The Show Must Be Paused – that’s the organisation behind the idea of Blackout Tuesday, a day when the music industry has decided to completely blackout.
What this means is that the music business, on Tuesday, June 2, is putting things to a complete halt. No new music, no performances, not promotions, nothing.
The movement is in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter protests, after George Floyd was killed by a police officer.
So, today, the music is going off.
But this doesn’t mean it’s a day to relax. Instead, it’s a day to reflect, to amplify the efforts of those trying to make lasting change.
Among those participating in the blackout are industry giants like: Sony Music, Atlantic Records, Capitol Music Group, Warner Records and Def Jam.
Rihanna has said she’s not buying or selling anything today.
Katy Perry is donating to several organisations.
Spotify says its services will stay up, but certain podcasts, playlists and channels will be down. They’ll also be matching employees’ financial donations to organisations “focused on the fight against racism.”
Bandcamp will be donating 100% of its sales on Juneteenth (June 19th) to the NAACP.
Here’s what you can do:
If you do need the day off, need to unplug from social media, stay away from all the heavy news of the past few weeks, that’s perfectly fine. Unplug. Let down your internet devices. Rest. Relax.
The easiest thing is creating awareness on your social media. But awareness goes past just sharing a black image. You have to teach people why it’s important to, the significance of the act.
You can find and share posts by black organisations trying to help on the ground, trying to create lasting change.
Text excluding title courtesy Bellanaija
