Multiple music industry institutions have called for a “Blackout Tuesday” in response to the death of George Floyd. Social media posts from major record labels and distributors have promoted the idea of taking a day to focus on social justice, rather than business as usual.
Many of the calls to action clarify that this is not a “day off,” but rather a day of reflection and interaction with the community at large. One constant theme throughout the “Blackout Tuesday” campaign is a one-day absence from releasing new music.
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The rallying cries started on Friday from such companies as DefJam, Universal Music Group, Interscope, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Capitol Records, and many more corporate entities. The proposed date, June 2nd, comes just eight days after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed an unarmed Floyd by kneeling on his neck for eight minutes. Protests, some of which have turned violent in major cities, raged on all weekend as the country continues to react to this latest instance of police brutality against a black man. In the week since the killing, Chauvin and three other officers have been fired from the force and Chauvin has been arrested for third-degree murder and manslaughter.
The central theme of “Blackout Tuesday” revolves around the fact that there will be no new music released on Tuesday, June 2nd. Beyond that, companies have proposed their own ways of entering an industry-wide conversation about race in the United States. See the posts below.
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[H/T Billboard]