Amazon Music Celebrates Pride with New Pride History Feature, Exclusive Amazon Original tracks and more 31 May 2020
Today, Amazon Music announced a collection of new activities to celebrate Pride Month. Kicking off today, the slate of activities includes a daily Pride History Alexa Skill narrated by Melissa Etheridge, Tegan and Sara, and Kim Petras that will share different stories from queer history each day; the relaunch of Amazon Music’s PROUD Playlist; Pride-themed Amazon Original songs; a mini-documentary diving into the life of the trailblazing queer disco icon Sylvester; and more.
As part of today’s relaunch of the PROUD Playlist, Amazon Music is debuting a brand-new Amazon Original cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” from ground-breaking pop star Hayley Kiyoko. Available today, customers can simply ask, "Alexa, play the Amazon Original from Hayley Kiyoko" in the Amazon Music app and on Alexa-enabled devices.
Of the track, Hayley Kiyoko said the following: "I was 13 years old when 'Mr. Brightside' was released. I remember really connecting to that feeling of sitting alone in my room, knowing that my crush was probably with some other guy and how it broke my heart. This song made me feel seen at a young age and gave me the strength to embrace who I was, to stay positive even though I was struggling to find that positivity in my own life at the time."
You can find a full breakdown of what Amazon Music is doing for Pride below, as well as a press release for Hayley Kiyoko’s Amazon Original.
- “Alexa, open Pride History:” On May 29th, Amazon Music is launching Pride History, a new, daily feature that customers can access via Alexa. Each day, customers will hear a story from queer history paired with a song to soundtrack the moment. Narrated by Melissa Etheridge, Tegan and Sara, and Kim Petras, the feature was developed with Matthew Riemer, co-creator of the @lgbt_history Instagram account and co-author of We are Everywhere. Customers can ask “Alexa, open Pride History” to hear about famous moments in LBGTQ+ history, including the pie-ing of Anita Bryant; transgender composer Wendy Carlos’ influential classical hit, “Switched on Bach;” and activists dumping ashes on the White House lawn to protest political inaction to the AIDS epidemic. All songs spotlighted in the feature will be included on The Sounds of Pride History playlist.
- PROUD Playlist Relaunch: To kick off Pride season, Amazon Music is relaunching the PROUD Playlist, Amazon Music’s global playlist that spotlights new music from the LGBTQ+ artists. This playlist lives beyond Pride Month to celebrate this community of artists throughout the year. Relaunching on May 29th, The PROUD playlist will also feature new commissioned artwork by UK-based artist Kate Moross, featuring bespoke typography, abstract shapes, and symbols from the LGBTQ+ community.
- PROUD Amazon Originals: As part of the newly relaunched PROUD Playlist, Amazon Music will debut brand-new Amazon Originals groundbreaking LGBTQ artists. In addition to Haley Kiyoko’s Amazon Original, later this month Amazon Music will unveil an additional Amazon Original from the critically-acclaimed artist, Perfume Genius.
- Charitable Contributions: Amazon Music also worked directly with the artists involved in these activities to select a few organisations for Pride Month donations, including Gendered Intelligence, Tegan and Sara Foundation, and SAGE.
- Livestreams: In addition, Amazon Music is planning Pride-themed livestreams on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel during the month of June, including San Francisco Pride’s 2020 Online Celebration, June 27-28th.
- Sylvester Mini-Documentary: Later in Pride Month, Amazon Music will debut a brand-new mini-doc on Sylvester, the trailblazing queer disco icon. Featuring interviews with Billy Porter, Martha Wash (The Weather Girls, Two Tons of Fun), and more, the mini-doc tells the story of this Watts-born, San Francisco icon through his evergreen international smash, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” illustrating how the singer and his most enduring song continue to influence today’s pop music. The documentary includes extensive, rarely seen footage of Sylvester and his performances.
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THE HEADLINES
Should the state step in to save our live music scene? (see Features)
Gary Roden exits Co-op Live following troubled venue launch (see News)
Spotify talks growth, bundle royalties and short-video plans (see Digital)
BPI CEO calls on music industry and government to unite around 5 key priorities to support human artistry and sustainably promote British music (see News)
Hipgnosis Song Management fires back at Songs Fund board (see Business)
Blackstone bid for Hipgnosis receives backing from board (see Business)
Taylor Swift’s new album breaks Spotify records (see News)
Independence - what’s up with that BPI press release about 2023 music consumption? (see Comment)
Creator Remuneration Working Group meet for the first time (see News)
Concord's takeover of Hipgnosis (see Analysis)
Concord set to acquire Hipgnosis Songs Fund (see Business)
Is the music industry gaslighting artists? (see Comment)
BPI’s new Yearbook highlights an independent sector growing for a sixth consecutive year (see Reports)
Can’t cross the moat? Walk around it. (see Comment)
The conversation around Fandom needs to change (see Opinion)
Viagogo: Carrying on ticketing, despite the controversy (see News)