The Show Must Be Paused

It's been a rough week for many of us. I know several of you have spoken out about the ongoing issues in America. I recently posted a statement for Trapital:

​Today's update covers a few upcoming changes to Trapital, a spreadsheet I compiled on hip-hop activism, and Black Out Tuesday.

Upcoming changes to Trapital Membership

1. Trapital's membership will focus primarily on community engagement and data resources. In each survey I read, email read, and conversation with you all, I often hear that the biggest value-adds are engaging with the Trapital community and the data resources I had initially pitched at the beginning of 2020. To date, our Slack group attracts a few, but I can do more on the community front, especially since we can't convene in person. Also, I have only publicized the Rap Investor List as a resource, and want to get the others to you as soon as I can.

Based on that, I will soon sunset the Monday and Friday Member Updates. A select few of you read every update, but most of you enjoy the free weekly deep dives and podcast more than those Monday and Friday updates. I had to make a change. Instead of continuing that pattern for another year, I want to refocus that time into what's most valuable.

In full transparency, this will also give me more time to serve more consulting and advisory clients (learn more here if interested), and to grow Trapital further.

Here's what to expect:

• More hip-hop-related data resources like the Rap Investor List on various other topics. I've heard many of the suggestions, but I'm open to others too. Reply to this email if you have requests
• More virtual meetups and hangouts. We did a COVID-19 related meet-up in March. My goal is to make these monthly. I'm aware that not "everyone" will attend these either. But the value-add will be greater for those who can, and that's what matters

2. Trapital memberships wi​ll become Annual only. Existing monthly subscribers will be grandfathered in at current rate. A lot of work goes into data resources. The $10 / month tier had too much churn to justify the time and effort put into these resources. The one-year commitment will also attract those most interested in the community.

These changes will happen over the next few weeks. I'll likely share more in a longer post, but wanted to give you all a heads up.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please reply to this email and let me know.

Statements from Hip-Hop in the aftermath of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery

This past week, several artists have used their platform to speak out, donate money, join protests, and find other ways to create change. I compiled a spreadsheet of the actions artists have taken. You can view it here.

I was inspired by Sherrell Dorsey's The PLUG spreadsheet on tech companies that have made statements. I recommend you check out her work at tpinsights.com if you haven't already.

My goal is to highlight those who have spoken out and inspire others to do the same. If any of your artists made contributions that I missed, please email me (with proof!) and I'll add it. I plan to update this and add other views tabs to the spreadsheet that are related to hip-hop.

#TheShowMustBePaused - Black Out Tuesday

Tomorrow is June 2, Black Out Tuesday. It is a day for the music industry to disconnect from our work and reconnect with our community. The major record labels and several others have pledged their commitment. It's intended to be a sign of acknowledgment for the black artists who contribute to this industry.

If you're choosing to participate in tomorrow's Black Out, what are you planning to do? I've heard a bit of vagueness and confusion from several people who want to support, but are unsure of what to do. If anyone has thoughts, reply here or post on Slack.

Stay strong and safe. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Dan