black music action coalition
When the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) releases its annual Music Industry Action Report Card, co-founder and president/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers says a barrage of distressed phone calls from executives inevitably follows. The assessments grade music companies on how well they’ve kept promises made in 2020 to diversify their executive ranks, among other measures; the executives call, he explains, to complain that the grades affect their bottom lines.
“That’s what we want to do,” says Stiggers, who is also the CEO of artist and brand management company 50/50 Music Group Management. “You can’t continue to operate with false promises after saying that you stand in solidarity with your Black brothers and sisters and then don’t promote the Black executive and don’t ensure that a woman is in an environment where she is protected and her vision is executed.”
BMAC was established in June 2020 following the movement #TheShowMustBePaused to advance racial diversity, equity and inclusion in the music business. But this year’s mass industry layoffs, which included many DEI executives, has “unrolled some of the progress we were making,” Stiggers says.
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As a result, BMAC will present a new version of its report before its fourth annual gala in September. The organization has sent a link to executives that asks them to anonymously indicate whether they have seen true change, what has worsened and what still needs to be addressed.
The early results, Stiggers says, are “almost a slap in the face — a ‘whitelash,’ if you will, to the commitments that were made in 2020. The question has become, Was this s— really performative or not?”
The National Action Network Award that Stiggers received this year — “a 360 moment for me because my activism began with [NAN founder and president] Al Sharpton. I created and led [the organization’s] youth division.”
Diwang Valdez
Why are there fewer Black executives in the music industry now than in 2019?
The major labels, I’m sure, would tell you AI [artificial intelligence]. The uncertainty of that realm has caused them to tighten up. But my suspicions are, there’s a bit of that, but these positions [for Black and women executives] were not permanent. A lot of the people were put in these positions in 2020 — managers became senior-level directors, for example — and then in 2024, they have been asked to go back to that lower position or exit altogether. When you have the RIAA report record-breaking revenue that the industry generated in 2023, it’s a little lost on me how that translates to the lack of employment.
What are your thoughts on the DEI positions that have been eliminated since 2020?
The reality is that a lot of these commitments from the labels were three-year commitments. That seemed to be the hot number where they thought maybe at the end of the three years this s— would go away or we would be on to something else. Seemingly, the contracts that these DEI executives had were three-year deals. Once they were up, [the labels were] like, “We did that. We checked the box. Now let’s go back to business as usual.” There was so much potential for us to set this thing on the right course. So for us to go backward is really embarrassing, and history is going to reflect this.
How are you counseling these companies to elevate people of color and women?
A lot of our conversations with these labels, we do confidentially. Here’s what I can say about it. We bring all kinds of stats to prove how profitable diversity is; how profitable it is when you let women lead; how profitable historically it has been when people of color — those who make the product, who consume the product — lead [in terms of] how that product is distributed. This is not even a moral conversation at this point. I’m telling you how it impacts your bottom line.
The prototype of the first BMAC Award, which was given in September 2021 to The Weeknd at the first gala. “He said, ‘This is the greatest award I ever received.’ ”
Diwang Valdez
What do you think of the Recording Academy’s attempts to diversify the voting membership for the Grammy Awards?
Racism is a 450-year-old issue. It is not going to be solved in three or four years. What we can do is talk about the progress that has been made. We have, for the first time, a Black CEO of the Recording Academy. That’s progress. We watched new categories get introduced [like] best song for social change. That didn’t exist prior to Harvey Mason jr. as CEO. He’s up against decades of systems that we are slowly chipping away at. The mere fact that there is a Black Music Collective. The fact that Jay-Z stood on the stage and held a Grammy named after Dr. Dre. We’re not going to act like that is the liberation of our people, but we’re not going to act like that’s not change.
You say BMAC has moved from protest to policy. How?
In 2022, it came to our attention that there were over 500 cases of Black men that were locked up for lyrics. That became a problem for us. So BMAC created the federal legislation called the RAP Act. The work that we did on that federal level created all these statewide bills like what Gov. [Gavin] Newsom signed in California last year. That was a direct result of our work. We are working with the group around Fix the Tix and are working with the groups around AI protection. Our work around legislative policy is as loud, as real and as meaningful as the work we’re doing with pipeline programs.
What are some of those pipeline programs?
Three years ago, we partnered with the RIAA and Tennessee State University and [Nashville Music Equity’s] Brian Sexton, who is an alumnus there, to bring a unique commercial business school to young people who want to get into the industry. We bring in executives and artists from all over the industry. They get paid internships that come out of that every year. We’ve had several people get gainfully employed at record labels and music studios. Most recently, Live Nation hired one of the participants. Tri Star [Sports & Entertainment] hired a young woman from this year’s classes.
A portrait of Stiggers; his wife of 29 years, Fatima; and three of their children, from left: Zaira, Nailah and Willie III. They have since been joined by daughter Safra-Cree. “We met in high school and started [our] family young, which defined my greater purpose,” he says.
Diwang Valdez
That’s not your only Nashville-related initiative.
BMAC also put out a report in 2022 called Three Chords and the Actual Truth: The Manufactured Myth of Country Music and White America. When we released that report, there was a call to action for the music world to join us in addressing the structural racism on Music Row in Nashville and creating access. We were inspired by a guy named Michael Tubbs from Stockton, Calif. He created Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and got mayors from all over the country to create these pilot programs where they would give [citizens of their city] guaranteed income of up to $2,000 a month. He got the qualitative and quantitative data needed to show the positive effects of small increments of money going to people directly.
We felt we could bring the same concept to the music industry and creators. The Academy of Country Music was the first to raise their hand and join us. A year to the date of that report, 20 young Black kids [in the music community] started receiving $1,000 a month, plus mentorship and [other] services.
BMAC is also working with the live industry.
We did a partnership with Live Nation and created BMAC Live, a 10-day intensive program in California as part of Live Nation’s School of Live. They allowed BMAC to come in and carve out a program specifically geared toward young Black non-college-bound students who have a desire to be in the live space. We’ve had 3,000 applicants already, and we are going to pick 20 of the best of that group and fly them out to Los Angeles for a full week. Each of those young people will go to their respective cities and receive a paid internship from Live Nation for six months. [Then] they will be eligible for the Live Nation apprenticeship program. That’s another six months that will then lead to employment. That’s the type of access and training we talked about, and that program will scale and grow annually.
A plaque commemorating the first Music Business Accelerator Program created by BMAC in partnership with the RIAA that started at Tennessee State University in 2021.
Diwang Valdez
Is there anything else you would like to highlight?
We’re working on something really special with Apple Pathways. [We are training young people] around spatial audio, spatial visual and preparing them for the technology of tomorrow. This is where we are going, and if we don’t create the accessibility to the technology, another divide is about to happen. Another shift will take place in which Black America is left out once again.
Is BMAC looking to expand its staff as these programs and initiatives develop?
Yes. We will be expanding and looking at college representatives. Young people are ready. They’re not moving with the same barriers and the same willingness to allow norms to continue to separate people. It’s a different spirit among this generation here.
One thing we realized is that this fight for justice isn’t just here in the U.S. We are in partnerships with organizations in the United Kingdom and Australia, and we are forging a tremendous movement with several key organizations throughout the continent [of Africa]. I’m very concerned about what’s happening with Afrobeats. If we don’t get over there and start working with our African brothers and sisters to understand the industry, the cultural appropriation that took place in hip-hop, blues, rock, country will happen over there. If we do not protect the [intellectual property], it will be cultural colonization all over again.
Billboard‘s Editorial Director of R&B and Hip-Hop, Gail Mitchell, and Billboard‘s Executive Editor, West Coast & Nashville, Melinda Newman, Doctor of Musicology Jada Watson and singer-songwriter Ink discuss the intersectionality of the Black history of country music. Ink:Coming from a powerful voice like Beyoncé, she just took us all back to our roots. Prophet:We have […]
On Saturday (April 13), Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/president/CEO of Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), was honored at the National Action Network’s 21st Annual Convention Youth and College Day by the Reverend Al Sharpton for his commitment to the youth program, as well his lifelong activism in the music industry and within the Black community. Prophet […]
Dear Industry Leaders,
Last year, the Black Music Action Coalition and the Academy of Country Music joined together to launch OnRamp, a new initiative designed to create economic empowerment and access to the music industry for young Black creatives and industry executives, giving them a year of guaranteed income and a menu of mentorship services from music industry leaders.
Following the success of the OnRamp program, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has united with the BMAC to continue this important work and support both young female and Black creatives and industry professionals in search of careers as musicians, songwriters, producers and executives.The program assists young creatives with basic needs such as rent, utilities and food, as well as opens the door for previously challenging activities such as studio time, travel for shows or networking opportunities, marketing and even legal services. It also provides mentorship focused on improving inclusivity and equity within music and empowering the next generation of leaders in the early stages of their careers by granting access to professional development opportunities, mentorship and industry exposure. The BMAC will facilitate the program as well as document and track the artists’ and young professionals’ journeys as they share their stories of success and triumph from the year of empowerment.
After reviewing applications in 2023, the BMAC has selected 20 female and Black emerging creatives for the program. We are currently fundraising in order to begin the program during Black Music Month in June.
As we are all very aware of the incredible contributions female and Black creatives continue to make to the growth of our industry, we see the BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income and Mentorship Program as a valuable long-term partner that will provide a structured system that will open doors and train the next generation of creatives and executives in the music industry. We ask that you become an inaugural partner with us on this important initiative so that we can create the true scale needed to open the doors to the future creators and leaders in our industry.
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As part of Grammy Week 2024, BMAC co-founder and president/CEO Willie “Prophet” Stiggers hosted John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation; Michael Tubbs, founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income; Maura Cuffie-Peterson, director of strategic initiatives for guaranteed income for Creatives Rebuild New York; and Billboard editorial director Hannah Karp for an economic justice summit at UTA to galvanize the music industry to take action.
We now look to our industry and partners to donate to this initiative. We would be so grateful for your support.
WILLIE “PROPHET” STIGGERS, Co-founder and president/CEO Black Music Action Coalition
HANNAH KARP, Editorial director Billboard
JOHN SYKES, Chairman Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
IRVING AZOFF, Chairman/CEO The Azoff Company
ROB LIGHT, Managing partner/ head of worldwide music CAA
To support this program, please visit bmacoalition.org/halloffame.
This story originally appeared in the March 9, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) founder Willie “Prophet” Stiggers has joined the founders board of the Neil Lasher Music Fund at Caron Treatment Centers, which provides financial assistance to music workers for drug and alcohol addiction treatment. With Stiggers in the fold, BMAC and the fund will work together to help address the stigma of […]
Victoria Monét and the Black Music Action Coalition are teaming up to make dreams come true for a talented Black artist.
BMAC and Monét are behind a new grant, which awards a Black emerging artist $5,000 to “aid in economic empowerment,” plus opportunities and direct career advice from the 10-times Grammy nominated performer.
The BMAC x Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant is part of BMAC’s commitment to facilitate access, equity and opportunity for the next generation of Black artists and industry professionals, and will be officially announced Wednesday (Jan. 31) at BMAC’s Grammy Week Music Maker Dinner in Los Angeles.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are hosts of BMAC’s pre-Grammys event.
“We are honored to partner with Victoria Monét to uplift a young and deserving Black artist and help further their dreams within the music industry,” comments BMAC co-founder, president and CEO, Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, in a statement. Her story, Stiggers continues, “is one of resilience and perseverance and it is in that spirit we will continue to pay it forward.”
Monét enjoyed a hot streak in 2023, as the singer-songwriter nabbed her first No. 1 single on a Billboard chart, with “On My Mama” (via Lovett/RCA Records) leading the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay tally, then swiftly led another as the single reigned over topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list.
There’s potentially more glory on the way for the Texas-based rapper. She’s nominated for seven Grammy Awards for the 2024 ceremony, set for Feb. 4, including record of the year, best R&B song, and best new artist.
With six nominations, she leads the way at the 2024 NAACP Image Awards, set for to air March 16.
BMAC’s growing portfolio of grants and empowerment programs for Black emerging artists and industry professionals including The Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant, BMAC Ernie Paniccioli Music Photojournalism Grant & Celebration Event, BMAC x Audiomack Paid Music Internship for HBCU Students, BMAC x Kobalt Music Maker Grant Making Program and more.
According to the organization, the recipient of the BMAC x Victoria Monét Music Maker Grant will be selected through a nationwide search hosted by BMAC, details on which will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Visit the official Black Music Action Coalition site for more information.
After a probation-reform bill became Pennsylvania law last Friday, chart-topping rapper Meek Mill teared up and a key music-business advocacy group echoed his support.
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“We are definitely happy about these results,” says Prophet, co-founder, president and CEO of the Black Music Action Coalition, a group of attorneys, artists, label executives and managers formed in 2020 to address racism in the industry. “No laws have completely given us what we need, but these are huge steps. If I were a governor in any state, I’d be looking at what Pennsylvania did and following suit — especially in an election cycle.”
In 2008, just as his music career was taking off, 18-year-old Mill was sentenced to prison for a drug and firearm conviction. A court overturned the ruling 11 years later, and earlier this year, Pennsylvania’s then-governor, Tom Wolf, pardoned him for the original charges. Mill, who lives in Philadelphia, has been on probation for much of his life, and has advocated for criminal-justice reform for years. After Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the legislation Friday, the rapper spoke of not being able to pick up his son from school in New Jersey due to parole regulations. “They labeled us felons,” he said at Friday’s ceremonial bill-signing. “I had to fight against that the whole time to gain my respect and be who I am today.”
The new Pennsylvania law passed a bipartisan state senate vote last Thursday, despite opposition from the ACLU, which said it will “risk making probation worse.” The law, known as Comprehensive Probation Reform, requires probation reviews after either two years or half of a misdemeanor sentence, or four years or half of a felony sentence. It also urges judges not to send people back to jail for minor technical parole violations.
“We all learned from Meek’s case because it shined a light on the injustices in our probation system,” Shapiro told reporters after signing the law.
In addition to praising the new Pennsylvania law, the BMAC’s Prophet predicted the result will inspire artists, people of color and young people to be more politically active. “What that does is trigger the alarm to many young people, a base that for the most part is either uninspired or not engaged, to see that they actually have political power,” he says. “The Black vote saved the 2020 election. We haven’t gotten a lot in return. Now the Democrats and the Republicans are going to be held to a level of accountability that hasn’t been seen before.”
“People are inspired. People are saying, ‘Look, Meek just changed the law,’” Prophet adds. “It’s that sort of simplicity of the process that inspires people.”
Lizzo has been on an awards tear in the past few years, winning four Grammys and a Primetime Emmy. She’ll just have to make room on her shelf for one more. The entertainer will be honored with the BMAC Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the Black Music Action Coalition’s 2023 BMAC Gala, which is set for Thursday, Sept. 21, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Sylvia Rhone, chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records, will receive the BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award.
The third annual BMAC Gala will be hosted by entertainment/lifestyle specialist Kenny Burns. Previously announced honorees include Keke Palmer, Jermaine Dupri, music executive Jason Flom and TV producer Jesse Collins.
“The Black Music Action Coalition is proud to honor Lizzo and Sylvia Rhone at this year’s Gala, as they join a group of trailblazers who have made immense impact within the music industry and beyond,” Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/chair Black Music Action Coalition, said in a statement. “We applaud their dedication to pushing boundaries, amplifying Black voices and crashing through those glass ceilings creating space for Black Women.”
Lizzo will receive the BMAC Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award in recognition of her philanthropic work and commitment to social justice. Past recipients of the award include Lil Baby, The Weeknd and H.E.R.
In 2020, Lizzo started her website Lizzolovesyou.com, where visitors have access to information, action items and ways to donate in support of marginalized communities and causes. Throughout the past four years, during her Annual Juneteenth Giveback, Lizzo has raised and donated over half a million dollars to 18 different organizations including Black Girls Smile, Save Our Sisters, The Bail Project and Reform Alliance. Following the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, Lizzo donated $1 million to Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds to support access to reproductive health care. Lizzo has been a longtime advocate for inclusivity and uses her music to empower marginalized groups to promote diversity.
Rhone will be honored with the BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award – named after the legendary music executive who served on the BMAC advisory board. Avant’s death on Aug. 13 at age 92 brought tributes from former presidents Obama and Clinton as well as many music industry luminaries. Past recipients of this award include Jon “Big Jon” Platt and Ethiopia Habtemariam.
Rhone has served as chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records since 2019 and was the first woman to be named CEO of a major record label owned by a Fortune 500 company.
Here’s a complete list of this year’s other award winners:
BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award: Jermaine Dupri, Grammy-winning artist
BMAC Social Impact Award: Keke Palmer, Emmy-winning performer; Jesse Collins, Emmy-winning producer; Dr. Menna Demessie, SVP, Universal Music Group, and executive director, Task Force for Meaningful Change;
BMAC Change Agent Award: Jason Flom, co-founder and CEO of Lava for Good and Lava Media; rapper and activist Trae tha Truth
BMAC 365 Award: Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, Rolling Loud co-founders
Since Black Music Action Coalition’s inception in 2020, the organization has worked to address systemic racism within the music business and advocate on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, lawyers and other industry professionals.
The Black Music Action Coalition festivities will kick off on Sunday, Sept. 17 with BMAC x The Revels Group’s annual BLACK: Future. Now. Brunch. On Tuesday, Sept. 19, BMAC, along with the Save The Music Foundation and 1500 Sound Academy, will host a “Remixing the Industry: Creating Pathways for Students of Color” summit featuring BMAC’s “Prophet”; Cordae, Grammy-nominated rapper and BMAC Executive Leadership Council member; Aaron “Ace” Christian, Range Media Partners’ manager; and Dallas Martin, Atlantic Records EVP of A&R. The summit will provide students insight into having a career in entertainment today.
The 2023 BMAC Gala is produced by Primary Wave and Jesse Collins Entertainment and is presented by Live Nation with support from partners Apple Music, Google and Variety.
For more information regarding Black Music Action Coalition and the BMAC Gala, visit bmacoalition.org.
Keke Palmer, Jermaine Dupri, music executive Jason Flom, TV producer Jesse Collins and Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, co-founders of Rolling Loud, are among the honorees at the 2023 BMAC Gala, the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) announced on Wednesday (Aug. 23).
The 2023 BMAC Gala, presented by Live Nation, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. The event honors individuals and organizations who have affected positive change and helped improve equity within the community.
The 2023 BMAC Gala honorees include:
BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award: Jermaine Dupri (Grammy-winning hip-hop artist, producer, songwriter, author, DJ, and CEO of So So Def)
BMAC Social Impact Award: Keke Palmer (Primetime Emmy-winning actress, singer, songwriter, producer); Dr. Menna Demessie (SVP, Universal Music Group and executive director, Task Force for Meaningful Change), and Jesse Collins (Primetime Emmy-winning executive producer, whose company is one of the producers of this event)
BMAC Change Agent Award: Jason Flom (co-founder and CEO of Lava for Good and Lava Media); Trae tha Truth (rapper and activist)
BMAC 365 Award: Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler (Rolling Loud co-founders)
Additional honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
“As we come together at this year’s BMAC Gala, we celebrate the passion, artistry and activism that burns bright in the hearts of our honorees,” Prophet “Willie” Stiggers, co-founder/chair Black Music Action Coalition, said in a statement. “They all have fearlessly embraced the power of music and entertainment to drive change and transcend boundaries.”
Caron Veazey, BMAC co-founder, added: “The BMAC Gala has come to be regarded as a night where our music industry family isn’t celebrating the standard accolades: the number of streams on a hit song, or how many tickets have sold on a world tour, or who has the most #1s. The BMAC Gala has become synonymous with the importance of centering awareness on equality and equity. It’s an evening where we come together to shine a light on the incredible contributions of the honorees, and to celebrate the impact they’ve made on the journey towards social justice.”
This year’s Gala will include a special tribute to the late Clarence Avant, who was on the BMAC advisory board. Avant, who died on Aug. 13 at age 92, received numerous top-level accolades, including a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 2008 and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
“With heavy hearts we also pay tribute to the Black Godfather, Clarence Avant,” Stiggers said. “He trailblazed the path that we all walk on, and his impact is immeasurable.”
Shawn Holiday, BMAC co-founder, added: “BMAC will always be honored to have had him on our advisory board. His life, and contributions to the industry, are unparalleled, his legacy will live on forever.”
Since Black Music Action Coalition’s inception in 2020, the organization has been active in addressing systemic racism within the music business and advocating on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, lawyers and other industry professionals.
The Black Music Action Coalition board includes (in addition to Stiggers, Holiday and Veazey), Ashaunna Ayars, Naima Cochrane, Jamil Davis, Damien Smith and Courtney Stewart. The BMAC advisory board includes Irving Azoff and Quincy Jones.
The 2023 BMAC Gala is produced by Primary Wave and Jesse Collins Entertainment and is presented by Live Nation with support by partners Variety and Apple Music. For more information regarding Black Music Action Coalition and the BMAC Gala, visit bmacoalition.org.
Since joining Billboard in 1999, I’ve had the privilege to witness countless R&B and hip-hop artists pour their hearts out onstage and to share their hard-won journeys offstage. During that time, I’ve also had the privilege to tell the stories of songwriters, producers, executives, managers and staffers across the music industry who all play vital roles in the success and evolution of these genres — but never more urgently than in the last three years.
On June 2, 2020, #TheShowMustBePaused brought the music business to a standstill for a day of racial reckoning. It was high time to reverse decades of systemic bias practiced by an industry that had become disproportionately wealthy through the efforts of Black people, their music and culture.
Initially, the industry listened, but the Black Music Action Coalition’s latest report card indicates that the promises made have been largely performative.
Over the last three years, Black executives have won some major C-suite appointments. These include Tunji Balogun joining Def Jam Recordings as chairman/CEO; Rayna Bass rising to co-president of 300 Entertainment; Lanre Gaba’s promotion to co-president of Black music at Atlantic Records; Ryan Press ascending to president of North America at Warner Chappell; Carolyn Williams’ appointment to executive vp at RCA Records; and, most recently, Ezekiel Lewis moving into the role of president of Epic Records.
But sadly, there have also been too many examples of exasperating tone-deafness. Among them are Motown Records’ reintegration under sister label Capitol Records and accompanying staff layoffs during Black History Month following the departure of chairwoman/CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam. There was also the debacle involving Capitol’s racist Black virtual “robot rapper” artist, FN Meka. Both Habtemariam’s exit and FN Meka were cited in the BMAC’s report card, along with the organization’s concern that the industry could revert to its pre-#Show status quo.
Black music executives and creatives I’ve spoken to over the last 18 months say the backsliding is already happening.
As one major-label Black senior executive told me, “I don’t need another initiative that’s conceived, developed, executed and resourced by Black executives. There needs to be a through line of white executives doing this. We need to see them put value to the things [we do] that have derived value for them. Until we see that on a consistent basis across the board, we’re not really going to see change.”
We can’t let DEI become just another flavor of the month. It’s time for the industry leaders who declared they were allies in 2020 to renew their pledges to the Black music community to make meaningful — and rightfully deserved — systemic change happen. No one ever loses sight of the almighty bottom line in this or any business. But please keep this in mind: Change will lead to even greater success.