Greetings Splice community, music enthusiasts, creators, and thinkers.
My name is Dom McLennon. My life has been consumed by music for as long as I can remember, culminating in various creative music projects with myself and others, most notably the brainchild of Kevin Abstract, BROCKHAMPTON. The byproduct of creating with mutual friends and creators has brought me an immense privilege and platform to use my voice to demand space, equity, and access to platforms like Splice for independent Black creators and thinkers. Music companies have a responsibility to protect Black creators and uplift the work being done in Black communities. The work in predominantly Black communities has consistently become a point of reference in corporate and pop culture, with minimal representation or equity going back to those communities for their efforts.
We’ve come together to brainstorm a series of initiatives with the intention of utilizing the platform and resources Splice has to offer. These projects will serve as a gateway and network for independent Black creators whose works are consistently drawn from, but not properly cited or protected by the entities that profit from them. To ensure this movement doesn’t center around any specific individual, this initiative will be an ongoing work-in-progress until Black creators from all walks of life can see this platform as an opportunity for autonomy and access. This movement will require an emphasis on yielding to the voices of Black women and the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a mutual responsibility all around to ensure the marginalized and under-represented have an honest and equal opportunity amongst corporate entities like Splice.
Amplified, an artist-on-artist conversation series starting with Nothing_Neue, is the beginning of a series of initiatives I will be directly involved in, making space for independent Black creatives on this platform with projects led by Black artists. We’ll be doing work in their communities as well as individual work, ultimately giving us more autonomy in spaces like these.
July 10, 2020
