Equal Access is an mtheory initiative that seeks to lift up underrepresented voices in country music. This includes black voices, hispanic voices, queer voices, indigenous voices, female voices, and oftentimes many of these at once. Each year, a cohort of at least 2 artists and 2 artist managers are chosen via application process and review board. Our goal is to diversify who you see on the stage, as well as behind the scenes. We give each cohort member funding (typically at least $20,000), meet with them weekly to help build bespoke plans to grow their business, and introduce them to industry professionals that can help advance their careers.
Why did we launch this project? What we know from a CMA (Country Music Association) Study is that 58% of Hispanic adults and 49% of Black adults listen to country music, but thanks to Dr. Jada Watson’s Song Data study, we know that People of Color make up less than 4% of the commercial country music industry. And we unfortunately have even less data on queer representation and what representation behind the scenes looks like. But we know that the audience that consumes country music isn’t in line with who is platformed. AND we know that lots of queer, black, latin, and indigenous folks make country music and / or work in the country music industry, so we wanted to help them.
How does Equal Access work? Each year, the cohort is chosen via an application process and by a review board consisting of diverse industry voices, and runs from March - December of each year. Our program operates via three pillars. First, we meet with each cohort member weekly or biweekly (based on preference) throughout the course of the 10 month program to build out individualized plans for growing their business. We set goals, and then create actionable plans for achieving them . Secondly - each cohort member is given funding, at least $20,000, to be used to grow their business. For the artists, this is all in one fund that can either be used to pay vendors directly, or we can reimburse the artist for expenses. For the managers, we give 50% of their money via a monthly $1,000 stipend to be used as needed (rent, bills, life expenses), and then the other $10,000 is in a fund to be used for growing their business, similar to that of the artist’s. Examples of how this money has been used and the impact it has had can be found in the results section below. And lastly, we introduce the cohort members to people in the industry that can help them continue to advance their careers even after the program. This happens via partner events we do each month with folks at DSPs (Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Youtube), labels, publishers, trade organizations, digital platforms, etc. Each cohort member walks away with over 100 new industry connections.
How did Equal Access come to be? Equal Access was launched in April 2022 as a partnership between mtheory and CMT. Cameo Carlson, the CEO of mtheory, a manager services company, knew there was a need for more diverse artist managers working in Nashville, specifically in Country Music. Leslie Fram, at the time the Head of Talent at CMT, had already been working for years to try to platform more female artists in country music via her Next Women of Country and Equal Play initiatives, but knew that she wanted to do more to platform diverse voices. Both Cameo and Leslie knew that funding should be a part of this program, as they know how expensive it is to be an independent artist, and how expensive it can be to grow a management company. CMT, as well as their parent company of Paramount, came on as the title sponsors to provide the vast majority of the operating expenses in our first couple of years. Unfortunately, due to Paramount’s sale and changes to CMT, neither of them are able to continue funding our program. Additionally - other corporate donors that have financially supported us in the past have also removed their support as funding equity initiatives is no longer a priority for most corporations. Due to this, we have recently turned to a more community based fundraising model.
So far, we have supported 22 individuals and distributed over $500,000. 4 managers from our program were hired by labels, and 6 are managing country acts. Our program has helped artists record and / or market over 75 new country songs, create over 20 music videos, hire teams, order merchandise that became lasting revenue streams, tour around the country, and experience lots of first career milestones. They’ve walked their first red carpets, attended their first award shows, had their music videos premiere on CMT’s Times Square billboard, made their Grand Ole Opry debuts, had radio airplay for the first time, signed first publishing deals, record deals, distribution deals, and with tour agents. On average, the artists see a 46% growth in followers while in our program.
We recognize that every participant is at a different stage in their career and will need different things from us, so at the beginning of each cohort we figure out their goals for the year, and long term. Additionally - at the end of each cohort we send a survey about the program to gain feedback and see how we can improve, then adjust accordingly. We also do meetings every year with previous cohort members, to ensure that they continue to feel supported and engaged. Building a community is an important part of our program, and we are thrilled to say that folks from across cohorts have written songs together, played shows together, become lifelong friends, and collaborated in a variety of ways.
