a conversation with… Color of Music Collective
Color Of Music Collective is an empowering and inclusive platform for people of colour and people in the LBGTQ+ community in the music industry. Read on to hear more from them!
We sat down with the powerful duo of Mia Van Allen, and Marcella Desharnais, founder and executive director of Color of Music Collective(COMC) respectively, to dive deep with them about the beginnings of their company, where they see COMC going in its bright future, and everything in between. Color Of Music Collective is an empowering and inclusive platform for people of colour and people in the LBGTQ+ community in the music industry. Read on to hear more from them!
I’m sure you get asked this a lot, but what can you tell us about your separate and collective journeys that led you to create COMC?
MIA: Thank you so much for asking this question! Unfortunately, there isn’t another organization like ours, at least to my knowledge. This is the problem and why I decided to found COMC in the first place. Starting at the age of 18, I began my career in the music industry by managing a band in my hometown of Chicago. I was so fortunate to have got my foot in the door at such a young age, but I didn’t realize until later in my career the lack of diversity in this industry. Outside of managing a band and being a full-time college student, I was lucky to be able to intern in offices from London to New York City. Even after working in some of the world's largest cities when it comes to music, I was still always the only person of color in the room. I really wanted to create a space and community where different communities could connect and collaborate about what it means to feel like an “outsider” because there is such a lack of representation in this industry. I didn’t want anyone to feel alone anymore.
MARCELLA: I always appreciate this question because I think what ultimately led us to this point is important. I grew up a performing saxophonist and percussionist, and throughout college grew to love the business side of music as well. Music was embedded within most sectors of my life, and when I began interning throughout college, it hurt to feel like something that had always felt like a safe space to me, wasn’t necessarily the most welcoming to folks who were not white, male, cis-gendered, etc. As a queer woman, I felt pressured to dress femininely for interviews. It felt like the more I hid my true identity, the more likely I’d be to get the job, the more success I’d ultimately see. It was disappointing to see the lack of queer representation in the music industry, but more so to know that the industry was not facilitating the safe place necessary for folks to come out, or express themselves organically. I think sometimes I find that the music business breeds a culture so opposite to what it preaches - acceptance, unconditional love, artistic expression. I joined Color of Music Collective to help give LGBTIA+ voices a bigger platform, and advocate for POC and the other communities being stifled while trying to pursue their passion for music.
Were you surprised to find that COMC is the first of its kind in your industry?
MIA: Honestly, no. I feel like just recently, I’ve really started to notice a change in the music industry. There are so many great organizations that focus on many important causes but as a person of color I found it very difficult to find a community where I was able to see visible representation. I know from my own experience that—except for artists–it is rare to see certain types of people at the middle and upper levels in the music business. What I mean is that the most likely place to see black people, first-generation people, LGBTQ+ folk, indigenous people, etc.—are in entry level positions, or not at all. I was nearly always the only black intern at an office. I was sometimes the only black person inside the entire office. It was important to me to see more POC leadership in our industry and COMC plays a huge role in making that a success.
MARCELLA: Not at all. The conversations that we facilitate at COMC are still considered “uncomfortable”. Most executive boards in the music industry are still mainly comprised of white men. The fact that it still feels radical to be advocating for more representation for these communities is really telling. We’re still at the very beginning of this journey towards a more welcoming music industry, but that makes what we’re doing feel even more worth it and necessary.
Can you tell us anything about what’s in the cards for COMC through the next few years?
MIA: Great question! COMC has so many things planned as we continue to grow. The first being our masterclass series. We already launched our first masterclass with Chris Corsini which focused on deaf inclusion in the music industry. But in the future, we are planning to have long-time music industry professionals discuss anything from matching an artist with a songwriter, album release campaigns, how to coordinate a lineup for a festival, etc. We find panels great but it would be nice for an industry professional to host a class with a presentation in a small classroom setting! It will be really hands-on and an easier way for our audience to network. In addition to that, we’ve been planning on having an in-person conference (once everyone is vaccinated). When I was in college, I found going to networking events super helpful and a great way to get internships but learn about new parts of the industry at such a young age! We also have a lot more planned so I definitely encourage your readers to sign up for the newsletter to be the first to know on our website!
MARCELLA: Ditto to everything Mia said. We’re also growing rapidly in terms of partnerships. There are so many upcoming businesses run by POC and LGBTQ+ folks who we are itching to work with. I think the largest thing to highlight here will be our growing presence on college campuses once it’s safe to do so. We’ve felt the impact that our panels have had virtually, and want to bring that to college campuses and high schools through campus ambassadors, in-person summits, interactive networking conferences. Because COMC was founded virtually at the start of the pandemic, it feels like the sky's the limit once the world re-opens.
COVID-19 had impacted the music industry, especially for POC and LGBTQ+ people. What are your plans, if any, to have specific help for the aftermath of COVID-19 in the industry?
MARCELLA: A big focus will be to help live music resurrect as quickly as possible. There are so many organizations leading the fight for folks in the touring industry who were laid off, and advocating for venues that have been struggling for over a year now or have shut down. Be sure to support NIVA, Save the Stages, Diversify the Stage, Live Out L!ve, and more. We want to do our part by reinforcing the conversations they’re already having, and expanding that narrative. There are tons of questions to be answered - How can we ultimately attend concerts safely? Can we bring touring back, but in a more sustainable, greener way (Support REVERB if you can)? How can we do our part to re-open venues who didn’t survive the pandemic? How can we support the upcoming artists whose main revenue was from touring? There are endless ways to help here, and COMC will be very active about amplifying those conversations, pushing those narratives, and helping bring music back as safely as possible.
What do you think the music industry will look like in the coming years, not only with the aftermath of COVID-19 but also because it’s slowly becoming more inclusive?
MIA: In any case, the concert industry won’t be able to snap back to normal immediately. Booking agents, managers, and tour promoters say that next year’s landscape will likely be a mish-mash of one-offs, outdoor events, half or three-quarter capacity concerts, and shorter runs, eventually ramping up to lengthier treks. That uncertainty makes navigating these next few months difficult as artists and their teams try to prepare for concerts under tight budgets and shifting safety guidelines. For the music industry in terms of inclusivity, 2020 will go down in the history books as a very challenging year. With the impact of COVID-19 felt globally, everyone from artists and songwriters, to touring crews, to some of the largest companies in the business have suffered great losses and the struggle to stay afloat with no certain end date in sight. However, when reflecting on this turbulent year, perhaps in time we will also come to see this as the year in which we started to take meaningful steps towards building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive music industry for all.
Thankfully, the conversation post-Blackout Tuesday has continued throughout the second half of 2020. Many companies are developing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategies; implementing action plans to bring greater inclusivity to their businesses and to address pay gaps, board diversity and other internal issues. Externally, debates around terms such as ‘urban’ and ‘BAME’ have informed, educated and moved industry terminology forward. Major labels have pledged millions of dollars to support social justice and anti-racism initiatives. Progress is happening, but it is going to take A LOT of patience and time. This is why we need young professionals who are interested in working within the music industry to start using resources like COMC to educate themselves now so that when they begin to work, they know how to be an advocate for POC/LGBTQ+ communities.
MARCELLA: My biggest hope, and I think our ultimate goal at COMC, is to see the music industry accurately represented by the talent it uses for profit and clout. It doesn’t make sense for Hip-Hop/R&B to be music’s biggest money maker, but for POC and the culture that ultimately shaped the genre of music to be shamed or unrepresented. I want to see the folks responsible for music’s success brought to the forefront, on executive boards, on magazine covers, headlining music’s biggest festivals and award shows. These are big asks that seem hideously obvious to so many of us, that like Mia said, will take time and patience. But we’re already seeing substantial change, and that makes me hopeful.
How can people in and out of COMC get involved not only with COMC but in amplifying POC/LGBTQ+ voices in the music industry?
MIA: Luckily, we live in a time where there are SO MANY resources for both communities. I encourage people to look into the following organizations: Black Women in Music, Pride in Music, Women in Music, Music Biz, 1824 and Amplify Her Voice just to name a few. Most of these organizations host amazing networking events that are very accessible or post blog interviews with execs. It’s a great opportunity to not only learn about their role at their job but to get the best tips/tricks from seasoned execs. Most execs today didn’t have organizations like COMC when they were first starting their careers so dealing with things like imposter syndrome, coming out to their colleagues, etc. are things they had to navigate on their own. Hearing their experiences can be really motivating but also encouraging to know that you are not alone.
What piece of advice do you wish you could give pre-COMC you that you think others in your shoes should hear?
MARCELLA: You don’t have to pigeonhole yourself as an advocate. In other words, as a white queer person, there are endless ways for me to also advocate for POC, the AAPI community, + more. It’s important to stay in your lane in terms of knowing the privilege you do hold as a white person, but also to do your part to amplify the voices who may not have access to a stage as large as yours. It’s crucial to be an advocate for your own community, and even more so to be an ally for others.
What does your typical day look like working in COMC?
MARCELLA: Every day is truly different and things are constantly moving. It’s a lot of emails and outreach, and looking towards the future while staying grounded in the events we have on the daily. For example, at the moment we’re doing outreach and planning for our upcoming panel, strategizing Pride month programming, solidifying details for our second masterclass, and working out the structure for our second mentorship program for our volunteers. It’s typically a lot to focus on at once, but similarly to Mia, it’s something we’re both so passionate about. It doesn’t usually feel like a job.
MIA: Outside of COMC, Marcella and I both have full-time jobs. But COMC is also considered a full-time job to us. We are both so passionate about the cause that I know for me, I feel like it’s a passion project more than a job. Everyday is different. Most days I am looking into a topic for a new panel and doing outreach for that as well forming the discussion questions. Because of my full-time job I typically aim to get all COMC business done during my lunch break and after work hours so it’s hard to say what a typical day in life looks like for me. But everyday I am always in communication with my teams, especially the board of directors. Everyone is super dedicated and hard-working so I love knowing that COMC is in the best hands.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome not only getting COMC off the ground but with your careers in general?
MIA: Believe it or not but I upon graduating college, I felt very lost and anxious. I have always been the type of person to have a set plan of goals to achieve and accomplish by a certain time. When COVID hit, I felt so out of control that I didn’t know what to do with myself. That being said, I had a lot of free time and of course a lot of anger after the tragic death of George Floyd. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I needed to act now. After that, all people were trying to do was to use their voice and educate themselves how they be a strong ally! Getting COMC off the ground was easy, but in terms of my career things were standstill for quite some time. I would do over 10 networking calls a week just hoping it would lead to something….ANYTHING! Finally, in July of 2020 I got offered a job to be an executive assistant to the CEO of the Village Studios out in Los Angeles. I’ve had the time of life, but it’s kept me busy. Let’s just say I can multitask the crap out of everything!
MARCELLA: My biggest challenge was putting myself and my ideas out there. Outside of COMC, I work full-time at Sony, I manage two rising artists, and always have a million ideas that I’m looking to execute. For me, it was the realization that my voice as a young person in music is crucial. We’re ultimately the folks pushing for change, and that meant putting myself out there to be criticized. In joining COMC specifically, I felt a lot of pressure to do the queer journey justice. For me, that journey was incredibly personal, and very daunting. Becoming a queer woman in music felt like an entirely different journey, but equally as terrifying. I wanted to strengthen LGBTQ+ voices in music, in a way that resonated with the masses, and that felt both empowering and loaded with pressure.
An easy one (hopefully!), who are your top 3 artists for 2021 so far?
MIA: Hmmmm that’s always a hard one for me. Right now I’ve been finding my love again for D’Angelo, Sharon Van Etten, and Kiana Ledé. Marcella: Remi Wolf, Phoebe Bridgers, and Giveon. Constantly on repeat!