On June 30th, SiriusXM and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) marked the end of Black Music Appreciation Month with an event at the museum highlighting the powerful impact of Black Music and celebrating the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations.
SiriusXM and NMAAHC first teamed up in 2021 to create the Anthem Award-winning original podcast All Music is Black Music, which explores how African American music and culture have shaped the wider contemporary music landscape. Event attendees were treated to the first-ever live audience recording of All Music Is Black Music, hosted by Selema Masekela.
The premiere episode of the acclaimed podcast’s second season kicked off with a special performance by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mobley, who composed the podcast’s theme song, and featured 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and GRAMMY® Award-winning producers and songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who joined Selema to unpack the influence of Minnesota and funk rock on their sound. Selema was also joined by Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, NMAAHC Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, and Naima Cochrane, a music industry veteran, journalist and leading voice in Black music and culture, for a deep dive into themes inspired by NMAAHC artifacts including J Dilla’s MPC3000, a Mother’s Finest leather jacket and the Janet Jackson key earring.
Following the podcast, we were proud to unveil the newly-branded SiriusXM Neighborhood Record Store, an interactive destination housed within the NMAAHC’s permanent “Musical Crossroads” exhibition that features record covers for individual browsing and a digital interactive station that links songs and artists to various genres, themes, regions, and time periods. Museum-goers are joined together by their interest in music and encouraged to make new discoveries about their favorite artists and genres, recall fond memories, and share stories.
The SiriusXM Neighborhood Record Store unveiling follows a February announcement of a $2 million gift to the NMAAHC by SiriusXM Cares, the company’s charitable arm.
In June 2020, SiriusXM established SiriusXM Cares, a $25 million donor-advised fund to support charitable contributions. The mission of SiriusXM Cares is simple: to use these funds to create real change by contributing to organizations that are making a difference in the world and taking actions that further social equity, education, hiring, and combat racial justice.
Across each of these key pillars, SiriusXM cares has made significant contributions to more than a dozen non-profit organizations, in addition to larger collaborations with organizations that align with the company and our values on an even deeper level, including the NMAAHC and The Apollo Theater.
We’re proud to work with the National Museum of African American History and Culture to celebrate the history and influence of Black Music, not only just during Black Music Appreciation Month but all year long. If you weren’t able to join us for the celebration, you can listen to the live podcast recording on Pandora or on the SXM App.