Live Nation announces Black Tour Directory

Live Nation Urban has launched The Black Tour Directory, a one-stop portal listing hundreds of qualified Black touring professionals.

The industry resource was developed to bolster inclusivity and expand opportunities for Black professionals and Black-owned companies in live music, alongside existing resources Roadies of Colour, Diversify The Stage, Black Promoters Collective.

The database lists contact details for 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,” says 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.”

“Our common goal is to make sure once live entertainment returns at scale, there are more opportunities for Black people”

Jenifer Smith, Live Nation director of tour marketing, says: “I felt it was important to create accessibility to people of colour that specialise 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. Using our platform as the leading promoter in the world, Live Nation has the ability to help change the narrative and to provide a powerful resource for the industry.”

The Black Tour Directory enables festivals, producers, promoters, vendors, and venues to live up to an industrywide promise of inclusivity with a straightforward solution to diversifying the road once and for all.

The directory was discussed during a roundtable interview with a number of respected voices from the industry. Backstage with Crew Nation comprised 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]. The video can be watched here.

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