Malone and Mary J. Blige, plus representatives from companies like Wasserman Music, YouTube Music, Goldenvoice, BMG, and EMPIRE. The program concluded with guest lectures from super producer Dallas Austin and recording artist Sir The Baptist, both of whom received an honorary doctorate in music from TSU that month. The last class was held at the National Museum of African American Music, where each student was surprised with their very own gold plaque from the RIAA.
This year’s program aims to continue last year’s wide-ranging curriculum and impressive list of guest speakers, while instilling a strong sense of social responsibilities
BMAC Co-Founder/Co-Chairman, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, says of this year’s program, “…while many have put the down the protest signs and lower the urgency around racial and social justice, Black Music Action Coalition is doubling down on our commitment to creating sustainable pipeline programs and providing real access for the next generation of music executives and artists, that have historically been denied access to the level of exposure and training that our music accelerator program provides. We were intentional about Tennessee State University being the hub for this program and with Nashville being such an important part of the music industry, it’s imperative that we are building programs like this right here down the street from Music Row. This year we expanded the music accelerator program to include FISK University and the goal is to eventually have students from all 107 HBCUs to participate in this program annually.”
“Tennessee State University is fortunate to have these music-related companies participating in our Maymester course. They bring deep content and wide contacts. From the beginning of this partnership, we identified a mutual goal, which is to provide real-world opportunities for students who otherwise might be under-represented in the music industry,” said Dr. Mark Crawford, coordinator of TSU’s Commercial Music program.
The Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Gary Bushrod for Amazon Music adds, “What the Black Music Action Coalition is doing to bridge the racial gap in the music business is invaluable work. As an HBCU graduate myself, I am extremely proud and energized by what the Music Accelerator Program is creating for students at Tennessee State and Fisk University.”
Stay tuned for many more announcements from BMAC about the program.
Download images HERE
Coco Jones
TSU Student
Maymester Music Accelerator
Waka Flocka Flame
Contact:
Rolling Loud: Michelle McDevitt / Kerry Harrison michelle@audibletreats.com kerry@audibletreats.com
BMAC: Biz 3 Kathryn Frazier / Tori Johnson kathryn@biz3.net tori@biz3.net
The Background:
About BMAC
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) endeavors to uphold and actualize the mission of Black Lives Matter in the music industry and reach racial justice not just across labels, publishers, agencies, distributors, and DSP’s but throughout society at large. BMAC works together with leaders from various business leaders to hold their companies accountable and implement a system of checks and balances to ensure change takes root. The group fosters and shepherds various educational, mental health, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, policing, social justice, and political causes that directly impact Black communities.
Learn more about the Black Music Action Coalition at https://www.bmacoalition.org/.
ABOUT NASHVILLE MUSIC EQUALITY MISSION
Nashville Music Equality mission is to create an anti-racist environment in the Nashville Music industry.
ABOUT RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America® advocates for recorded music and the people and companies that create it in the United States. RIAA’s several hundred members – ranging from major American music groups with global reach to artist-owned labels and small businesses – make up the world’s most vibrant and innovative music community, working to help artists reach their potential and connect with fans while supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
ABOUT WASSERMAN MUSIC
Wasserman Music represents a world-class roster of artists for live performance, touring, brand partnerships and beyond, empowering them to create culture and impact audiences globally. The passionate, entrepreneurial agents at Wasserman Music are long-term artist development strategists who build significant, global platforms for the world’s most impactful artists. Wasserman Music is a division of Wasserman, a partner to the world’s most iconic sports figures, musical artists, brands, and properties.
Website | Roster | Instagram
ABOUT DEF JAM RECORDINGS
For 40 years and counting, Def Jam Recordings has defined the sound of hip-hop as we know it. From its inception, the label has been a home for the boundary-breaking artists and visionary executives who have defined the sound of hip-hop in real time. Today, Def Jam is a global multimedia brand built on daring creativity, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to quality, from its marquee superstars to its emerging artists to its global expansion into the UK, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Worldwide, Def Jam is the most recognizable brand in hip-hop.
ABOUT AMAZON MUSIC
Amazon has been in the music business for more than 20 years (CDs were the second item sold on Amazon, after books) and has long-established trust with both customers and the industry. Amazon Music launched music streaming in 2014, initially as a benefit just for Prime members (formerly known as Prime Music). Since then, it has expanded into a full streaming service, offering a variety of tiers, content, and plans to customers in more than 50 countries around the world. Amazon Music currently has more than 55 million customers globally, and today is considered the third largest streaming service after Spotify (1st) and Apple Music (2nd). Key marketplaces for Amazon Music include US, UK, DE, JP, FR, IT, ES, IN, MX, BR, CA, and AU.
ABOUT MUSIC BUSINESS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM AT TSU
This program was founded in 2022 by Willie Stiggers aka “Prophet” from the Black Music Action Coalition, Brian Sexton from Nashville Music Equality, Jackie Jones from RIAA, Margaret Hart from YouTube Music, Lee Anderson, Lenore Kinder, Lindsay LeBennett and Denise Melanson from Wasserman Music, and Dr. Mark Crawford from Tennessee State University.
ABOUT TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research-intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
Contact:
For more information on Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), please contact:
Michelle McDevitt | Audible Treats
Kerry Harrison | Audible Treats
Khalila Douze | Biz 3
Kathryn Frazier | Biz3
For more information on Nashville Music Equality (NME), please contact:
Brian Sexton
For more information on RIAA, please contact:
Marcel Pariseau
For more information on Wasserman Music, please contact:
Shore Fire Media
For more information about the course, please contact:
Dr. Mark Crawford