Introducing the Color of Music Collective- soon to be (if not already) the best way to connect members of minority and otherwise underrepresented communities with some of the top dogs of the music business.

After beginning her own path in the industry and realizing that there were not enough people that looked like her in jobs throughout the varying subfields, The Color of Music Collective was founded earlier this year by Mia Van Allen with the goal of connecting persons of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community both with each other and also with executives within the music industry to help spread knowledge and opportunities.

“The music business isn’t easy – for anyone. Our industry has long been critiqued for its lack of diversity and representation of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, both for artists and business professionals. It is too easy to feel like the only one in the room. We want to encourage younger generations that they can be different and succeed in the music business too. That’s why we have created this space to expand the public discussion and promotion of underrepresented communities within the music industry.

Color of Music Collective Mission Statement

Joining Van Allen are executive director Marcella Desharnais and founder assistant Angela Pena, alongside sixteen graphic designers and 80+ volunteers that help shape and create the social media presence for the Collective, in addition to helping put together and run free online panels to help their communities learn more about what the music industry has to offer.

Most recently the Collective put together a panel titled “A&R: The Path of Discovery,” which helped introduce some of the top executives from Epic and Atlantic Records, in addition to several other high profile companies, and shared how they got to where they were now and what they look for when finding new talent.

Past panels have covered topics such as “How Music Festivals and Venues Can Show Pride,” “Being LGBTQ+ in the Southern Music Industry,” “Wrestling with Race and Sexuality,” and “The Rise of Latin Music & Culture in the U.S.”

All past panels are available now via the Collective’s YouTube Channel, and you can connect with the Color of Music Collective now, via the links below.

Be sure to stay tuned for updates on future panels by following along on their Instagram and Facebook.

YouTube / Instagram / Facebook / Website