Tag: Black History Salute

This June, Celebrate Black Creators of Past and Present on Spotify

June 16, 2020

When it comes to music, the Black community stands unique in defining the sound of the times and influencing society. Black artists have inspired music for generations across all genres, from hip-hop, R&B, soul, pop, rock, country, jazz, and more. That’s why all year round, Spotify is dedicated to elevating audio from the Black community—and especially so during June, which is Black Music Month. During this time, we’re encouraging listeners to learn about and celebrate the Black musicians, artists, activists, and creators of past and present who gifted us with their work.

Streaming on Spotify often reflects events and happenings in culture and the world at large, and the past two weeks have been no different. Spotify’s Black Lives Matter playlist has seen over a 1,900% increase in followers and a 130,000% increase in streams. A few songs in particular from the playlist are especially resonating with listeners, including “This is America” by Childish Gambino (351% increase), “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar (8,253%), “Freedom” by Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar (371% increase), “Self” by Noname (289% increase), and “Mad” by Solange featuring Lil Wayne (854% increase). 

As we continue to mark Black Music Month, we’ll highlight the musical and cultural contributions of Black creators through new content, including dedicated playlists, guest-curated playlist takeovers, podcasting playlists, and more. Read on for some of the ways we’re amplifying Black voices this month. 

Honoring Juneteenth

To commemorate, celebrate, and recognize the day that slavery ended in the United States, Spotify has made Juneteenth a permanent company holiday for all U.S. employees. To underscore the importance of Juneteenth this year, Spotify’s flagship playlist New Music Friday will exclusively feature Black artists from Friday, June 19, through June 26. Additionally, Spotify’s New Music Friday billboards in Times Square will be dedicated only to Black artists on June 19.

Curated Playlists

Multiple playlists, many of which will be featured in the Black History Is Now hub, will roll out through the month. For Father’s Day, we’ll be launching our KING playlist celebrating Black men and their roles as dads. Kirk Franklin will be taking over the playlist and is featured on the cover. Additionally, look out for Throwback Thursday, which will highlight Black music across genres throughout the decades from the 1950s to now; Black to the Future, a new and improved playlist featuring up and coming Black artists; Black History Salute, which honors the lives of Black music legends lost this year, including Manu Dibango, Little Richard, Tony Allen, Bill Withers, and Betty Wright; and Black, Queer, & Proud, featuring American singer-songwriter Brittany Howard in honor of Pride month. 

Playlist Takeovers

Black Music Month will also include influential playlist takeovers, featuring a deep well of notable Black curators, celebrities, creatives, and more. Tracee Ellis Ross kicked off June by curating Black Girl Magic, and Gabrielle Union-Wade will be taking over to round out the month. Plus, as dance has been influenced by Black youth across generations, our dance playlist 8 Count will be taken over by Black creators of today’s hottest dance trends.

Spotify is elevating this content during Black Music Month to celebrate the individuals who gifted us with their talents and to encourage people everywhere to take the time to listen and to learn.
 

Check out the ever-updating Black History Is Now hub for all the new content, as well as old favorites like Are & Be.

Spotify Stands With the Black Community in the Fight Against Racism and Injustice

June 1, 2020

June 2 is Black Out Tuesday, a day of collective disconnect from work meant to help people reflect and come together in support of the Black community. On this day—and every day—Spotify will support our employees, friends, partners, artists, and creators in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequity.

We are using the power of our platform to stand with Black creators, amplify their voices, and accelerate meaningful conversation and long-needed change. As a result, you’ll notice some changes on Spotify starting at 12:01 AM on Tuesday. 

Blacked-out channels, playlists, and podcasts

Listeners will see a black logo and headline image on more than a dozen of our flagship playlists and podcasts, including Today’s Top Hits and RapCaviar, as well as all of our urban and R&B playlists and many podcast covers. Spotify will also pause social media publication as a symbol of solidarity that reminds us that things cannot remain status quo. Finally, select participating playlists and podcasts will include an 8-minute, 46-second track of silence as a solemn acknowledgement for the length of time that George Floyd was suffocated.

Black History Is Now hub activation

We will also amplify Black voices by further leveraging our long-standing Black History Is Now hub, which will serve as a central resource and home for music, playlists, and podcasts like Code Switch, You Had Me at Black, and Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay. The hub will also feature several playlists, including Black History Salute and We Shall Overcome. The Black Lives Matter playlist, which was updated for Black Music Month in June, will also be featured.

Special curation of playlists

In addition to adapting the visual presentation of the platform, there will be special curation of select songs on each of the blacked-out playlists to reflect the current environment. For example, expect to hear a Kendrick Lamar song upon playing RapCaviar, a Gary Clark Jr. anthem for Rock This, and Rhiannon Giddens when you stream Indigo. 

Targeted shelf and advertising

Users in the U.S. will also see a targeted shelf positioned prominently on the home page of both desktop and mobile apps that drives to Black Out playlists. Additionally, we’ll be running related ads globally on the Spotify Free Tier. Both of these efforts will ensure even more listeners have the opportunity to hear from Black voices.

The Window podcast programming

Later in June, we’ll be launching season 2 of Spotify’s The Window podcast. The initial season focused on the lives of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and season 2 will evolve its storytelling to now focus on the experiences of the Black community at this moment in time. Hear from individuals such as a Black business owner in an area affected by protest, a victim of police brutality, and a Black police officer. The goal is to further the conversation and use our platform to share these stories that help us humanize each other.

Spotify Amplifies Year-round Celebration of Black History with ‘Phenomenal Black Music’ Campaign

February 19, 2020

Black History is American History. Black History is World History. Black History is Now.

In 2018, Spotify launched Black History Is Now to recognize and celebrate Black creators and culture all year long—not just in February. Over the past two years, the program has seen collaborations with artists Janelle Monáe and Pharrell Williams, as well as distinguished designers Joy Miessi and Brandan “BMike” Odums. In 2020, we’re elevating and evolving Spotify’s mission to focus on the cultural impact that people of color have always played—all through the lens of music.

This year, Black History Is Now presents Phenomenal Black Music—a celebration of the songs and women that have shaped the way music is made, experienced, and replicated across the world. Spotify is inspiring people to discover and celebrate Black music and artists who have defined and continue to define global culture.

Through a series of activations and experiences, we’re looking at Phenomenal Black Music through two lenses: songs that define culture and Black women who have shaped music. As much as there is to applaud regarding the strides Black female artists have made in a traditionally male-dominated industry, there’s still plenty of room for progress.

Here’s how you can celebrate with us this month and all year long:

1. Listen to Spotify’s Black History Is Now hub with curated Phenomenal Black Music playlists. Check out Black History Salute, Black Girl Magic, Black Love Mixtape, and more. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4ezQVslkJiT?si=qhb2GZNXRaCL16XoScpG7g

2. Wear merch that brings the feelings of Phenomenal Black Music to life from prominent designers Joe Freshgoods—the fashion designer known for his “Don’t Be Mad” clothing line (whose biggest fans include Malia Obama, Chance the Rapper, and SZA)—and Jamilla Okubo, a mixed-media artist whose work has consistent themes that explore the intricacy of belonging to an American, Kenyan, and Trinidadian identity.

Credit: Mark Clennon

3. At the end of February, the Phenomenal Black Music campaign will culminate in a two-day immersive exhibit-style pop-up in New York City celebrating 32 exceptional songs and women. These artists span genres and generations, from Bob Marley and Mary J. Blige to Lil Nas X and Lizzo. The exhibit will feature a look into the music and musicians, with stories curated by music journalist Jewel Wicker, interactive elements curated by Spotify, surprise merch drops, and performances and panels throughout the weekend. As part of the experience, Spotify partnered with Levi’s® to bring product customization to the two-day event. Guests will have a chance to personalize a Levi’s® Trucker jacket, and all visitors will have access to exclusive patches from Joe Freshgoods and Jamilla Okubo. You can find more details here.

Explore the Black History Is Now hub here, and follow the celebration on @Spotify and @SpotifyNews.