Just days following the airing of the once-in-a-lifetime television special "Motown 60: A GRAMMY Celebration," the iconic label's parent company, Capitol Music Group announced Motown Records will launch two new mentorship programs in support of Detroit-based musicians and entrepreneus.
Each program promises to foster local talent and ambition in different ways. The Motown Musician Accelerator will award four musicians or musical groups individualized coaching, industry introductions and a $20,000 grant to kickstart their careers during a 12-week program beginning this summer. The selectees for this remarkable opportunity are currently being determined by a competitve selection process.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">THIS JUST IN: We've announced the launch of our Motown Music Accelerator program for Detroit-Based musicians and businesses. <br><br>Read more about on <a href="https://twitter.com/billboard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@billboard</a>: <a href="https://t.co/ZbPBL6nmE6">https://t.co/ZbPBL6nmE6</a> <a href="https://t.co/1QRe6uDq3u">pic.twitter.com/1QRe6uDq3u</a></p>— Motown Records (@motown) <a href="https://twitter.com/motown/status/1121519248516448263?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2019</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Detroit has always been a creative hub for new talent and development,” said Motown president Ethiopia Habtemariam. “With the Motown Musician Accelerator initiative, we have an opportunity to come back to Detroit and highlight the incredible talent that has always existed in their community. Being able to provide the necessary support, funding and programming to help them grow in their careers is an absolute honor for us.”
Additionally, Motown Musician Accelorator program will also offer free quarterly workshops open to the public providing guidance from industry professionals on issues such as distribution, touring and songwriting.
The second program is called gBETA MusiTech and provides five selected Detroit music-technology startups with a free seven-week intensive training and opportunity to connect with other creatives, industry members and investors to “develop strategies to grow, gain customer traction and pitch investors.” MusicTech will take place at TechTown Detroit, a local "entrepreneurship hub," and an additional group of five startups will be chosen to take part in the MusicTech program at Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, Calif.
Applications for gBETA Music are currently being accepted via the program's website.
