International music agency Syn has joined forces with New York based non-profit organization, Black Theater United (BTU) for select placement of their inspirational song “Stand for Change.” The aim of the placement is to secure licensing proceeds to support BTU’s mission to Unify, Advocate and Educate for racial equity and social justice.
“Stand For Change” was released by Republic Records as a single and video during the last week in May as the theme song for BTU. It is an incredibly powerful and emotional song, brought to life over 6 months by 13 acclaimed and award-winning veterans of Broadway and founding members of BTU including Vanessa Williams, Billy Porter, Audra McDonald, Darius de Haas, Norm Lewis, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lillias White, Allyson Tucker, Michael McElroy, NaTasha Yvette Williams, LaChanze, Wendell Pierce and Capathia Jenkins.
The song was written by NYU professors Dave Schroeder (Director of MPAP) and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Phil Galdston (Director of Songwriting), and produced by Galdston and Swagg R’Celious. The charitable project partners the shared racial equity and social justice missions of BTU and Republic Records R2AC’s mission of Social Responsibility and Sustained Leadership. The partnership aims to not only call out and challenge racial inequity and inclusion for Black artists and behind-the scenes talent in the Broadway theater industry, but to galvanize communities to stand up for them throughout the country. All revenues generated by the song are being donated by Republic Records to BTU.
The video is produced by HunterPark Productions partners Bethanie Schwartz and Lauren Tuttman in collaboration with producer Liz Curtis, directed by filmmaker Michael Cooke, and edited by Zeus Sepulveda.
BTU was formed in response to the wave of national unrest over racial injustice in 2020 trigged by the murder of George Floyd. Earlier this month marked their first anniversary. The organization’s focus is to influence widespread reform and combat systemic racism within the theater industry and across the U.S. Their most recent efforts include bolstering census participation and developing new mentorship programs for aspiring young Black theater artists.
“Over this past year, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on many industries, and the entertainment industry and the shutdown of Broadway has been hit significantly,” says Vanessa Williams, one of the founding Board Members of BTU. “We’re hopeful ‘Stand for Change,’ will bring more attention to the plight of Black theater artists and will inspire and empower people to believe we can make meaningful changes to create a more equitable society.”
Syn is an internationally known award-winning music agency that provides original music, licensing, sonic branding, and live / environmental music curation for brands, networks, hotels, film and broadcast and streamed entertainment. Syn has collaborated with music artists from around the world to connect with audiences including in the public service and cause space.
“Stand for Change is an example of the power of music to be an emotional connector, carrying ideas into the hearts of listeners,” comments SYN Co-Founder & Creative Director Nick Wood. “Our goal is to help forge an opportunity to amplify the important work of Black Theater United and provide a new platform for a song that is beautiful and anthemic. We are honored to collaborate with BTU and it’s members and artists on this important opportunity.”
