Black Out Tuesday

In the wake of world protests triggered by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, music industry giants have announced that they will be observing Black Out Tuesday in solidarity with the black community.

An image was widely shared at the end of last week, with the hashtag #The ShowMustBePaused calling for a music industry black out for today.

BBC, commercial and community radio stations are showing their support of Blackout Tuesday today (June 2nd).

BBC Radio 1Xtra will broadcast special programming of music, discussions and debates in support of the Black community in the UK and around the world.

On BBC Radio 2, Jo Whiley will reflect musically during her show between 20.00 – 23.00, as well as being reflected within the daytime schedule.

As well as relevant music and features throughout the day on BBC Radio 6 Music, there’s another chance to hear The 6 Music Black Power Soundscape presented by Don Letts between 1200-1300.

BBC Asian Network will reflect the day with UK and US reaction in The Big Debate from 10am, whilst Bobby Friction picks music from some of his most inspiring Black American artists from 7pm.

At commercial radio, all social media platforms operated by Bauer stations including KISS, Magic, Hits Radio network, and Absolute Radio will fall silent.

You can see full details of how British Broadcasters are marking Blackout Tuesday from Radio Today’s website here. 

There will be an extended 1Xtra Talks special hosted by Seani B and DJ Ace between 6-8pm which will give listeners a chance to share their views and opinions on the recent tragic events in the US surrounding the death of George Floyd and the broader topic of racial injustice and the Black community.

Amongst the labels that have committed to halting business activity today are Universal Music Group, Sony, Atlantic, Capitol, Columbia Records, Def Jam, Elektra Music Group, HitCo, Interscope Geffen A&M, Island Records, Pulse Music Group, Reservoir, Republic Records, Virgin EMI, and Warner Records.