At the Black Music Action Coalition’s sixth annual gala, held September 24 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, the evening celebrated Black music. The gala brought together artists, executives, entrepreneurs, advocates, athletes, policymakers, and cultural leaders committed to advancing equity, accountability, access, and opportunity across the entertainment industry.

At the center of the evening was the inaugural Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award, presented to Nicole Wyskoarko, a longtime music executive and attorney whose career spans more than two decades across business and legal affairs, artist development, and executive leadership.

The new honor, named for legendary music executive Sylvia Rhone, recognizes leaders for innovation, mentorship, influence, and their contributions to creating opportunities for artists. For Wyskoarko, receiving the first award was particularly personal. Rhone was the first Black female music executive she remembers reading about before entering the industry and she eventually became a mentor and friend.

“Rhone was literally the first female and Black female executive that I had ever heard of in a high position in the music industry,” Wyskoarko told me. “Before I even worked in music, I remember reading about her.”

That early representation became a professional blueprint. Wyskoarko described Rhone’s career as an example of understanding an industry from multiple vantage points. Rhone studied at Wharton and worked in finance before entering music, eventually rising from a secretary to the highest levels of leadership at major record companies.

“She’s always rolled up her sleeves and gotten in there to learn everything,” Wyskoarko said. “She could speak to what she wanted to do, what her vision and goals were for things, but she could speak to it from a place of knowledge.”

But for Wyskoarko, Rhone’s influence extended beyond professional expertise. It was also about what a person does once they have earned a seat at the table. Wyskoarko believes that Rhone consistently championed artists and executives who might otherwise have been overlooked. She pointed to Rhone’s support of artists such as Missy Elliott as an example of a leader willing to recognize creative potential before everyone else could. That philosophy became central to Wyskoarko’s own leadership approach. “I think part of having vision is seeing things that people don’t see and helping to bring it about,” she said. “How do you nurture the visions and how do you bring the best out of people?”

For Wyskoarko, that also means giving people actual responsibility, not simply proximity to it. “You have to be comfortable giving people responsibility,” she said during her acceptance speech. “Not just proximity to responsibility. You have to give them a chance to show what they can do and contribute and make decisions.”

Rhone’s presentation of the award added another layer of significance to the moment. In her remarks, Rhone connected Wyskoarko’s recognition to the larger challenges facing the music business, from artificial intelligence and artist compensation to the restructuring of Black and urban music departments and the declining presence of Black executives at the highest levels of leadership.

“We all know that success isn’t measured solely by the records we sell, but by the lives we touch and the opportunities we create,” Rhone said. “Nicole embodies that spirit every single day, and she does it in the moment that demands it. Tonight, I’m naming her.” Rhone described Wyskoarko as “a legal mastermind with an artist’s heart,” praising the combination of business and legal expertise with creativity, compassion, and a belief in the artists and audiences she serves.

“She works with intensity, leads with creativity, and understands that our business runs on the partnerships at the center of every side,” Rhone said. “She pairs that brilliance with compassion, integrity, and an unwavering belief in the artists and fans that she serves—that is how she has helped shape the sound, the business, and the future of Black music.”

Rhone’s comments also spoke to the significance of seeing another Black woman advance into a position of influence. “As I came into this industry, very few women who looked like me were in rooms where decisions were made,” Rhone said. “I promised myself early on that I would hold the door wide open and present an award that carries my name to a woman who carries the work forward.”

Rhone called the moment “a full circle dream come true” before presenting Wyskoarko with the inaugural Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award.

For her family, however, the qualities Rhone celebrated were evident long before Wyskoarko entered the upper levels of the music business. Her mother, Telma Wyskoarko, said she began serving as a source of guidance for people around her when she was still in high school.

“The emotion is above and beyond for the simple reason that since she was very young, and I think she was in high school, she used to advise and counsel her classmates,” Telma said. “They used to come to her because they felt that whatever she was going to tell them, it was coming from the heart.”

Telma said that instinct to mentor and advocate for others has remained consistent throughout Wyskoarko’s life. “She was always mentoring,” she said. “She was always helping.”

For Telma, that quality was part of a larger family philosophy she instilled in both of her daughters. “I’m not saying this because she’s my daughter, but both of my daughters—this is how I raised them,” she said. “Both of my daughters, they’re very humanitarian, and they’re very considerate of others.”

“I always taught them, first of all, think about others,” Telma added. That emphasis on considering others has taken on particular meaning as she has watched her daughter navigate a demanding career.

“Throughout her career she’s pressed through, and she’s persevered,” Telma said. “It hasn’t been easy.” Wyskoarko sister, Angelique Wyskoarko, described her own reaction to seeing her sister receive an award bearing the name of a woman, the executive has admired for years.

“I just feel so incredibly elated and proud, and I have always had the most respect for my big sister,” Angelique said. She explained that her admiration comes not only from Wyskoarko’s professional accomplishments but also from the person she has been within their family. “She’s a good friend and good sister,” she added. “I love her so much.”

The family reflections give another dimension to a night centered on leadership. The qualities being recognized: mentorship, service, advocacy and the ability to see potential in others, were not simply professional skills Wyskoarko developed after reaching the executive level. According to the people closest to her, they have been part of her character for decades.

That distinction was central to Wyskoarko’s own acceptance speech. Rather than treating the award as a conclusion, she framed it as a new responsibility. “I look at this as almost—I think some awards are almost like a trophy at the end of something,” she said. “But for me, at this stage, it being a visionary award, and at this stage in my career, it’s really about the responsibility that I have for the future.”

She then turned that philosophy into a tangible commitment. Wyskoarko announced that Interscope is partnering with BMAC on its HBCU internship program for 2027 and will sponsor two interns. She also announced a personal $20,000 commitment toward summer housing for HBCU students participating in the program, addressing a practical barrier that can prevent students from accepting opportunities in expensive markets such as Los Angeles.

The announcement crystallized the philosophy behind the award: access is not meaningful if people cannot afford to walk through the door.

“Having a vision for the culture only matters if we actually have the power to shape it,” Wyskoarko said during her acceptance speech. “There are not enough Black executives. There are not enough female executives. Far too few of us are in the rooms deciding the future of a culture we build.”

Her question to the industry was straightforward: “Who have you seen something in, and what are you doing about it?” The question echoed Rhone’s leadership philosophy.

At Epic Records, Rhone noted that 55% of the staff were women and 50% were people of color, emphasizing that representation was not simply about optics but about who had the authority to make decisions. “When you open the door for people who’ve been underrepresented, they don’t just walk through it,” Rhone said. “They hold the door open for diverse people and ideas.”

Wyskoarko’s recognition was part of a broader evening dedicated to honoring people who have shaped music, culture, and the business surrounding it.

The evening’s honorees included Common, who received the Harry Belafonte Change Agent Award; Patti LaBelle, who received the Icon Award; Public Enemy, honored with the Social Impact Award; Tina Davis, recipient of the Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award; and The Team: Kevin Shivers, Lee Anderson, Mallory Smith and Marty Diamond, who received the BMAC Founders Award.

Universal Music Group’s Global Impact Team: Arielle Vavasseur, Dylan Siegler, Kristin Jones, Markie Ruzzo, Sharlotte Ritchie and Susan Mazo, received the BMAC 365 Award. Together, the honorees represented different dimensions of influence across music: artistry, entrepreneurship, advocacy, executive leadership, social impact, and the infrastructure that keeps the industry running.

But the gala’s purpose extended beyond the stage. The event raised funds for BMAC’s grants, career and mentorship, and advocacy initiatives, including its Guaranteed Income Program and the Gunna x BMAC 30349 Guaranteed Income Program, both designed to provide support to emerging music artists and industry executives.

BMAC also supports Music Maker Grants for emerging talent through partnerships with cultural leaders and estates including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Victoria Monét, the Luther Vandross Foundation, the James Brown Estate and the late Chubbie Baby. Its music-business pipeline programs, including BMAC Live and BMAC Live R&B Tour Edition in collaboration with Live Nation, are designed to create direct pathways into the live entertainment industry. In Los Angeles, the organization’s Restore & Rebuild LA Program provides direct monthly support to Altadena residents impacted by the Eaton fires.

BMAC describes itself as a unified force for racial equity and justice within the music industry, advocating for artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, and lawyers while working to expand access, equity, and opportunity. The organization also uses research, public accountability reports, and policy advocacy to address systemic issues affecting Black people and Black communities across the music business. Addressing AI’s influence within the music industry remains one of its central priorities, with BMAC advocating for protections and representation for music managers, entertainment attorneys and creatives as the technology reshapes the industry.

For Wyskoarko, however, creating opportunity is not something she discovered after reaching an executive position. It has kept her engaged throughout her career. “I’ve always been excited about the process, and that’s never going to change,” she said. “I love seeing something early on, and feeling like, ‘Okay, I can see the vision.’ I can see where this is going to go. I can see where this person is going to go. I can see what they can be, and I really enjoy being an advocate for that journey.”

Perhaps that is what made the inaugural award feel less like a ceremonial passing of the torch and more like an affirmation of what happens when someone chooses to carry it forward. Vision, in this context, is not simply seeing what the future could look like. It is using your position to help build it, and making sure there is room for someone else when you get there.