As a result of one of the most disturbing eras of blatant American racism in a generation, Black musicians and industry veterans gathered for a live Zoom panel yesterday, August 20. Journalist Marcus K. Downling moderated Black Equity in Americana: A Conversation, with panelists: Gothic blues artist Adia Victoria; Muddy Roots Music Festival organizer Jason Galaz; acclaimed singer/songwriter/storyteller Kamara Thomas; Louisiana Red Hot Records general manager and head of A&R, Lilli Lewis; and musician, theologian, and activist Rev. Sekou.
The full livestream can be found here.
Rolling Stone Country and WMOT have both written excellent recaps of the panel:
Lasting just over an hour, the powerful discussion offered panelists’ experiences within the Americana music industry, including exclusion by gatekeepers, tastemakers and fans, as well as by systemic practices, and emphasized the lack of visibility of Black artists in genres including blues, soul, country, rock & roll, that are rooted in Black culture.
Adia Victoria supported these sentiments by expressing, “My experience as a musician in the Americana circuit is that I always feel like I’m the permanent guest.”
The panelists agreed that white people need to step up their own work on diminishing the racism and the white ethnocentrism for real change to happen, and agreed that many white fans’ definition of Americana can often default to perceptions of white artists. Galaz spoke about actively working to redefine Americana as something beyond “palatable country music.” He points out that the term “Americana” identifies the music and culture as beyond white ethnocentrism.
Rev. Sekou encouraged social engagement, saying, "I want to challenge the white artist and record execs and labels to invest in the life of their Black musicians, to be in community with them. Break bread, go to basketball games, be awkward, be in community with people and something might happen to you."
Victoria spoke about the importance of representation in her backing band and why she switched to a band that’s made up primarily of musicians of color, and recounted an experience at Newport Folk Festival when an announcer did not bother to learn the correct pronunciation of her name before introducing her to the audience. Later, an A-list singer at the fest assumed that Adia’s Black drummer was a crew member, and demanded things from him. She asked that white participants in these scenes work harder to foster a sense of belonging beyond other white artists.
Thomas spoke about the Change Country Pledge, which is working on actionable tasks to move forward equity of BIPOC artists: bit.ly/changecountrypledge
Sekou spoke of the financial equity of trying to get payment to the families of artists who have been ripped off by predatory business deals, both historically and recently, and Lewis advocated that artists of color push for favorable contract terms in business relationships. She noted that she’s observed that white artists do this routinely but artists of color often do not.
Lewis spoke of the tendency to place Americana artists of color into the blues or funk genre boxes, thereby limiting their ability to be marketed more widely. She also noted that even in traditionally Black genres, white artists are more prominently showcased and given financial priority, emphasizing the importance of pouring resources back into Black artistry. “The power is in our body and inheritance and money.”
The panelists agreed that existing, predominantly white gatekeepers needed to open their minds but also that future gatekeepers of color need to be mentored. They also agreed that there’s a lack of visibility for Black artists on radio, in festivals, in press, and beyond.
Victoria added that artists of color “are being filtered through the white gaze,” and Thomas agreed, calling out the Eurocentric lens through which most American stories are told. She called for Americana appreciators to look at narratives with a broader vantage and to think critically about who is curating the stories. They referenced the trope of a white artist with Black backup singers and how that notion of Black musicians supporting a white star has become the norm and asked what we can do to move away from these types of stigmas.
Dowling concluded the discussion by asking the panelists to outline some actionable steps that they would like to see white music industry members and fans take toward equity. Sekou and Lewis shared the stance that showing up uncompromisingly as oneself rather than pandering or watering-down oneself is powerful. Lewis and Sekou both spoke of joyfully occupying spaces where an artist of color might not be welcomed, encouraging BIPOC industry members to make room for themselves where visibility is lacking, and viewers to “go meet the people behind the faces. Make friends, eat together, talk to each other.” Lewis concluded, “We have to do this together or else we won’t survive.”
More info on the panelists:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16V-HB7AgQ1IFnDrYm0zDUj_yXd9RT_gx?usp=sharing
For more information on the panel:
https://mailchi.mp/hearthmusic.com/black-equity-in-americana-a-livestreamed-panel-august-20-in-conversation?e=b364b97a44
Black Equity In Americana was presented by Whippoorwill Arts Festival of Americana Music (Aug 29-30), Hearth Music, IVPR, Victory Lap Publicity, Nick Loss-Eaton Media, Sarah J. Frost PR, Dubya Creative, and Free Dirt Records.