Consideration to make black and white mainstream music multicultural.

1. Diversity in the
Music Industry
By Shelby Brooks

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Why Representation is Important
Representation 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.

5. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. How Does Diversity Apply?

10. 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.

11. Why Does It Apply?

12. 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.

13. Top 3 slots for #1 hits

14. Where Does It Apply?

15. 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

16. 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.

17. Suggestions
Opportunity
❏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.

18. Suggestions
Representation
❏Take the risk and spend more
money on artist of different
cultures.
❏Promote, promote, promote.

19. 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?

20. 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