Black Tour Directory Launches To Foster Inclusivity

Live Nation Urban has created The Black Tour Directory to foster inclusivity and expand opportunities for Black professionals and Black-owned companies in live music.

The Black Tour Directory help festivals, producers, promoters, vendors, and venues to live up to an industrywide promise of inclusivity. The portal lists hundreds of 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.

“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,” said Live Nation Urban President Shawn Gee. “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. “

Gee also hosted a “Backstage with Crew Nation” roundtable interview with 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].

You can find the free directory here.