Our Mission

We engage artists in support of community radio and nonprofit media organizations.

Artists for Media Diversity (A4MD), a Texas based nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable organization, is organized to foster awareness of the need for independent media voices in America, to provide assistance to emerging community-based or public media outlets and to promote musical and cultural diversity.

We recognize the need for variety in media outlets so that people have access to the widest possible diversity in programming. Many problems today can begin to be resolved through a better understanding of the diversity in culture, art and music found in our country. For that reason, we plan to offer a wide variety of musical and cultural programs to public media outlets to enhance their capabilities and support those who might not otherwise have access to such programming.

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Our planned activities will include:

• Assisting new, emerging, and existing community-based nonprofit media outlets by providing them with digital and audio services to foster musical and artistic diversity. The organization plans to focus initially on small public media outlets, who because of their size or location, do not have access to a wide range of cultural and musical materials that are typically available in larger markets;

• Creating and maintaining a diverse library of musical materials, that will document and archive the many cultural and artistic genres and styles of music in this country. The organization plans to obtain permission from the owners of the material, so that these materials can be made available to target media outlets;

• Providing technical assistance to emerging nonprofit media outlets by matching them with persons with expertise in the station’s area of need such as production, programming, marketing, customer awareness; listener retention, and other basic requirements of operating a successful community media outlet. The organization will also help these media organizations learn to raise funds and attract grants to sustain their activities.

• Educating the public about the value of community-based media outlets, and the need to expose communities to a wide variety of musical and artistic styles and cultures. Education programs will include, but not be limited to: community forums and presentations; presentations in colleges and universities; lectures; musical and cultural demonstrations; small conferences; brochures, literature and educational materials; information and education on a website; and so on;

• Providing opportunities for college and university interns who want to learn about the community-based media, and who want to help develop diversity in those media outlets;

• Assisting in the development of community concerts and similar events to raise awareness among the public about musical and cultural diversity; and,

• Networking with other nonprofit organizations, media education programs, and other groups who support and share Artists for Media Diversity’s mission and goals.