TORONTO — A new non-profit organization aims to provide a unified voice and create change for Black people working within all sectors of the Canadian music industry.
Called Advance, Canada's Black Music Business Collective, the group says it wants to develop an infrastructure for the betterment, upliftment and retention of Black people in Canada's music industry.
It also wants to build "a more equitable Canadian music industry that grants Canada's Black music communities a fair and valued voice in a consistently growing music nation."
On its website, Advance vows to hold the corporate, private and government sectors accountable, and create "conditions for long-term success by addressing racial equality and inclusivity through four areas."
Those areas are advocacy, mentorship, community outreach, and business development and entrepreneurship.
On Twitter, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said it welcomes the creation of the organization and looks forward to working with it "and supporting the goal of a more equitable Canadian music industry."
"At the heart of the Canadian music industry lives brilliant artists, passionate creators and a vibrant mosaic of Black voices that have launched the biggest talents in the world," Advance said Monday on Twitter.
"Today, more than ever, these voices need to be amplified."
A news release said membership to the organization is open to self-identifying Black persons working in all branches of Canadian music.
Advance noted it plans to help not only professionals currently employed in the industry, but also budding entrepreneurs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2020.
The Canadian Press
