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ST. THOMAS JOURNAL OF COMPLEX LITIGATION ▪ VOLUME 5 ▪ SPRING 2019
Jay Z 4:44 Highlights Racial Disparity in
Copyright & Entrepreneurship in the Entertainment Field
disparity between Blacks and Whites in this area is the “lack of a real integration” in the
entertainment industry.
61
According to Simmons, “no effort was made by the ‘old boys club’ or
by African-Americans to truly integrate.”
62
Even a senior white executive with one of the Big
Four music companies has acknowledged that despite the immense success of black performers
and industry efforts at recruitment and internships, diversity in the entertainment industry is still
lacking.
63
A 2015 study showed that film executives, who rank among Hollywood’s most powerful
decision makers, were primarily white males. Additionally, the study revealed that 96% of
members in the executive branches of each entertainment’s business are white.
64
Although Blacks
contributed to 46% of the movie ticket sales in 2014,
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only 5% of Hollywood’s award recipients
were black.
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By contrast, upwards of 97% of Hollywood-rewarded directors have been white.
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The 2017 Oscars Awards Ceremony illustrated this problematic reoccurrence when the director of
phenomenon); see Hip-Hoppreneur, Russell Simmons, ENTREPRENEUR (Oct. 10, 2008),
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197696 (stating that “Simmons has been able to parlay his success in the music
industry into other equally successful businesses.”).
61
See Cynthia Littleton, Russell Simmons Blasts Hollywood’s Racial “Segregation,” Variety (Jan. 21, 2015),
https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/russell-simmons-blasts-hollywoods-racial-segregation-1201411227/ (“[He’s] seen
ample evidence of bias in the development process that tends to keep black creatives from working in an organically
integrated way with white talent.”); see also Brennan Williams, Russell Simmons Says “Hollywood Is Segregated,”
and It’s “Costing Money,” HUFFINGTON POST (Aug. 24, 2016), https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russell-
simmons-hollywood-incredibly-segregated_us_57bdcf44e4b0c6301ca0e1b3.
62
Roberts, supra note 7, (“[E]ven though music is deeply rooted in the black experience, African-Americans have had
a tough time historically infiltrating the higher echelons of the music business.”); see Brent Lang, Hollywood Is a
Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds, VARIETY (Feb. 22, 2016),
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/movie-tv-diversity-study-hollywood-straight-white-male-1201711586/); Harwell
supra note 121 (stating Hollywood is very exclusive to white people) (The USC report, which faults the film
business for being a “straight, white, boys’ club,” should add fuel to the fire. It finds that only 3.4% of film
directors were female, 17.1% of broadcast directors, 15.1% of cable directors and 11.8% of streaming directors.
Minorities were similarly excluded from directing work. Under-represented ethnic or racial groups directed only
12.7% of films, 9.6% of broadcast programs, 16.8% of cable series and 11.4% of streaming shows.”).
63
Roberts, supra note 7 (stating white “old boys’ clubs” make it hard for blacks to integrate and blacks do not want
to either); see Drew Harwell, The Staggering Numbers that Prove Hollywood Has A Serious Race Problem,
WASHINGTON POST (Feb. 23, 2016), https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/02/23/its-too-loud-
and-other-reasons-oscar-voters-ignore-black-movies/?utm_term=.562158edd268 (“[A]ll 20 Oscar acting
nominations, for instance, have gone to white actors for two years in a row.”).
64
See Joana Adkins, Racism In Hollywood, MOVIE PREDATORS (Sept. 30, 2018),
http://www.moviepredators.com/movie-articles/racism-in-hollywood/ (“[T]he executives on the other hand, and its
studio chiefs, executive producers, investors etc. are instrumental behind making the important financial decisions
which keep the industry alive and financially viable. Data on these two important branches reveal a complete lack of
diversity. Approximately 96% of the more than 450 members in the executives are white”).
65
See Joana Adkins, Racism In Hollywood, MOVIE PREDATORS (Sept. 30, 2018),
http://www.moviepredators.com/movie-articles/racism-in-hollywood/.
66
Id. (“[W]hen it comes to sharing the important positions in Hollywood like America’s most rewarded and popular
directors, they are on the peripheries. Among the 400 members of the branch, only 6% are Hispanics, 5% are black
and 4% are Asians.”).
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Id. (“[T]he academy members who constitute the jury and decide on the nominations and the winners are also
dominated by white. Such group consists of 89% male and 84% white members. Since 1927, out of the 435
nominations, 423 have gone to the white directors which is a whopping 97% of the total nominations.”).