Music industry initiatives
Many artists have given their support to Black Lives Matter by donating to organisations working to further its cause, but also by directly contributing to bail payments for demonstrators arrested during protests in the US.
Alongside individual artists who personally donated money, there are also many labels, online streaming services and digital stores that helped support the demonstrations by donating part of their income to the antiracist movement.
Warner, UMG and Sony donated 100 million US dollars each in support of BLM. As well as allocating 30,000 dollars a year to helping organisations fighting for racial justice, online music retailer Bandcamp launched the #BandcampFriday initiative, donating the whole of its revenue on Friday the 5th and 19th of June as well as the 3rd of July, to the NAACP‘s legal defence fund.
On the 2nd of June, the entire music industry took part in #BlackOutTuesday: all musical publications, videos and publicity were suspended to raise awareness around racial issues.
On the same day, #TheShowMustBePaused was launched to commemorate victims of police violence. Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two black music and marketing executives for Atlantic Records, created the hashtag to appeal to big labels: “It is the obligation of these entities to protect and empower the black communities that have made them disproportionately wealthy in ways that are measurable and transparent,” they declared. “It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community”.
The two hashtags were shared by millions of accounts belonging to artists, industry professionals and labels, including Live Nation, Sony, Columbia Records, Capitol Records, Warner Records, TikTok and many others.