In August, the bulk of our editorial content will be focused on Black artists and Black issues. This effort will be spearheaded by Ash Lauryn, the Atlanta-based DJ, radio host, and writer who will be acting as our Guest Editor next month. These stories will be told by Black writers, who hail from cities like Cape Town and Detroit, as well as by Ash herself.

“There is a lot of necessary dialogue happening within the world and music, and there is no better time than now to take these issues head-on,” Ash writes in her forthcoming letter from the editor.

Though Beatportal has yet to turn one year old, it’s our sincere hope that so far we have provided not just a platform for top-selling Beatport artists, but for marginalized voices through longform investigative features, in-depth profiles, and opinion pieces — though it’s clear our efforts haven’t gone far enough. Which is why August is only the beginning of our editorial shift toward featuring and commissioning more BIPOC artists and writers, not the end. We will also be shifting more of our coverage away from Europe and the UK in a continued effort to highlight music and scenes from around the globe.

With clubs still shuttered and no end to the coronavirus in sight, the industry and world are facing a number of serious challenges. Despite these, we remain positive that Beatportal will rise to meet the moment, both now and in the years ahead. Now is the time to reimagine what our scene can and should be. We hope you’ll join us.