Music Industry to blackout social media in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests #TheShowMustBePaused
In light of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a white police officer, the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests haven’t been letting up around the country. While the rioting has stopped, peaceful protests have been breaking out in the streets of nearly every major US city to say “Enough is Enough.” Now the music industry is coming around to stand in solitary with the protests today, June 2, with a pledge to blackout their social media profiles in the effort to get out into the community.
The idea initially came from the marketing director of Atlantic Records, Jamila Thomas, and artist campaign manager of Platoon, Brianna Agyemang, but has since been adopted by the majority of the music industry. Every major record label is disconnecting from work, social media, and general promotion efforts. Universal Music, Warner Music, Atlantic Records, Capitol Music Group, Columbia Records, and Kobalt are just a few leading players that have pledged their intent to observe the blackout. Atlantic and Interscope have even stated they will not release any music the entire week.
Even the world’s leading DSP, Spotify, has joined the cause. The Swedish streaming giant stated,
“On Black Out Tuesday, Spotify will stand with our friends, partners, artists and creators in the fight against racism, injustice and inequity through a variety of activities, both on platform and off. Our employees are being encouraged to disconnect to show solidarity with and learn from the experiences of the Black community. We’re also using our platform to amplify Black voices and demonstrate our commitment to racial equity. Spotify stands with the Black community and we hope that these and other actions will help usher in positive change.”
Learn more about the initiative and actions to take on the website here and by visiting the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused on Twitter.
— Columbia Records (@ColumbiaRecords) May 31, 2020
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