On June 2, the music industry will unite for “Blackout Tuesday”—a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with the community—but most importantly, as a call-to-action to end racial injustice and police brutality.
“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 loss,” reads a statement that’s being circulated under the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused.
In response to the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other Black citizens at the hands of police, the initiative was created by music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, “two Black women in music in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard.”
“It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective, and productive conversion about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community,” Thomas and Agyemang expressed. “This is not just a 24-hour initiative. We are and will be in this fight for the long haul.”
Earlier this week, a video of Floyd’s death surfaced showing Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Floyd for eight minutes. Chauvin was later charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
As protests spread across the country from Minneapolis to New York City to Miami to Atlanta and beyond, many Latin music record labels show their solidarity by participating in Blackout Tuesday taking place on June 2nd.
Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Rich Music, Rimas Entertainment, and more have expressed to Billboard the importance of supporting the cause below:
Rimas Entertainment: “We raise our voices for the black community; our artists, colleagues, fans, family, friends, leaders, and all those who have been affected by discrimination and racist acts. It is time to stop hatred and raise your voice. Therefore, we join Blackout Tuesday. We will silence our platforms in solidarity with those who have been victims of hatred”. — Noah Assad, CEO Rimas Entertainment
NEON16: “It’s important that as a Latin/LatinX community we stand behind what’s right and just. As music creators, we have the influence and ears of millions. Our voice needs to become the loudspeaker that helps get the message heard. We need a change in America, we need a real solution for a problem that has lasted hundreds of years. It is time for us to acknowledge, to bring change and take action.” — Lex Borrero, President of NEON16
Glad Empire: “My great grandmother was born after a slave owner raped her mother, a slave. As a Puerto Rican, I have black heritage and for this and many other reasons, white supremacy or discrimination will not be tolerated at our workplace. Equality and justice must be served for the community to be at peace and not be fearful of the same ones that are supposed to serve and protect. We understand people are upset but violence will just bring more violence, mayhem, and chaos. Artists should forget for at least one day about who is best, views, streams, etc to send their message across to the masses and reconnect with what’s really important: LIFE.” — Camille Marie Soto Malavé, Owner of GLAD Empire, LLC
Real Hasta La Muerte Records: “It is important that we use our voice and platforms to take a stand and take action against injustice. As a leader in the Latin music community, we are influenced in many ways by Black culture and we have a responsibility to help our brothers & sisters during this terrible situation. We stand on helping bring a path to true justice and equality.” — Frabian Eli, President of Real Hasta La Muerte Records
Rich Music: “As an independent label in the music industry it is extremely important that we recognize a lot of our musical influences stem from the rich Black culture extending back hundreds of years. Supporting the cause is our way of showing appreciation and gratitude to the Black culture that has brought us to where we are musically today. To this day the Black community continues to face oppression and injustices that we cannot allow going on any further. As allies, we need to offer our full support to fight these inequalities and ensure we protect the Black community that has helped bring us to where we are today.” — Joshua Mendez, COO of Rich Music
Universal Music Latin Entertainment: In observance of the music industry’s Blackout Tuesday on June 2nd; we will pause our work, rescheduling and/or canceling internal and external meetings. This is a day organized for reflection and actionable change. We stand with the black community. We are in solidarity to support all minority communities and stand against all inequality and injustice. #theshowmustbepaused” – Statement from Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Nacional Records: As a minority-owned company, Nacional Records prides itself on championing artistic expression from Latin artists of all races, genders, sexualities, and backgrounds. Songs and artists we have released and/or managed have become anthems for social and progressive movements all over Latin America. We stand in solidarity with the protestors who are making their voices heard.” — Tomas Cookman, CEO of Industria Works/Nacional Records
La Industria Inc.: “Our company and artists stand in solidarity with the African American community and we support human rights. Like Dr. Martin Luther King once said: ‘Love is the force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.’” — Juan Diego Medina Velez, CEO of La Industria Inc.
Afinarte Music: “We as a company stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequity. We believe in respect. We believe in Tolerance. We believe in Equal Rights.” — Statement from Afinarte Music
Y Entertainment: “Like a lot of our music industry colleagues we are supporting the Black Out Tuesday campaign. We need to send a strong message to our community, we believe that this is the beginning of a lot of plans of action, and we can provoke accountability and change.” — Andy Martinez, Y Entertainment
Rancho Humilde: “Rancho Humilde Entertainment will observe ‘Black Out Tuesday.’ We will support our community as we come together as one. There will be a halt in our business operations as we gear our commitment to solidifying our support. We are in unity with all organizations combating racial injustices. We will join the fight and continue to spread awareness amongst our people. A community united with gran purpose will prevail against all odds.” — Statement from Rancho Humilde Entertainment
DEL Records: “Del Records stands in unity with the Black community as we fight against racism bigotry and violence. As a leading record label, it is our responsibility to continue to support any non-violent form of expression. Join us on Tuesday, June 2nd as a day of action against racial injustice. #TheShowMustBePaused” — Angel del Villar, CEO of DEL Records
InnerCat Music Group: “As a company of first and second-generation Americans we know firsthand both the opportunities this country offers and sadly the hard work that still needs to be done in order for everyone to be treated equally. 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. Join us on Tuesday, June 2 as a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community. #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED” — Statement from InnerCat Music Group
Sony Music Latin:
Warner Music Latina (to read the full statement, click here):
