Q. What is the Color of Music Collective? 

A. Color of Music Collective is an organization that was started by Mia and Carla to amplify POC and LGBTQ+ voices in the music industry. Every other week we host virtual panels that bring together music industry established and rising industry leaders to discuss representation in the industry for individuals within these communities. We’re excited to unite and empower these communities through our efforts!  
 
Q. Tell us about you guys, the founders! What are your backgrounds, and what inspired you to create this space to amplify the voices of POC and LGBTQ+ creators in the music industry? 

A. For me, as a female person of color, working in the music industry has always been mentally straining. I was always the only person of color at my internships. My way of coping with that was networking with people who not only looked like but have the same passion and drive as myself. I have been truly blessed by meeting so many successful people throughout my time in college and forming strong relationships that slowly turned into mentor opportunities. I was able to learn from behind the scenes on how to stick for myself if I were to be discriminated against in this business, feel comfortable speaking up, and not getting imposter syndrome. During this difficult time, there have been so many virtual networking panels. I’ve loved going to them, however I never saw enough people of color on the panels. There are so many POC who hold executive positions in our industry that never get their voices heard. I thought now would be the best time to give this company my all and start a conversation surrounding this issue. We are so blessed to see how it continues to take off!

Q. Where are you guys based? Is this collective open to anyone across the world?
 

A. Currently, we are operating remotely and are virtually connecting our communities within the industry through our free panels. Our upcoming panel on Monday, July 13, will highlight how agencies and labels are operating amid the pandemic. We’re excited to bring this new panel to our growing number of viewers who are spread out all over the globe. In the future, we hope to launch in-person events and panels, so keep up to date with us and definitely stay tuned for future information regarding that. We can’t wait to bring our panels and upcoming events to new audiences and we appreciate the overwhelming support we’ve received so far. 
 
Q. What has been the most rewarding part of hosting your zoom panels? 
 

A. Our favorite part about the panels is the last 15 minutes when there is a live Q+A. Something that is more unique to how we run our panels is, we give the opportunity to bring on an audience member to ask their question live instead of us reading it off through the chat. It’s our way of “face to face” networking. The questions continue to amaze us each week! 
 
Also, how quick the company has grown is astonishing. Just 3 weeks ago we only had 20 people following us on social media. Now, we are around 600! Not that we care about numbers, we care how many allies, POC, and LGBTQ+ are supporting us throughout our journey. 

Q. How have the recent events, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, affected or reaffirmed your mission? 

A. I wouldn’t say the BLM movement has affected our company. It definitely has reaffirmed our mission because we were already part of the conversation before things really blew up. We always get a lot of emails from volunteers who apply to work for our program about how they personally have really benefited from our platform and conversations we have. Sometimes it is often the first time in our industry where audience members have these conversations. Hopefully, we will start seeing more allies tune in as well who are now joining in the BLM movement. 

Q. How do the panels work, and how does one get involved? 
 

A. All of our panels are virtual held through a platform called zoom. Our capacity is about 100+. We allow our audience members to register in advance to secure their spot in case we do hit capacity. We look for people in the music industry who are POC/LGBTQ+ because that is what the whole company is about. A lot goes on behind the scenes. There is a lot of hard work and energy that goes into making this a success. That is why we rely heavily on recruiting more volunteers to help us and also because they continue to bring creative ideas to the table!

Q. What creators in the music industry are you listening to on repeat? 

A. I am a die hard rock/alternative music fan. I’ve been listening to Arctic Monkeys, Meg Myers, BAILEN, Grace Potter, Kings of Leon, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. 

Q. How can our audiences find out more and contact you?

A. To find out more about the collective, you can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Our handle is @colorofmusiccollective. You can also check out our website at www.colorofmusiccolective.com to learn more about our free panels and to sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay up to date about our events and the collective.  
 
Q. We're living in a heartbreaking yet revolutionary time right now. How does your mission align with making sure the music industry is held accountable in regard to its long history of racism and sexism?

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A. Our political climate is at an all-time low. I know speaking for myself and many other people of color, I felt hopeless for quite some time. Going to multiple virtual networking events and seeing people who not only looked like me but have achieved my lifelong dream of holding an executive position felt like I could be invincible. I wanted other people in the LGBTQ+ and POC community to feel that as well. The music industry is such a unique business compared to most. It might seem big, but really it is quite small. Because it is so small, I’ve had such a strong support system made up of people from all different types of communities. I always had someone to lift me up when I was feeling down. I don’t know where I’d be without those people in my life. I believe everyone should have that support system no matter their gender, race, religion, sex, etc. 

We are finally going through a major change in our industry. Labels, agencies, promotors, EVERYONE is coming together and coming to terms with their past mistakes on not representing or supporting people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. I’m so proud of long-time leaders in our industry, especially diverse female leaders, who are getting the recognition they deserve. People of color are getting promoted to SVP, EVP, and even CEO and President positions. What a crazy world we’re living in, but I know 10 years from now, I’ll look back and know that I showed up when my community needed me the most and played an active part in the change. A CHANGE that was long overdue. 
 
 
Q. Thank you so much for talking with us! Any parting words?
 

A. We’re so thankful and appreciative of the overwhelming support we’ve received so far and we’re so happy to be able to pay it forward by welcoming new volunteers who’d like to extend their talents and skills to grow Color of Music Collective. More information about volunteering can be found on our website. 
 
We also can’t wait to launch in-person events and panels along with our virtual events - so keep up to date with us and definitely stay tuned for future information regarding that.