The Black Rock Coalition (BRC) represents a united front of musically and politically progressive Black artists and supporters.

The BRC was created in the fall of 1985 in New York City with the purpose of creating an atmosphere conducive to the maximum development, exposure and acceptance of Black alternative music. The BRC seeks to foster cooperation among musicians and like organizations through networking and shared resources. The BRC opposes those racist and reactionary forces within the American music industry which undermine and purloin our musical legacy and deny Black artists the expressive freedom and economic rewards that our Caucasian counterparts enjoy as a matter of course.

Rock and roll, like practically every form of popular music across the globe, is Black music and we are its heirs. We, too, claim the right of creative freedom and access to American and International airwaves, audiences, markets, resources and compensations, irrespective of genre.

The BRC embraces the total spectrum of Black music. The BRC rejects the arcane perceptions and spurious demographics that claim our appeal is limited. The BRC rejects the demand for Black artists to tailor their music to fit into the creative straitjackets the industry has designed. We are individuals and will accept no less than full respect for our right to be conceptually independent.

Some of our objectives are as follows:

– Performance outlets for progressive Black artists

– Recording opportunities for Black artists

– Equitable distribution opportunities for progressive Black artists

– Resource development for progressive Black artists

– Documentation of cultural events (via videotape, film, print, etc.) for archival purposes

– Educational opportunities for people inside and outside of the organization in the form of lectures, workshops, seminars, research, library resources, audio-visual resources and public forums/discussions

– Creative funding and fund location resources for individual and collaborative artists¹ projects

– Networking opportunities so that like-minded individuals can come together and share ideas and resources