Today, Live Nation Urban announces The Black Tour Directory, the most comprehensive industry resource
developed to bolster inclusivity and expand opportunities for Black
professionals and Black-owned companies in the world of live music.
This one-stop portal lists
hundreds of qualified, experienced, and trusted Black tour managers, production
managers, sound engineers, lighting experts, stage and set designers, stage
managers, techs, travel agents, caterers, tour accountants, bus companies,
security staff, and more. They may be
found and contacted through the official site.
Regarding the introduction
of The Black Tour Directory,
Live Nation Urban President Shawn
Gee commented, “When Jenifer Smith from Live
Nation Concerts and NyAsia Burris from my team came to me with this idea, I
thought it was genius and absolutely necessary.
There are several amazing resource groups that exist like Roadies of Color,
Diversify The Stage, Black Promoters Collective and many others, and we all
have one common goal, to make sure once live entertainment returns at scale,
there are more opportunities that exist for Black people,
and all underrepresented groups of people, throughout the touring industry,
particularly in technical and production positions.”
Added Jenifer Smith, Live Nation
Director of Tour Marketing, “I felt it was important to create accessibility to people of color that
specialize in these fields in order to help diversify
live events beyond the stage. As a Black woman working in the
music and live events space for over 12 years, I understand the importance
of representation within the industry. Using our platform as
the leading promoter in the world, Live Nation has the ability
to help change the narrative and to provide a
powerful resource for the industry.”
The Black Tour Directory
enables festivals, producers, promoters, vendors, and venues to live up to an
industrywide promise of inclusivity with a straightforward solution to
diversifying the road once and for all.
Gee also hosted a very special “Backstage
with Crew Nation” roundtable interview with a high-profile panel
of respected voices. The panel comprised Curtis Battles [Founder,
CEO of Curtis Battles Production], Tina Farris [Founder, CEO
of Tina Farris Tours], Victor Reed Sr. [Founder, CEO of Global
Event Production Network], and Michael “Huggy” Carter [Founder,
CEO of MCG Productions].
Watch it HERE.
Backstage with Crew Nation is
a video series launched by Live Nation in conjunction with
the Crew Nation Fund. While the majority of
crew remain out of work due to the shutdown of events, the series
highlights the voices that make up the resilient live music community and
spotlights relationships between touring artists and the backstage crews that
help them make their concert dreams a reality.
Stay tuned for more news
from Live Nation Urban and The Black Tour Directory.
The post Live Nation Urban Announces The Launch Of The Black Tour Directory – An Industry-Wide Resource Promoting Inclusivity In Live Events appeared first on Live Nation Entertainment.