#Blackout Tuesday: Music industry to protest racism and police violence

Piece by: Future Ex
Exclusives

The music industry is holding a music blackout on Tuesday #Blackout Tuesday along with the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused in response to George Floyd’s death last week.

Some artists said they would cancel radio appearances and media interviews and refrain from posting on social media, according to other reports.

All three major record labels have shared a message on social media promising “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community”.

Employees have been given Tuesday off as “a day of action,” intended to “provoke accountability and change”.

Interscope vowed not to release new music this week, while Apple Music’s Ebro Darden cancelled his radio shows.

Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin has been sacked and charged with third-degree murder. He is due to appear in court on Monday, amid ongoing protests in the US and UK.

Many of music’s biggest stars have spoken out about the father-of-two’s death.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Rihanna spoke of the “devastation, anger [and] sadness” she has experienced over the last week.

Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart,” she wrote.

Beyoncé filmed an Instagram video urging fans to sign a petition seeking “justice for George Floyd”.

“We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight…We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalise this pain”.

Dr Dre also called for action, saying his “heart is still aching”.

“It felt like that cop had his knee on all of our necks, meaning black men,” he said on Apple Music’s Young Money Radio.

“It’s extremely painful because it keeps going on. It continues to go on and it’s like, ‘What can we do? Or what do we need to do to make this thing stop?'”

Other pop stars, including Ariana Grande, J Cole, Tinashe, Nick Cannon, Yungblud, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, joined protestors across the US over the weekend.

Halsey, who took to the streets in Los Angeles, told fans that she and other protestors had been fired upon by police.

“We were peaceful, hands up, not moving, not breaching the line,” she captioned a photograph of police in protective gear.

“They opened fire of rubber bullets and tear gas multiple times on us. citizens who were not provoking them.”

Among those reposting the message were Warner Music Group, Sony/ATV, Universal Music, Motown, Capitol Records, British label Dirty Hit, Eminem’s Shady Records and legendary producer Quincy Jones.

-BBC