'We Should Be Able to Work in Any Genre Regardless of Our Race'
“Black music is the backbone of the music industry in the U.S. today. It seems to be less affected by variables in the economy than any other forms of music… The major problem is the lack of broad, open acceptance by all segments of society based on feelings that are racist in their nature.”
This statement would not have been out of place on Instagram last week, as conversations about racial inequality swept the music industry. But the quote is from 1982, made by Bill Haywood, senior vice president of black music marketing at Polygram Records, in an issue of Billboard on the fate of black music.
In another instance of history repeating itself, that package also included an article titled “Radio Downplays Blackness: Urban Image Blends Audiences,” which found program directors debating the merits of the label “urban.” Some saw it as a useful term for marketing music from black artists to white audiences; others saw it as a concession that undercut the communities the stations were supposed to serve.
Today, the “Urban” category is once again a source of contention. On Friday, Republic Records — the major label home to Drake, the Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift — announced that it was dispensing with the term because it no longer wanted to “adhere to the outdated structures of the past.” According to one Republic source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the majority of the staff supported the change, but some black employees were still worried. “Their fear is, does [getting rid of the term] take away our spot?” the source says. For decades, “urban” departments have been the labels’ only safe haven for black executives. If “urban” disappears, what protections remain?
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/labels-ditch-urban-1011593/
