January 19, 2021 (Atlanta, GA)-- Reach Records is a proud sponsor for the newly launched Black Independent Music Accelerator, created by The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization representing nearly 700 independent music labels. The Black Independent Music Accelerator is a fellowship grant initiative designed to amplify Black voices in the independent music community.
 
Reach Records’ SVP of Marketing, Marcus Hollinger will sit on the inaugural Advisory Council for the program.
 
“Being a part of this program is an important accomplishment for Reach Records,” says Hollinger. “We believe the Gospel compels us to seek the spiritual and material well-being of others. Sponsoring this program is just one way we felt we could leverage our platform to help other black-owned businesses get a jump start in the independent music industry.”
 
The initiative will provide a platform for Black-owned businesses in the music industry, delivering greater visibility, networking, and mentorship opportunities for burgeoning business owners. Because financial barriers often pose significant obstacles for minority-owned, independent music businesses, BIMA offers subsidized yearly dues to A2IM, as well as complimentary tickets to annual events such as Indie Week, a four-day international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of independent music.
 
In addition, fellowship benefits include label-to-label mentorship within the A2IM community as well as an opportunity to build relationships with participating streaming platforms. BIMA will feature meetings with the A2IM staff and Board of Directors, as well as A2IM member-led mentorship sessions. Fellows will be invited to legal roundtables, sessions with SoundExchange, meetings with DSPs including Spotify and Amazon Music to discuss available marketing benefits, and additional meetings and programs soon to be announced.

The BIMA’s Advisory Council, will offer guidance and oversight on the project. Accompanying Hollinger on the council will be Troy Carter, Founder and CEO of Q&A; Fotemah Mba, Head of A&R, General Market at Cinq Music Group; Taryn Brown, Founding Principal at Taryn Brown + Company and Chrissy Nkemere, Senior Director of Streaming Marketing at Concord and Global Co-Chair Diversity & Inclusion/Board Member at Women in Music.
 
In order for independent music to thrive and continue to be at the forefront of innovation, A2IM believes it’s essential that the music community be diverse. As such, A2IM has been working to identify opportunities to boost and showcase the diversity in the independent industry, including among its own membership. A2IM’s 2020 Board of Directors is more diverse than ever, and BIMA will invest in the long-term growth of Black-owned music businesses and their leaders.  
 
BIMA is presented in partnership with a long list of sponsors, including Spotify, Amazon Music, ADA, Made in Memphis Entertainment, Songtrust, Reach Records, Taryn Brown + Company, Tunecore, Materia Collective, AdRev, Symphonic Distribution, Soundexchange, and Vydia.

The 2021 application process for BIMA begins on January 19, 2021 and close on February 1, 2021. To apply or learn more, please visit a2im.org/bima.
 
About A2IM:
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of nearly 700 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America's creative class that represents America's diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine identified the Independent music label sector as 37.32 percent of the music industry's U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.
 
The organization's board of directors comprises: Madeline Nelson - Heads Music, Marie Clausen - Ninja Tune, Steven Hill, Warp Records, Louis Posen - Hopeless Records, Laura Ballance - Merge Records, Tony Kiewel - Sub Pop Records, Rosie Lopez - Tommy Boy, Martin Mills - Beggars Group, Darius Van Arman - Secretly Group, Zena White - Partisan Records, Lisa Levy - Robbins Entertainment.

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