The Power of Music
Our Mission
Give a Beat’s mission is to use the power of music as a pathway to healing and opportunity for people impacted by the criminal justice system.
Our Vision
We envision a world where those most affected by incarceration are not only shown compassion and dignity, but empowered to build creative talents and careers. By connecting justice-impacted artists to music industry professionals, resources, and paid opportunities, we will widen pathways for people to thrive, reduce recidivism, break down social and racial barriers, and unite to contribute to the larger movement of transforming the criminal justice system.
Our Values
We are a community united by peace, love, compassion, and understanding, the foundational values of electronic music culture. We believe in the restoration of dignity, hope, and opportunity for people who have experienced injustice, and that music creates the conditions for authentic connection, healing, and lasting growth. We center lived experience as expertise and hold racial equity at the core of everything we do.
Our History
Give a Beat was founded in 2014. What began with our Youth Music Production and DJ Program in 2015 has grown into three landmark programs that address the continuum of incarceration, delivering DJing, music production, and music industry education across Los Angeles County and California's state prisons.
In 2019, we launched the Prison Electronic Music Program, and in 2021, began mentoring formerly incarcerated artists through On a New Track, the foundation for what became our Alumni Network in 2024. Along the way, we joined coalitions including the Arts for Healing and Justice Network and Transformative Programming Works. Today, our programs operate in juvenile halls, parks, and six California state prisons.
Give a Beat has reached thousands of young people, incarcerated and returning adults, offering a therapeutic outlet for creative expression, a space to discover talent, and real pathways toward creative careers and economic mobility.