How the Music Industry Has Responded to the Black Lives Matter Movement, and What You Can Do To Help
Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic that has kept Americans in isolation for several weeks, citizens across the nation have come out of quarantine to fight a deadlier disease that has spread for decades: racism. Following the tragic death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis citizen who was killed by an officer and aided by 3 other officers of the city’s police department, the United States emerged in an uproar of anger and protests against racism and police brutality. People have taken to social media to spread awareness, donated to bail funds, signed petitions, and gone to both peaceful and aggressive protests in support of the black community. This has sparked a strong resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and this time, Americans are determined to do whatever it takes for a change.
The music industry has chosen to speak up regarding the matter and has taken an active approach to show their support for the movement. Many top artists have been spotted at the protests happening in their local cities. Popular singers such as Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Camilla Cabello, and Halsey have shown their activism at these protests, holding signs while chanting along with other protestors, and also risking their safety in the process. As many are aware, the police presence that has been sent to these protests are not always peaceful in their efforts to control the crowd. Many officers have resorted to using tear gas and rubber bullets to ward off protestors. Halsey had reportedly been “shot, gassed, and antagonized” at these protests and was also seen providing medical attention to others who were struck by rubber bullets. Madison Beer took to Twitter to share her alarming experience, sending out a warning and wishing safety unto those that are still protesting. As we see some artists taking the streets to show their support for the black community, we acknowledge how important it is to have public figures actively supporting the cause, as it draws more attention to the movement and expands its reach. However, the Black Lives Matter movement has many avenues of progress, and many others have chosen to use their public platforms to spread awareness in lieu of public protests.
While active protesting is a sure-fire way of contributing to the movement, social media has become its own storm of support and spreading awareness, as many people are posting Black Lives Matter sentiments on their Instagram stories and feed, taking to Twitter to educate others, and sharing links to petitions and bail funds. Grammy award winning singer Lizzo -who has served as an icon for black women empowerment- took to Instagram and TikTok to encourage Americans to vote in state primaries and donate to grassroots organizations that are working towards progress. Billie Eilish also posted a slide gallery on Instagram with a strong message to her followers explaining why “All Lives Matter” is not an appropriate response to the situation at hand. She stated, “IF ALL LIVES MATTER WHY ARE BLACK PEOPLE KILLED FOR JUST BEING BLACK?” She has also been consistently posting Black Lives Matter sentiments and lists of helpful resources in order to use her platform to spread awareness. iHeartRadio’s Instagram has also been filled with black and white images of popular artists with statements they have made regarding the movement. Rapper Travis Scott made the following statement speaking as a member of the black community: “The rage that we are all feeling is from direct personal experience and the constant pain of wanting our voices to be heard. To be seen as equal and human, too.” Even foreign artists like BTS have released statements saying, “We stand against racial discrimination....You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.” The support that these artists have shown for Black Lives Matter through social media is just as helpful of a contribution as those taking the streets to protest, and further shows how the music industry has taken an active approach to show their support.
Aside from individual musicians showing their support, large music corporations such as Sony Music Entertainment released statements regarding the protests. The company said that it would expand its mental health support for employees, including grief counseling and group meditation for those who have taken these injustices to heart, and have promised to match employee donations to social justice groups. Chairman and CEO of Sony Music, Jon Platt, released the statement “A Change Must Come” and emphasized how as a black leader of a large music corporation, he acknowledges how music is “anchored at the heart of Black culture” and that the industry has a responsibility to lead society towards justice and equality for all races. Regarding another major record company, Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, also took to the internet to show support for Black Lives Matter in her statement, “UMPG will support and contribute to initiatives chosen by our black creatives that will make a lasting change.” Many skeptics have voiced their concerns surrounding these statements, as they worry that large corporations are not taking direct action and are simply releasing statements for the sake of speaking up. While we cannot be sure of their true motives, as members of the music community we should continue to encourage these businesses to use their corporate power in favor of Black Lives Matter.
The music industry is also responsible for the trending hashtag #blackouttuesday, which was started by two black women in music marketing: Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang. The original hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused began as an attempt to pause self promotion and the usual business of the music industry to make way for Black Lives Matter posts and encourage spreading awareness and information.
However, what started as an initiative for record labels and music businesses spread far past the industry. As public figures like Rihanna and The Rolling Stones adopted the hashtag, it transformed into the social media moment, Blackout Tuesday, in which millions of Instagram users took part. The hashtag sparked confusion over what was being asked of participants. The moment mostly involved people posting a photo of a black square on Tuesday, June 2nd in order to show support for the movement. However, some people misconstrued this as a time to completely “mute” themselves on social media for the whole day, when the original intent was to mute self promotion and encourage Black Lives Matter promotion. This social media feat had many mixed responses, as some prided the industry in creating a social statement in honor of the black community, however others felt that the act was “tone deaf” in the sense that posting a black square was not doing anything to spread awareness, and in fact inhibiting the spread of valuable information about the movement by clogging up Instagram with black squares. Regardless of personal opinions, Blackout Tuesday has certainly become a notable moment in this historical movement.
Regardless of how you choose to help, there are multiple avenues to how a movement unfolds. While some may choose to maintain an active presence at protests, others may choose to use social media as their tool. Some people may be educating themselves and doing research, while others are donating money to bail funds or signing petitions. At EAR, we encourage everyone to do as much as they can to show their support for Black Lives Matter, and we also maintain the belief that no contribution is too small, as long as it is done with the correct sentiments. Therefore, we hope to open up our community to a variety of methods of support for those looking to do their part for the movement. Below, we have shared some lists of different resources that can be used to educate and contribute towards the Black Lives Matter Movement.
List of Action Steps created by @ambivalcnt on Twitter:
● www.ally.wiki
● tinyurl.com/blmforever
Black Lives Matter Caard created by @dehyedration on Twitter and Instagram:
● https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
Educational Anti-Racism Resources compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker & Alyssa Klein, May 2020
● https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTu gSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic
