Instead of annually, Mother’s Day is a year-round celebration for Brittney Brock and Moms In Music.
Founded by Brock in 2023, the community-fostering organization is dedicated to empowering, supporting and advocating “for women in music who are mothers, in mothering roles or on the journey to motherhood.” Its mission statement further notes, “We are a community of female music creators and music professionals who have come together to connect and empower one another to fulfill our true potential in an industry where motherhood has traditionally been viewed as taboo and where women are often marginalized.”
It was while working as president of operations for record label 10K Projects that Brock began envisioning the need for an organization like Moms In Music. “The reasons came from my personal experience as a woman and a woman of color in the business,” Brock recalls. Her industry background includes serving as Usher’s day-to-day manager and as an A&R executive at Def Jam.
“When I became pregnant in 2019,” Brock continues, “I was looking for other women who had been down the path that I was about to go down. I wanted to be able to ask questions and find resources. But I couldn’t really find anything or anyone that felt like a safe space to talk about it. I began talking with other women in the industry who shared the same sentiment: we needed a community; we needed to be able to build our own table.”
Welcoming new members on a quarterly basis, Moms In Music stands at just under 200 members having just announced its Q2 class. Encompassing all genres and facets of the industry as well as including artists and executives, the organization counts notable members such as former Capitol Music Group chairwoman/CEO Michelle Jubelirer, Grammy-winning artist Melanie Fiona, Grammy-nominated songwriter Makeba Riddick, background vocalist Rachel Beauregard (Maren Morris, Hozier) and trumpeter Crystal Torres, who played on Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour accompanied by a very visible baby bump.
In tandem with its launch last year, the organization hosted its inaugural Moms In Music brunch. Sponsored by the Recording Academy and Songwriters of North America (SONA), the event honored Grammy-winning artist Faith Evans, creative director/choreographer Jamaica Craft (Ciara, Usher) and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Dionne Farris. Plans are underway for a second annual brunch again in September.
During the day, Brock doubles as CEO of King Creative Group, which she established after leaving 10K Projects. The Atlanta-based firm provides talent management and operations consulting. Among the clients in its admin division: Quality Control Music.
By no means, however, is Brock’s day job sacrificing the passion and determination that sparked her vision for Moms In Music. “Another of our goals is to be a source of inspiration for the generations that will come after us,” she declares. “It’s something I wish that I would have had.”
In the wake of the call for more diversity, equity and inclusion over the last several years, what positive changes have you witnessed for women in music?
Transparency is starting to happen a bit more just in terms of how the business operates. That’s because artists are becoming smarter about the business; wanting to maintain a level of independence. But with it also has to come a level of education in terms of how you do it and how you do it successfully. I’m inspired when I hear about artists going the independent route or choosing to be creative in how they structure their deals because they understand the mutual value that’s coming to the table. When it comes to moms specifically, we’ve seen a change in the last five to 10 years with artists being more vocal about being proud to be a mom; that family is a priority. Artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Ciara and others who are succeeding in their careers while shattering the misconception that a woman has to sacrifice or give something up. The more that we’re able to have spaces like Moms In Music and other organizations such as FAM [Family Alliance in Music] with which we’re partnered. The big picture goal is to be part of the disruption that we already see happening. You can’t be what you can’t see.
Speaking of which, what about women executives and the challenges they’re still facing?
The more faith we have in women and moms in the C-suite, the more they can advocate. The industry overall has a lot of work to do in terms of building better leaders who are delegating; who are managing in a way that is supportive for their team. Look at organizations that have great leaders. For instance, Jacqueline Saturn [Virgin Music Group president, North America/exec. vp of global artist relations]. I worked with Jacqueline when I was 10K. Literally everyone who’s on Jacqueline’s staff doesn’t want to go anywhere because she leads from a place of support. She’s created a safe space for her team where they feel comfortable coming to her or her executives as a team and say, “This is what I need.” And they support that. The more that we’re able to build better leaders at the top, there’s no choice but for that to trickle down to the rest of the organization.
What kind of support does Moms In Music provide?
We focus on the personal and the professional. All of our support and programming are built around our four core pillars: physical wellness, financial wellness, professional development and spiritual/mental health. For example, a few days ago we brought in a financial wellness specialist from an organization called Moms with Benefits. And the specialist did a full presentation on topics like how long you can ask for extended maternity leaves and what you can do in terms of taxes and other matters that most of us didn’t have a clue about. We also recently presented a panel built around a series we’re launching called “More Than a Mom” that talks about how to reclaim your identity in motherhood.
Once you become a member, you have access to our members-only portal, our own mini-Facebook featuring whatever information you’d like to have available to other members so you’re able to network with each other. We also have a forum that lists our events plus recaps, videos, various resources and member feedback. Our virtual events, at least one per month, are generally open to anyone who wants to join. But our recaps and video replays are for members only. Next Monday [May 13], we’re doing a mixer in Nashville during Music Biz 2024 that’s open to anyone who wants to learn more about Moms In Music because we’re looking to further build our brand awareness. Leading into Mother’s Day, we presented three programs earlier this week. We’re also doing free giveaways to members each week this month.
How has establishing Moms In Music shaped your own journey as a business executive and mother?
To be very honest, I didn’t want kids. I was so career-focused, trying to climb the corporate ladder. That was literally all I could think. Then everything changed. Now I’m so glad that God knew what I needed more than I knew. Because it’s changed my whole perspective on life. It’s given me purpose in a way I didn’t know that I needed. It’s also helped me tap into my strengths, my superpowers. I’m a way better executive since becoming a mom because I understand how to delegate. I understand how to prioritize like during the little window of time that you get after [school] drop off. I get so much done because I’m laser-focused. And being a mom has also helped me realize how much time I was wasting before. Just kind of chasing my tail, right? It’s helped me to understand purpose in a way that I’ve never understood before. Motherhood is definitely the hardest job I’ve ever had, from the minute I open my eyes at 5:15 a.m. and don’t stop moving untii 9:30 p.m. But it’s also the most amazing and fulfilling.
