Musicians’ Union and Black Lives in Music launch partnership

The Musicians’ Union (MU) and Black Lives in Music (BLiM) have announced a 3-year partnership with the aim of jointly challenging racism, promoting inclusivity and increasing diversity in the music industry.

The partnership will work to resolve and remove the issues and barriers which prevent Black musicians from reaching their full potential, as revealed in BLiM’s 2021 report Being Black in the UK Music Industry.

Naomi Pohl, MU General Secretary, said: ‘BLiM’s ground-breaking research shone a light on the areas where Black musicians and specifically Black female musicians encounter barriers and experience discrimination. We are really excited to work with BLiM on changing that experience and shaping the future of the industry.’

The MU, which represents over 32,000 UK musicians, negotiates with major employers in the industry and provides assistance for professional and student musicians.

Charisse Beaumont, CEO of BLiM, said: ‘The goal of this collaboration is to empower Black music creators, ensure quality music education is available at grass roots, combat racism, remove systemic barriers and create career opportunities for Black musicians resulting in a level playing field across our music ecosystem.’

Black Lives in Music aims to address the current inequality of opportunities for Black people aspiring to be artists or professionals in the Jazz and Classical music industry. The organisation is made up of a number of partners working towards this common goal, with a recent partnerships including Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

You can find out more about Black Lives in Music here.

You can find out more about the Musician's Union here.