Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition launch internship and mentorship program 'Black Music Executives Are The Future'

• Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition announced to Insider the launch of an internship and mentorship program called "Black Music Executives Are The Future."

On Wednesday, the music streaming platform Audiomack and the Black Music Action Coalition announced the launch of an internship and mentorship program called "Black Music Executives Are The Future."

In part the program will select five Black undergraduates or recent graduates to participate in three-month paid internships across multiple departments at Audiomack. Each of the five recipients will also "be assigned at least two distinguished music industry executives to serve as their mentors over the course of the program," according to a release sent to Insider.

Music industry executives participating as mentors in the program include Rolling Loud co-founder Tariq Cherif; Doja Cat's manager Gordan Dillard; Offset and Anderson .Paak's manager Damien Smith; Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj's former manager Cortez Bryant; and a list of others. Audiomack said the program would cover a range of corporate divisions including marketing, creative design, editorial and content strategy, content operations, and tech development.

Prospective candidates can check eligibility requirements and apply through the program's website by March 4. The program is available to Black undergraduate students and graduates who earned a degree as recently as April 2021.

"It's disheartening to see that, of the 70 major and independent music companies, only 4.2% of high-level executives are Black," Jason Johnson, Audiomack's vice president of marketing and brand strategy, said in a statement sent to Insider. "As leaders in this industry, we must commit to hiring, developing and elevating Black talent to better reflect the communities that we serve. With this partnership with BMAC, our hope is to establish a strong pipeline of young, Black talent to enter the music industry and equip them with the resources to thrive."

"If we are serious about closing the wealth gap and building an equitable industry and society, then there must be a true investment made into the next generation of Black executives and artists," Black Music Action Coalition co-chair and artist manager Willie "Prophet" Stiggers said. "BMAC's mission is not to only hold our industry accountable for dismantling systems that have historically prevented us from reaping the benefits of a culture we created, but to also to create new systems, new ideas and new leaders. It starts with leveling the playing field and ensuring that the executives and artists coming up, has the tools, support, resources, and access to excel. If Black lives matter – prove it."