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Gear Companies Donating to Anti-Racism Organizations

If you are in the market for new gear, consider buying from these companies. Plus a public spreadsheet documenting the action taken in solidarity of black lives by the guitar industry and related companies.


June 5, 2020
Written by
She Shreds

It should come as no surprise that gear companies can and will let you down in terms of their morals and activism, especially when it comes to anti-racist work. To be apolitical during this time—no matter your company, service, or brand—is to be actively against black lives, the very people who laid the foundations for the music industry. 

We compiled a list of gear companies who are actively working towards anti-racism by putting their money where their mouths are. If you need to find yourself a new overdrive pedal without the racist rhetoric, consider supporting these companies instead!

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Today (Friday 6/5), the pedal company Old Blood Noise Endeavors will donate all proceeds from sales in their webstore to Black Lives Matter OKC.

Dusky Electronics is donating 10% of all direct sales to organizations fighting white supremacy, starting with the Minnesota Freedom Fund. This is an ongoing commitment with no expiration date, and will cycle among as many good organizations as I can find

The folks at Chase Bliss Audio have already made a donation to Campaign Zero in support of their #8cantwait initiative, and they are also holding a raffle for their Automatone Preamp MKII in support of the campaign with proof of donation and will match up to $5000. Check their Instagram post for more information on how to enter.

Walrus Audio out of Oklahoma City, OK, listed b-stock items to sell on their Reverb page and all proceeds will go to #blacklivesmatterokc.

Surfy industries created effects inspired by classic tone. donating to NAACP Memphis George Floyd Legal Defense fund @naacpmemphis from all June sales.

Big Ear Pedals, a Nashville-based handmade pedal manufacturer, is donating 100% of sales on their site this week through Monday morning to Color of Change and Black Lives Matter Nashville.

From 6/1 through 6/7, Ernie Ball will donate $10,000 (the organizations they are donating to have currently not been disclosed) 100% of sales from their webstore to various charities that support music education in inner cities, small businesses affected by recent events, and those who stand for black lives.

Earlier today, Big Fat Snare Drum announced that Dream Cymbals would be joining them in their Black Lives Matter fundraiser. Each $5 donation gets your name in the hat to potentially win a prize pack of drum gear. For more information, check out their Instagram post and donate directly to enter here.

Nashville’s Nelson Drum Shop has teamed up with a whole slew of drum companies to create a raffle to raise money for the George Floyd Memorial Fund, Black Visions Collective, Campaign Zero, Minnesota Freedom Fund, Reclaim the Block, and Unicorn Riot. Check out their Instagram post for a list of prizes and how to enter.

Doug Tuttle, the brains behind Mid-Fi Electronics, is offering entry into a giveaway for a free pedal with a donation to one of the six organizations listed in his Instagram post.

Abominable Electronics out of Seattle, WA is donating 100% of sales from their special run of Hate Stomper DIY printed circuit board (PBC) with “BLACK LIVES MATTER” on them to Black Lives Matter Seattle King County bail fund. Purchase their limited edition PBC for $6.66 here

“All PCBs will come with a parts list & wiring diagram  – this is a very easy build and would be a great way to get into pedal building. If you don’t want to get hands on with the PCB, there is a small hole at the top center that allows it to be hung.”

On Tuesday, Boston-based Electronic Audio Experiments offered entry to their Hypersleep giveaway to those who donated $10 or more to the ActBlue split fund. They raised $4381, which included the full retail cost of the pedal.

Pickup Music, a platform that promotes music education through online classes and a community forum, announced that they will be donating $10,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Yesterday, our friends at Reverb announced that they donated $50,000 to Color of Change and $25,000 each to the Chicago Freedom School and My Block My Hood My City.

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