| Ever since protests against police brutality swept the U.S., the music industry has scrambled to show its support for the black community. Following a brief experiment fighting racism with a meme, record labels took a day off work and opened up their checkbooks. Warner Music Group and Sony Music each created a $100 million fund to combat racial injustice, while Universal has created a $25 million "Change Fund" and a task force. Spotify promised to match employee donations up to $10 million, and all the major streaming services promoted special playlists and podcasts. Many music industry executives cheered the donations, before asking a follow-up question: What else you got? Protests that started in response to police brutality have renewed age-old conversations about racial inequality in health care, education, politics, pop culture and business. Few industries are more reliant on black labor than the record business, and few industries have faced more frequent criticism for exploiting that labor. The biggest pop acts of all time -- from Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones to George Michael and Justin Bieber – borrowed from black culture, some respectfully and some less so. Even as corporate America grew comfortable placing black musicians at the center of culture, they drew the line at upper management and ownership. All three of the major music groups are run by white men, as are the two largest concert promoters, the two largest music agencies and the two largest streaming services. While these companies say they are diverse in general, they acknowledge that is not the case at the highest levels – the boards of directors and the direct reports to the CEO. Just this week, Ukrainian-American billionaire Len Blavatnik made close to $2 billion by selling a piece of Warner on public markets. Blavatnik broke no laws. He made a savvy investment almost a decade ago, and profited immensely. That's capitalism. But Blavatnik's windfall is a reminder of the gulf between the people making the music, and the people who own the music. In music, as in sports, owners love to support their stars – so long as they remember that they are employees. All week, agents, managers, artists and executives have been brainstorming ideas for how to reform their industry. One idea that gained currency is banning the word "urban," a catch-all for hip-hip, R&B and black music. Republic Records said Friday it would stop using the word. That may sound minor, but it's a coded word that speaks to the long history of racism in the music industry. Prominent black musicians, be they rappers, pop stars or soul singers, have been grouped under the urban label. And urban acts never seem to win big at the Grammys. So while record labels and streaming services put money towards a good cause, they must also look inward. These companies aren't going to buy artists' silence, or spend their way out of this problem. Substantive change will require constant education, dialogue and pressure. To that end, if you have thoughts about reforming the music industry, or any industry for that matter, please message me. – Lucas Shaw The best of screentime | 
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