Universal Music Group has announced the establishment of the Berry Gordy Music Industry Scholarship at The Herb Alpert School of Music.
In partnership with The UCLA Foundation, UMG has endowed a new scholarship, which will support high-potential students studying in the school’s Music Industry Programme.
The scholarship builds on the 2024 launch of The UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Centre at the school of music, a hub dedicated to research, teaching, and community engagement and career support around the evolving global music business.
Each year, a student demonstrating exceptional promise and financial need will be named a Berry Gordy Scholar and receive funding towards tuition, housing, and other educational expenses.
Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO, said: “For more than 65 years, Berry Gordy’s name has been synonymous with artistry and the transformative power of music. Through this scholarship, UMG is honouring his enduring legacy by investing in a new generation of young people who will help carry that spirit forward – creators and changemakers, who will have an opportunity to reflect the innovation and entrepreneurial genius that Mr Gordy helped bring to the world through Motown, Tamla and the pioneering sound of Detroit.”
Berry Gordy said: “I am thrilled that my friend Sir Lucian Grainge and Universal Music Group have committed to support this programme with their endowment that will help open doors for many more students and continue to pave the way for music to be a force for good and change. The centre provides vital opportunities for students at UCLA to help prepare for careers in the music industry, so that future generations of young talent will continue to innovate, inspire and bring together culture and communities through the power of music.”
For more than 65 years, Berry Gordy’s name has been synonymous with artistry and the transformative power of music
Sir Lucian Grainge
The Berry Gordy Music Industry Scholarship aligns with UMG’s ongoing Sounds of the Future campaign, launched by its Global Impact Team in 2023. Now in its third year, Sounds of the Future supports initiatives that amplify Black creativity, preserve cultural heritage and ensure equity in the music business.
“UMG’s partnership with The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music reflects our belief that increasing access to education and professional training is a powerful tool for transforming the music industry,” said Robert Fink, acting dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Director of The Berry Gordy Music Industry Centre. “This endowment ensures that the next generation of music executives, artists, and entrepreneurs will not only be inspired by Berry Gordy’s legacy of innovation but also equipped to build on it.”
Scholarship recipients will be selected by the director of the Gordy Centre, and will be eligible to receive the award in consecutive years based on demonstrated financial need and academic engagement.
“In creating this lasting investment, UMG and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music hope to honour the cultural contributions of Berry Gordy and the Motown legacy while opening doors for a new generation to thrive at the intersection of music, culture, and business,” said a statement.
This year, UMG has expanded the Sounds of the Future initiative. The major has extended donations to Roots of Music in New Orleans, which empowers youth through culturally rooted music education; and Girls Make Beats in Los Angeles, which opens doors for the next generation of female producers, DJs and engineers.
PHOTO: Juan Tallo
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