The Black Music Project
The Black Music Project is a U.S. non-profit digital platform founded by Christopher Fuller that documents the history of Black American music through interactive exhibits, artist profiles, genre archives, and era timelines, funded by donations via Fractured Atlas, Patreon memberships, and merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Black Music Project does
The Black Music Project is a U.S. non-profit digital platform that documents, preserves, and promotes the history of Black American music. Founded by Christopher Fuller and operated as a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas (a non-profit arts service organization serving as fiscal sponsor), the platform presents an interactive educational archive structured around three core content pillars: historical eras (Pre-Civil War through Late 20th Century), genres (25+ styles including Spirituals, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Motown, Funk, Hip Hop, Techno, and Neo Soul), and detailed artist profiles. Additional features include interactive Exhibits (short-form historical narratives about individual musicians and events) and a roadmap of forthcoming features.
The underlying product is a content-managed website built on Webflow (inferred from CDN asset paths under cdn.prod.website-files.com) with no disclosed proprietary technology stack, no mobile applications, no APIs or SDKs, and no AI/ML components. Merchandise is sold through a separate e-commerce storefront at shop.blackmusicproject.com.
The organization operates a community-led, donation-supported business model with three revenue streams: (1) tax-deductible charitable contributions processed through Fractured Atlas, (2) recurring Patreon memberships, and (3) limited-edition merchandise sales featuring original designs by founder Christopher Fuller. All core educational content is provided free of charge. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the website, with a multi-channel social presence across Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Spoutible, and Patreon, supplemented by an email newsletter. The two named customer segments are general music enthusiasts (primary) and educators/students (secondary). No headcount, revenue, or funding data has been disclosed.
The Black Music Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Black Music Project
- Legal name
- The Black Music Project
- Website
- https://blackmusicproject.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Black Music Project is a U.S. non-profit digital platform founded by Christopher Fuller that documents the history of Black American music through interactive exhibits, artist profiles, genre archives, and era timelines, funded by donations via Fractured Atlas, Patreon memberships, and merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Black Music Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music History Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC), Music Education & Practice Software (Ear training, tutors, metronome tools) (MPAIAIAJ)
Keywords
The Black Music Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts charitable contributions through Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made as one-time or recurring contributions.
- Patreon Membership: The Black Music Project operates a Patreon page where supporters can become monthly patrons to support the organization's mission.
- Merchandise Sales: The organization sells merchandise featuring original designs celebrating Black music history through their online store at shop.blackmusicproject.com. Items include limited-time merchandise with original designs by founder Christopher Fuller.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Black Music Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Black Music Project is an interactive digital educational platform that celebrates, promotes, and preserves the history of Black American music. It provides free access to artist profiles, genre explorations, historical era timelines, and short-form interactive exhibits covering the evolution of Black music from the pre-civil war era to the present. The organization also operates a merchandise store featuring limited-edition designs by founder Christopher Fuller.
Product overview
The Black Music Project is an interactive educational platform organized as a single unified website that explores the history of Black American music. The platform is structured around three main content pillars: Eras (historical time periods from Pre-Civil War through Late 20th Century), Genres (covering 25+ music styles including Blues, Jazz, R&B, Rock, Motown, Funk, Hip Hop, Techno, and Neo Soul), and Artists (detailed biographical profiles of influential musicians). Additional offerings include Exhibits featuring interactive short-form stories, and a Merchandise Store selling branded items. The site serves as a non-profit educational resource sponsored by Fractured Atlas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use The Black Music Project
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Black Music Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Black Music Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Fractured AtlascoreThe Black Music Project is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Fractured Atlas serves as the fiscal sponsor, handling charitable contributions which are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donations must be made payable to 'Fractured Atlas' only.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Black Music Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Museum of African American Music: Nashville-based museum dedicated exclusively to preserving and celebrating the history of African American music across all genres. Closely comparable in subject-matter focus (Black American music history), educational mission, and nonprofit donor-supported model, though operating as a physical museum.
- BlackPast.org: Online reference guide to African American history with articles, speeches, and primary source materials. Comparable as a digital-first educational nonprofit preserving and disseminating Black history content to general audiences, students, and educators.
- Motown Museum: Museum and educational organization preserving the legacy of Motown Records and Detroit's contributions to Black popular music. Closely comparable in subject-matter focus on a specific era/genre of Black music history, with a similar nonprofit educational mission and donor-supported model.
- The HistoryMakers: The largest African American video oral history archive, focused on documenting the stories of historically significant Black Americans. Comparable to The Black Music Project as a digital-first cultural preservation nonprofit with educational mission, donor-supported funding, and content organized by individual contributors.
- The Blues Foundation: Memphis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting blues music heritage. Comparable in mission (preserving a specific Black American music tradition), nonprofit educational status, and donor/membership-supported revenue model.
Broad incumbents
- Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Non-profit record label and archive operated by the Smithsonian, preserving and documenting folk and indigenous music traditions including African American musical traditions. Comparable as a mission-driven music preservation and education organization, though operating at much greater scale with institutional backing.
- PBS Black Culture Connection: Public media initiative providing educational content and programming on Black history and culture including music. Comparable in providing free educational content about Black cultural history to general audiences, though backed by an established public broadcasting infrastructure.
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Museum and educational institution dedicated to preserving the history of rock and roll, with significant overlap on Black music artists and genres. Comparable as a music history preservation and education platform, though with physical museum operations, far larger institutional backing, and a broader genre focus.
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: The preeminent national institution preserving and interpreting African American history and culture, including substantial music history collections. Comparable in mission (preserving Black cultural heritage including music) but vastly larger in scale, with institutional funding and physical exhibit capabilities.
- Internet Archive: Non-profit digital library preserving cultural artifacts including audio recordings, with educational mission. Comparable as a digital preservation nonprofit for cultural content with educational applications, though operating at vastly larger scale across all media types.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Black Music Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Black Music Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Black Music Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Black Music Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Black Music Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Black Music Project
What does The Black Music Project do?
The Black Music Project is an interactive digital educational platform that celebrates, promotes, and preserves the history of Black American music. It provides free access to artist profiles, genre explorations, historical era timelines, and short-form interactive exhibits covering the evolution of Black music from the pre-civil war era to the present. The organization also operates a merchandise store featuring limited-edition designs by founder Christopher Fuller.
Is The Black Music Project a public or private company?
The Black Music Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Black Music Project founded?
The Black Music Project was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does The Black Music Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are patreon Membership and merchandise Sales.
Who are The Black Music Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Museum of African American Music, BlackPast.org, Motown Museum, The HistoryMakers and The Blues Foundation. Broad incumbents are Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, PBS Black Culture Connection, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Internet Archive.
Does The Black Music Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Black Music Project.
What industry is The Black Music Project in?
The Black Music Project's product category is Music History Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAI, Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAAAGAC, Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory). Its NAICS code is 611610.