TV series looks at how Black musicians were exploited over time

A new three-part music series The Battle for Black Music: Paid in Full airs tomorrow (21 September) showing the story of how some of most-loved artists were exploited because of their race.

The Open University/BBC co-production features on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 9.25pm on Saturday and follows the story of how well-known greats such as Louis Armstrong to Prince suffered.

It looks at the stories of how successful rock ‘n’ roll, blues and jazz musicians became victims to this treatment by the music industry.

Supporting Online Content:

Visit our Broadcast and Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find exclusive extended interviews with Nile Rogers, Ice T, and industry experts from the series.

This series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty Of Business And Law, with particular relevance to BA (Hons) Music (R25), BA (Hons) Economics (R30), and BA (Hons) Business Management (Q91).

  • Commissioned by: Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast and Partnerships
  • Academic Consultant: Dr Marie Thompson, Dr Julia Chukwuma and Sanjay Gandhi
  • Media Fellows: Prof. Zoe Walkington, Dr Emily Bullock and Alessandro Saroli
  • Broadcast Project Manager & Online Content: Matthew Ray

This article was originally published on OU news, read the original article.

Upcoming Events

Mar 10

Doing Academia Differently: Professional Development Symposium for Doctoral Students and Early-Career Academics

Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - 09:00 to 17:00

Michael Young Building, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BB

This one-day symposium on ‘Doing Academia Differently’ will provide inspiration and support for PhD and early-career academics to approach the complex tensions and dilemmas of contemporary academia in new and creative ways.

Sep 2

Caring Feminisms Across Borders Conference

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - 09:00 to Friday, September 4, 2026 - 17:00

University of Donja Gorica, Oktoih 1, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro

This academic conference hopes to draw feminist scholars, activists and communities together to consider what caring feminism across borders might mean now and for the future.

See All