So it’s my privilege now to introduce the global head of music for Google and YouTube, Lyor Cohen. Thank you. (Applause.)
MR COHEN: It’s times like these – what a beautiful, beautiful line. Dave, thank you so much. What a joy to be here. David, thank you. And I want to thank you, Secretary Blinken and Chairman McCaul and the Ranking Member Meeks. Thank you for the extraordinary bipartisan leadership on the peace through global music diplomacy act and the initiative we’re launching here tonight. So yay. (Applause.)
Music reminds us that we have way more in common than what separates us. It heals us. It unites us. It gets us hyped. Music transcends language, cultural, religious, national, and economic differences. It could also be a catalyst for social change. Music is the connective force that is the center of culture always.
It all started with my mom. She dragged her four boys to the love-ins back in the ’60s. She played Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie throughout our house. Little did I know how much their music helped shape perspectives and deliver important message across the world. James Brown’s concert in Boston in 1968 after Martin Luther King died – when he was assassinated – shows how he prevented the riots. Songs like “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “Imagine” by John Lennon, and the list goes on and on and on – these artists used the power of music to bring together, to create an understanding, and drive peace.
As a 21-year-old living in New York City, working at Rush Management and being the road manager – the original road manager – of Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys – (laughter) – I experienced a cultural moment being built around me called rap music. Hip-hop – wow. It was all about inclusivity, not exclusivity. It was the energy of that inclusivity that motivated me to spend my life advocating for artists and songwriters, uplifting art, and telling beautiful stories through music.
And now, as the global head of music for Google and YouTube, I have the opportunity to help amplify artists’ voices and strengthen fan connections and shape how technology could be used to enrich creativity, all on the world’s largest stage called YouTube. Today an artist can share their music with billions of fans across a hundred countries, over 80 languages, with the ability to build a community and bring people together with their music. That accessibility led to a real opportunity for artists. In the three years prior to June 2022, YouTube has paid more than $50 billion to creators and artists and media companies.
It’s for all these reasons that YouTube is proud to serve as a sponsor of the U.S. State Department’s Global Music Diplomacy launch. Thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Yeah. YouTube is in the epicenter of global music and culture, and our team is ready to help push global music diplomacy forward, to help artists break down the cultural barriers and foster peace through their music. What a privilege it is that we can do this together.
So tonight let’s take a moment to celebrate the journey that has made this evening possible. Thank you, Lee. Boy, that – you are a force of nature. (Applause.) By looking back at some of the iconic moments of music diplomacy exchanges, these moments are what inspire and shape future efforts to use music to promote peace and understanding across the world. And with that, let’s take a look at how it all started. (Applause.)
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