Issa Rae’s Raedio Partners with Google for Creators Program Honoring Women of Color in Audio
Audio Everywhere Company Raedio Teams Up with Google to Provide Underrepresented Independent Artists with Funding, Resources and Music Ownership
The Partnership is a Continuation of Google’s Efforts to Increase Representation in Entertainment, with a Focus on Benefitting Diverse Women within the Music Industry
Issa Rae’s audio everywhere company Raedio has announced its partnership with Google in an effort to increase representation of women of color in the music industry. The Raedio Creators Program Supported by Google is a part of Google’s efforts to create more opportunities for underrepresented voices in entertainment.
Two composers and two female artists will be selected by Google and Raedio to receive funding and resources while maintaining full ownership of the music that they create within the program. Additionally, the chosen recipients will receive consultation from the Raedio team, whose majority of leadership are persons of color or women. Raedio has led music supervision for networks and studios ranging from HBO, Netflix, and Hulu and extends across platforms with award-winning talent, podcasts and more.
“This partnership is perfectly aligned with my mission in helping open doors and provide opportunities for women to succeed and flourish in their craft,” said Issa Rae. “I can’t wait to see the impact this program and partnership has on the selectees and the music that is created as a result.”
“We are proud to create these four grants in partnership with Raedio with a goal of underscoring the importance in providing access and opportunity for women of color pursuing audio careers within the entertainment industry,” said Elle Roth-Brunet, Google’s Entertainment Partnerships Lead. “This program is an extension of Google’s dedication to championing diversity within the entertainment industry and we look forward to hearing the artistic contributions of all who participate.”
The funding provided by Google for the two female artists will cover recording fees, producer costs and marketing expenses for a 3-5 song EP. The project will be supervised by the Raedio record label team and distributed by Raedio with the artists retaining full ownership. The music created will be available across all Digital Streaming Platforms (DSPs), and all songs from the EP will be added to the Raedio library for pitching and sync opportunities. Google will also fund the production & development of one music video for each artist.
The two selected composers will receive funding to cover their recording and artist collaboration costs for a series of collections dedicated to TV, film and brand syncs. The Raedio music supervision team will actively look for opportunities to place the composer’s original tracks in music supervision projects within Hollywood.
“We are proud to partner with Google to support women in music,” says Raedio president Benoni Tagoe. “As an audio everywhere company, Raedio places artists’ work in as many places where music is consumed as possible, increasing their visibility among fans and consumers, in turn increasing their earning potential. Raedio Creator Program Supported by Google is another way for us to do this by providing a platform, tangible resources, mentorship, and amplification for aspiring talent. We look forward to selecting the final artists and composers and supporting them in their musical journeys.”
Submissions for both the artists and composers tracks open in early February 2022, with recipients being announced in March 2022.
