Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music for the BBC from Supercollider & Idris Elba

From Executive Producers Idris and Sabrina Elba, Greg Sanderson (Supercollider), and Julie Bristow (Catalyst) comes the compelling three-part documentary series Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music.

This series, commissioned by CBC and BBC, delves into the systemic racism endured by Black artists within the music industry from its origins to the current digital streaming era.

Despite numerous success stories, the music industry continues to grapple with prejudicial practices. Exploitative contracts and copyright arrangements often undermine artists’ autonomy and financial rewards, resulting in significant personal costs.

The series features interviews with influential figures in the music industry, including Cadence Weapon, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Monie Love, Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Ice T, Master P, and Smokey Robinson, alongside music experts and industry insiders.

In the UK, the first episode will air on BBC Two on Saturday 21 September and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer thereafter. The subsequent episodes will be broadcast on Saturday 28 September.

Guy Evan serves as Series Producer and Director, with Alison Duke as Director, Margot Daley and Tom Pollard as Producers, David Upshal as Showrunner. The concept was originated by Roy Ackerman.