The organisers of the Black Out Tuesday initiative on June 2 have revealed the full impact of the campaign.
The music industry shut down to show solidarity with protesters calling for justice in the case of George Floyd, who died of asphyxiation after being pinned to the ground by a police officer in Minneapolis for almost nine minutes. His death has sparked protests against racism and the police killings of black Americans.
An official website – theshowmustbepaused.com –and social media accounts were set up by Atlantic senior director of marketing Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, former Atlantic exec and now senior artist campaign manager at Platoon. Black Out Tuesday was designated as “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community".
Agyemang and Thomas have announced that #TheShowMustBePaused hashtag was shared more than 700,000 times on Tuesday. The social media accounts racked up more than 70,000 followers Tuesday.
According to a statement, more than 1,500 black members and allies of the music community took part in a series of video summits on how to effectively make change within the music industry.
A second phase of the initiative is now being planned.
“Yesterday was a strong start to the change we want to make in the industry,” said Agyemang in a statement. “We are taking all thoughts and ideas that were gathered and we will be implementing them into Phase 2 of this movement. Next steps are about clarifying needs and mobilizing the people to be the change we wish to see. The goal is to tap into the community at large to create change that is impactful and long lasting.”
Thomas added: “George Floyd was killed on a Monday and the following Tuesday we all went back to work. This should not have been the case and this is why we called for the industry to pause on Tuesday June 2. The music industry is an industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. To that end, 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. The point was never to mute ourselves. This was a day to completely disconnect from work and make a difference in our community because we should not normalize what is happening.”
Agyemang and Thomas noted that the campaign was a global initiative and would include members worldwide.
For more information on #TheShowMustBePaused, visit the official site here.
