On June second the music industry stood at a standstill as many artists and labels observed Black Out Tuesday. The day was reserved to support the Back Lives Matter movement (BLM), to educate each other, and to stand in solidarity against racism. The struggle to combat racism not only in the music industry, but in the United States as a whole, has been an ongoing struggle for far too long. Individuals within the music industry carry a large influence and it is important, now more than ever, that they stand with the movement in order to invoke change in our nation.
Since the murder of George Floyd and the surge of the BLM movement, many have raised their voces and opened their wallets to the cause. Below are some things being done by the music industry to educate, financially support, and show alliance with the Black Lives Matter movement’s initiative:
Jay Z and Roc Nation ran full ad pages in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and thirteen other newspapers. These ads included a passage from Martin Luther King’s 1695 “Bloody Sunday” speech and were signed at the bottom by Jay Z himself, Roc Nation, George Floyd’s families attorneys- Ben Crump and S.Lee Meritt, and numerous civil rights organizations.
The Weeknd has donated 500,000 dollars to various organizations in support of the movement. This includes the Black Lives Matter Global Movement, The National Bail Out, Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative, and The Colin Kaepernick You Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative. He shared the donation receipts on instagram with the message “keep supporting our brothers and sisters out there risking everything to push for actual change for our black lives. Urging everyone with big pockets to give and give big and if you have less please give what you can even if it’s a small amount. #blacklivesmatter”
Drake has donated 100,000 Dollars to The National Bail Out Fund and shared an instagram post sharing his condolences to George Floyd’s family.
Universal Music Group (UMG) has created a 25 million dollar “Change Fund” that will be invested in areas such as: charities, global and internal change, legislative and public policy, and program creation. UMG also created a ‘taskforce for meaningful change’. The group stated that the fund and task force are just the start, and more is soon to follow.
Aside from donations, many musicians have taken to social media to share their thoughts and raise their voices against the injustice that occurred not only to George Floyd but the black community on a daily basis. Below is a list of just some of the MANY artists and labels who have taken to social media to express themselves:
Inter scope records
Columbia records
Capitol music group
Atlantic records
Earl Sweatshirt
Tyler, the creator
Kenny Beats
Kehlani
Travis Scott
A$AP Rocky
Big Sean
SANt JHN
J Balvin
Lorde
Yung Thug
Cardi B
Tory Lanez
Beyonce
Throughout the nation this week many protests have been organized and executed in support of the Black Lives Matter movement; from cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Georgia to small towns in all fifty states. Many have attended these protests to show their support. Below is a list of some artists who attended protests this week:
Nick Cannon
Machine Gun Kelly
Jennifer Lopez
Lil Yachty
Halsey
J.Cole
Tinashe
Paris Jackson
Yungblud
Ariana Grande
P!nk
Joe Jonas
Madonna
Lil TJay
Below is a list of organizations whose initiatives are to inform on, educate for, and help financially fund the BLM movement:
Pb-resources.com
-Action: petitions, phone calls, tips for protestors, bail/ arrest resources
-Action: petitions, phone calls, tips for protestors, bail/ arrest resources
-Education: podcasts, books, movies, media
Reclaim the Block
Black Visions Collective
Campaign Zero
NAACP (legal defense fund)
Black Lives Matter
National Bail Out
LGBTQ Freedom Fund
Split Community Bail Funds
Association of Black Psychologists (provide trauma counseling)