This marks the first week of Black Music Month.
Declared in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the month-long observance celebrates the work of Black artists and music industry giants throughout the years.
In honor of the month, here are five Black-owned music and media applications and programs to check out for the start of Black Music Month.
- Deepr: Launched recently by software designer Austin Webster and a music industry entertainment attorney with experience working for Motown, Darrell Thompson, Deepr is described as a mix of “Shazam and ImDB.” Led alongside a board made up of award-winning musicians and producers such as Drumma Boy, Teddy Riley and Dallas Austin, the app helps users discover new tracks through instant searches. Once the song is recognized, Deepr provides insight into the creators of the track, providing information on both the musicians and the writers. The app recently launched a new widget that allows users to do a deep dive into songs played in shows right as they’re watching the episode. Deepr is available on both the Google Play store and the Apple Store for download.
- Splits App: Designed by Jammber CoFounder and CEO Marcus Cobb, the Splits App helps those who are songwriters with tracking information on their work. Using the app, musicians can track the ownership percentage of each contributing writer on the song. As one of the only rights management services app in stores, the Jammber Splits app also helps users officially register their songs and collect any royalties made from the sales of the track. The app is available on the Apple App Store for download.
- Fanbase: Created by the son of the late legendary singer Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes III, the Fanbase app is for musicians, influencers, artists and any other person who wants to expand their reach. Created in 2018, the app is a subscription social media platform that works to motivate Black content creators and have their work be rewarded with monetary value to bridge the equity gap on other social media sites. With the Fanbase app, every content creator’s work is guaranteed protection. Celebrities that have already endorsed the app by signing up include Snoop Dogg and Charlamagne Tha God, amongst others. The Fanbase app is available for download on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
- The LABZ: Created by founder and CEO Farah Allen, The LABZ is an app that serves multiple purposes with partnerships with companies such as Comcast, Netflix and Amazon. It is a technology platform that allows users to create in an immersive online space. Previously, the app has been used extensively by musicians to collaborate on tracks in real-time.
- Breakr: Founded by four Florida A&M University alumni, Ameer Brown, Anthony Brown, Rotimi Omosheyin and Dan Ware, the Breakr music app helps with “direct-to-creator relationships.” The music marketing platform helps artists share their work by connecting with influencers as part of a collaboration. With these campaigns, the app ensures that content creators are getting paid for their work.
