Music Corporations That Lecture About Racial Justice Are Led by Executives Who Are Overwhelmingly White Men, 4 Percent Are Black

The latest evidence: a new study showing music company executives are overwhelmingly white men, with less than 5 percent of CEO, chair, and president roles occupied by black people.

Among the 70 leading music companies analyzed by researchers, 86 percent of top executives were men and 86 percent were white.

The study found just 13.9 percent of top executives across the industry were ethnic minorities, while only 4.2 percent were black and 13.9 percent were women.

Companies included in the study fell under three broad categories — record labels, such as UMG, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group; live music and concert promotion companies, such as Live Nation and AEG Presents; and radio and streaming companies, such as Spotify and iHeart Radio.

Despite their lack of senior-level diversity, major music companies engaged in racial virtue signaling last year by showing their support for Black Lives Matter and other diversity initiatives.Warner Music Group donated $100 million to groups in support for BLM while Spotify  participated in Black Out Tuesday, saying the company “will support our employees, friends, partners, artists, and creators in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequity.”.

EntertainmentSocial JusticediversityHollywood diversityiHeart RadioinclusionLive NationSony Music EntertainmentSpotifyUMGWarner Music Group