Sound of silence
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, the music is on pause.
Today, the record industry is observing Black Out Tuesday — halting all business endeavors to instead reconnect with community — in solidarity with nationwide protests after Floyd, a black man, was killed in police custody when a white Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
A post circulated widely — by record labels as well as artists including Quincy Jones — on social media said: “Due to recent events please join us as we take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change. As gatekeepers of the culture, it’s our responsibility to not only come together to celebrate the wins, but also hold each other up during a loss. #TheShowMustBePaused”
Labels participating include Columbia Records, home to Beyoncé, Adele and Bruce Springsteen. “This is not a day off,” said the label’s Instagram post. “Instead, this is a day to reflect and figure out ways to move forward in solidarity.”
Also supporting Black Out Tuesday is RCA Records, whose roster includes acts such as Pink, Justin Timberlake and Khalid.
“Like you, we are saddened, appalled and frustrated over the systematic injustices that continue to plague the black community,” said RCA’s Instagram post.
Meanwhile, Interscope Records — home to Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar — said in a statement that, in addition to participating in Black Out Tuesday, the company will not release any new music this week.
Instead, Interscope “will contribute to organizations that help to bail out protesters who are exercising their right to peaceably assemble, aid lawyers working for systematic change, and provide assistance to charities focused on creating economic empowerment in the Black community.”
Others participating in Black Out Tuesday include Warner Music Group, which includes Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records; Capitol Music Group, including Capitol Records and Motown Records; and Republic Records, whose artists range from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande to Drake.
A-listers have taken to social media to speak out, with Beyoncé urging Instagram followers to sign petitions “seeking justice” for Floyd.
Meanwhile, her husband, Jay-Z, has used his influence directly.
The rapper had a phone call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over the weekend to discuss Floyd’s death and released a statement:
“After our very earnest conversation, thank you to Governor Walz for doing what’s right and calling in Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the George Floyd case . . . “Now I, along with an entire country in pain, call upon AG Ellison to do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law. This is just a first step . . . I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right.”