Deezer has launched its Black Culture channel today (July 27) as a hub to celebrate talented black artists.
As exclusively revealed in the latest issue of Music Week, the Black Culture channel will cover all genres and become a permanent fixture.
Deezer said it is fully committed to promoting audio content from the most talented black creators around the world. The channel is live now on users’ homepage.
In a statement, the company said: “We’re taking action to support black artists and creators. Our first step was to get rid of the term ‘urban’ in June 2020. It’s an outdated word and something we’ve banned internally and stopped using externally.”
Editors have curated a variety of playlists to celebrate both new and legendary tracks from black musicians. The channel will debut with brand new playlists of iconic black artists across a broad mix of genres ranging from Black Icons Of Dance to Black Icons Of Classical.
The Editors Picks carousel will feature new releases across all genres by black musicians. The picks will be updated weekly with brand new releases. Users can also discover black talent from around the world with playlists like All Eyes On Jamaica, Afro Pop and Spirit.
Protest playlists such as Say it Loud include a mix of old and new tracks with lyrics about social justice and equal rights. Deezer is also supporting the black LGBTQ community, with dedicated genre playlists like Queer Hip-hop taking pride of place on the channel.
Deezer will also highlight underrepresented voices of black creators and producers in podcasts including Black Girl Podcast and Pod Save the People.
“We support the BLM movement,” said Junior Foster, global editor for the Black Culture channel and head of global artist relations. “Throughout history, black musicians have been making music the world loves. In more recent years, black podcast creators have hosted chart-topping shows. Yet not all black creators are getting the attention and respect they deserve. We want to change that. Our new channel is a first step on a long journey. We want to make sure that there is a permanent space on Deezer where we can highlight black talent globally.”
Deezer has launched a diversity group designed to promote and support underrepresented creators. It is also launching diversity workshops for employees across the company.
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