On an almost dystopian systemic loop, we watch the public assassination of unarmed Black men and women on the world’s main stage.

We watched helplessly for eight minutes and forty-six seconds as Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department placed his knee into the head and neck of George Floyd, suffocating him, and ultimately ending his life. We involuntarily relive the visceral trauma of Ahmaud Arbery’s modern-day lynching and the unseen, but not forgotten, wrongful slaughter of Breonna Taylor by the Louisville Police Department. All of this has come on the heels of a global pandemic, one that is more likely to end in death for the Black population.   The Show Must Be Paused was born from the notion that this is everyone’s fight. Hear us clearly: though our intention is to coordinate and illuminate the message of activism specifically in our niche field, there is always a missed opportunity if we don’t galvanize support with and from those organizing professionally. By no means are we experts, but we know and acknowledge our privilege and we will leverage our impact for collective progress.  The music industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominantly from Black art.

Our mission is to hold accountable the industry at large, including major corporations and their partners, who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people. 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 Show Must Be Paused was born from the notion that this is everyone’s fight. Hear us clearly: though our intention is to coordinate and illuminate the message of activism specifically in our niche field, there is always a missed opportunity if we don’t galvanize support with and from those organizing professionally. By no means are we experts, but we know and acknowledge our privilege and we will leverage our impact for collective progress.  The music industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. Our mission is to hold accountable the industry at large, including major corporations and their partners, who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of Black people. 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.