Foundations for Sustainable Creative Pathways

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

As Director, my eight-year tenure in the LA music industry has deeply influenced the dedication to fostering an equitable space for all creatives. Years of senior level experience with major imprints including Universal Music Group, FUGA, and TikTok's SoundOn, served to highlight the racial disparities within the industry, and intensify our commitment.
The music industry's digital evolution has widened the racial and financial gap between BIPOC and non-BIPOC artists with predatory label practices and scant streaming rates, as low as 0.0034 USD, disproportionately affect artists of color. While Faum is resolute in dismantling these systemic barriers hindering artists' compensation, these pervasive disparities persist. USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found merely 22% of artists on 2012-2019's top 600 Billboard Hot 100 songs were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. The Grammy Academy reports a mere 2% of music producers and 12% of songwriters hail from these communities.

Faum is actively engaged in numerous initiatives designed to cultivate a fair music industry, all of which are based in Los Angeles, California. Our Artists Residency Program offers selected BIPOC creatives the opportunity to utilize our recording facilities, enabling them to fully realize their creative visions in a professional setting. During their residency, artists are provided with a cost-free immersive creative environment to express their unique ideas and ignite their range of passions wether it be musical, sound design, audio production, songwriting, or podcasting. Our Music Business Mentorship Program matches creative individuals with seasoned professionals in their desired field, offering insights into key industry practices like unions, fair compensation, and contract literacy. This program allows emerging artists, engineers, and producers of color from LA to enhance their skills and reach their artistic objectives by providing them access to resources, guidance, feedback, and support in distribution, promotion, and marketing. We also host an annual Artist Showcases event that highlights one exceptional artist or group, affording them the chance to present their creativity, skills, and unique style to a broader audience. Moreover, our Artist Grants program extends financial aid up to $2,000 to disadvantaged artists from Los Angeles to help offset the cost of equipment and recording for independent artists.

All our programs are exclusively aimed at BIPOC creatives from the LA area, ensuring local talent is recognized, supported, and uplifted. Through initiatives such as the Artist Residency Program and the Music Business Mentorship Program, we foster change right from our base in Los Angeles, the heart of the music industry. If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will experience a transformation, becoming a thriving hub of diverse artists who have overcome systemic barriers to gain the recognition and opportunities they deserve. This success will create a more inclusive and equitable music industry, amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering artistic innovation. Our efforts will lead to increased economic opportunities for BIPOC artists, enriching the local music scene with cultural diversity. And by sharing our best practices and collaborative models, we aim to inspire similar initiatives nationwide, promoting equity and sustainability across the broader music landscape.

Faum, in its commitment to creating a more equitable music industry, measures its success through a series of checkpoints. Event attendance, engagement with our initiatives, and analyses of monthly music streams and social media interactions form the backbone of our success metrics. Furthermore, we assess the number of works produced and the engagements with such works created under our guidance and gather feedback through surveys and interviews. These checkpoints not only demonstrate growth but also provide insights into how Faum can further refine its programming to better serve artists of color. By doing so, we are moving towards a music industry that is more inclusive, representative, and equitable— and that is the true measure of our success.