Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music explores racial injustice in the music industry

September 4, 2024 — From executive producers Idris and Sabrina Elba, alongside Greg Sanderson of Supercollider and Julie Bristow of Catalyst, for national public broadcasters CBC and BBC, a new three-part documentary series Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music explores the systemic racism faced by Black artists in the music industry from its inception to the digital streaming age.

Despite remarkable success stories, prejudicial practices persist in the machinery of the music industry, with exploitative contracts and copyright arrangements often hindering artists’ autonomy and financial reward and coming with a devastating personal cost.

The series is narrated in Canada by music icon Jully Black and features interviews with Black titans of the music industry Cadence Weapon, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Monie Love, Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Ice T, Master P, and Smokey Robinson, as well as music experts and industry insiders. The series is narrated in the UK by British actress and playwright Zawe Ashton.

In Canada, all episodes of Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music will be available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Saturday 21 September.

In the UK, the first episode will air on BBC Two on Saturday 21 September and will be available to stream as a box set on BBC iPlayer afterwards. The second and third episodes will air on Saturday 28 September.

Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music documents the extent of the historic injustice suffered by the music industry’s Black artists, including the disparity of profits received by them, despite having created the records that have driven the fabric and culture of popular music – from jazz and rock and roll to soul and rap.

The first episode delves into the stories of trailblazing artists like Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, who used their music to challenge societal norms, and confronts the harsh realities faced by legends such as Bessie Smith, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry, who struggled for fair compensation despite their groundbreaking contributions. The second episode highlights the emergence of Black-owned labels like Motown, Stax Records, and Def Jam, which shaped the industry while facing their own challenges. Despite celebrating Black culture, these labels sometimes adopted exploitative practices reminiscent of larger, white-owned counterparts.

The series concludes by exploring the impact of streaming in the digital era. While some Black artists successfully create their own labels and stable of artists, others struggle with unfair new types of exploitative contracts and minimal compensation from streaming platforms. Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music offers insight into the triumphs and challenges of Black artists striving for recognition, autonomy, and fair compensation—in a music industry with odds stacked against them.

Commissioned by the CBC and BBC, Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music is produced by Supercollider, Green Door Pictures and Pink Towel in association with Catalyst. It is executive produced by Greg Sanderson for Supercollider, Julie Bristow for Catalyst, Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, and Sabrina Elba for Pink Towel. Guy Evan is series producer and director, Alison Duke is director, Tom Pollard is producer, David Upshal is showrunner, Margot Daley is co-producer. Based on a concept originated by Roy Ackerman.

For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs. For the BBC, the series was commissioned by BBC Head of Pop Music TV Jonathan Rothery and Commissioning Editor Rachel Davies. The series is being distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights.