FEATURE:
Changing Their Tune
PHOTO CREDIT: Thiago Matos/Pexels
Treating Women in the Music Industry with Greater Respect
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RATHER than this being related to…
IN THIS PHOTO: Rapper slowthai has appeared in court, where he has been charged with two counts of rape, both occurring in 2021/PHOTO CREDIT: PA Archive
a breaking bit of news or statistics regarding gender inequality in the industry, it is more a culmination of things. I know that there is small movement and improvements in the industry when it comes to how women in music are treated. I have recently written about sexual assault and harassment many women face. Whether they are at festivals, behind closed doors or elsewhere, there is still a shocking number of cases being reported. Musicians such as slowthai (Tyron Frampton) is currently facing two counts of rape. Going beyond respect, this is consent. Taking away that human right because an artist thinks they are beyond punishment. When it comes to a lot of male artists who are accused of sexual assault, they are often quickly forgiven by the industry or not sufficiently punished. In the case of slowthai, he has been taken off of several festivals’ bills, but you suspect he will be celebrated and heralded in a few months or so – and everything will sort of be back to ‘normal’. Natasha Rainey wrote an article for Gigwise recently. She talked about how sexual assault is still very prevalent in music. Many of the women who are speaking out and affected are portrayed as ‘alleged victim’(s) or not really seen as trustworthy:
“I will also never understand the pedestrian pride of acquitted artists. Is there pride of genuine innocence in a world that believes you capable of sexually assaulting another person after years of grinding only to be taken advantage of yourself. Maybe there is.
Alas, you can’t fix a broken system from the top. Groundless power dynamics trickle right down to burial sites of (not so) cancelled musicians and their successors. It’s the stasis of music as we know it. Where would Reading and Leeds be without it?
Gig culture is an easy place to start. Choking in sweat, hormones and the euphoria of strobe lights, boundaries are blurred, and hands reach unimaginable places. It’s an echo chamber of congenial bad behaviour. Right place, right time, eh? But it’s usually the other way around as the story goes.
And if the addled groping of a stranger on a sticky dancefloor isn’t enough, the smug strummers, 1-foot off the floor, who believe it is their divine right to conquer are certifiably nauseating. I respect musicians, I especially respect musicians who respect their audiences and fellow musicians. It’s the egos a spotlight can enchant in them. It’s reductive to say an ego leads to sexual assault but abusing idol worship is a power play, no matter how far off the ground your stage is.
PHOTO CREDIT: Liza Summer/Pexels
Forget the gigs, we’re moving onto bigger and darker things! As of August 2022, 1 in 3 women are sexually assaulted at music festivals. Sexual assault has long since transcended dress code, drunkenness and “you were asking for it”-s – now the crowds are thirsty and taut, practically forcing randy headbangers upon the wanton head bobbers. I never thought overcapacity would ever play into half-cooked narratives of sexual offenders, but here we are. It’s the new normal, it’s fucking insane.
More sinister to come, the industry! I was a fresh 20-something trying to blag a career in music. Smitten in the lowest possible position (intern), I was soon corralled into working weird shifts, inappropriate conversations about sex and at the receiving end of nude photos sent by my universally loved boss. In a city where blacklisting breeds lists quicker than the time it takes to press delete, what does an impressionable young woman do? They don’t say a thing.
Maybe you can fix it from the top. Maybe the big leagues need to do more, be bolder at weeding out the bad ones, speak up for the people lower down the ladder that can't.
On a broader landscape, 1 in 4 women are raped, 1 in 18 men are raped and the highest number of rapes recorded by the police ever was in 2022. So, why is being safe in the safeguarded world of music so hard? Sexual assault is not victimless. It’s easy to be convinced otherwise, next year’s headliners will let us know.
At this point, I feel like a broken record. But in a broken system, let the music play, tainted and crooked as it is”.
If festival bills are slowly beginning to balance in terms of women being included, headline slots of predominantly the privilege of male artists. Again, there are improvements being made, but excuses are often thrown around when festival organisers are called out regarding clear sexism and gender imbalance. I think there is sufficient options and flexibility when it comes to suitably female artists and their availability. Rather than it purely being an issue with the industry not promoting women or giving them opportunities at ground level (though that is a major reason), I think organisers are just not really that compelled and motivated to fight for equality. You can throw about whatever excuses you like – male artists seen as more commercial and popular; if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it; there are plenty of women on the bill, so what does it matter if they are not headliners? -, but that is all it is: people hiding behind rather flimsy excuses. It comes down to respect for the amazing women out there and the brilliant music they are releasing. Every festival that heavily relies on male artists fore their headline slots is clearly not digging deep enough or purely accepting the fact that the best music being made is by women. They are visible and waiting to take to the stage! They have the requisite experience, and one could easily name dozens of female artists suitable for any festival! I have written about ageism and how some women are not included on various radio stations’ playlists because of age. Kylie Minogue’s recent single, PADAM PADAM, did make it onto Capital’s radar – a station that tends to play younger artists – but there are stations, including BBC Radio 1, who have not featured her. One can call it ‘selective ageism’ if they want, but the fact is that there are many female artists making such relevant and incredible music not included on playlists because of their age. I realise stations like Kiss and Capital have both Rita Ora and Beyoncé on their radars (both of whom are over thirty), but there are stations and playlists that tend to define a woman as relevant and fresh if they are under thirty or thirty-five, whereas male artists don’t quite have the same struggle!
I do think that the more conversations that happen, then the more things will improve. It is often women highlighting the inequalities rather than men. Many women do not feel safe in the industry because of the fear of being sexually harassed or assaulted. A lot of female artists are not being heard and featured at festivals – especially as headliners -, and I think that more and more, many stations and playlists are reserved only for ‘young’ female artists. Maybe tied to this notion that they are desirable and worthy when they are a certain age. Attitudes need to change. Much greater respect needs to be shown! I will finish with a feature that is about sexism many women face. This is still a major problem in the industry. If award shows like the Ivor Novellos recently celebrated some remarkable women, there are plenty of others that have not done enough to recognise the work of female artists. Recently, Whiskey Kicks – a long-time music journalist and editor of UKF (who is also a woman) – spoke with some female D.J.s in the industry about their experiences. It seems, when it comes to Dance and women D.J.-ing, there is still a lot of sexism and assumption that they shouldn’t be there or must be supporting their boyfriends (rather than being the actual talent and D.J.). I have selected a few parts of the fascinating article:
“Ruth Royall
I’ve definitely had people mistake my manager for the DJ before but they were always absolutely mortified afterwards and not at all rude about it. I don’t find that it’s individuals that are the problem the majority of the time, it’s the overall sense of still being the only woman in the room and feeling like I’m lucky to be there.
Backstage areas are often full of men, predominantly white, who have been doing this for years, there have been comments like ‘the girls are doing great at the moment aren’t they’ or ‘women are really having a moment’. This is meant with the best intent, and I love that the guys are taking notice and getting behind the momentum but it still makes you feel somewhat ‘other’ and like it’s not going to last. If we balanced the playing field from the top, for example, promoters booking more women, more female A&R and tour managers and more women running the live tech side of things, encouraging more women to take degrees in sound design and engineering, we would stop feeling like a lucky girl with a golden ticket and feel like we belong. Which we do. We are getting more light shone on us than ever before, which is a great thing, but we don’t want to feel like we are being given permission to be there, we want to just do our thing and have a great time just like everyone else.
Amy Jayne
One story that stands out to me and I always refer back to was from Hospitality at The 02 Academy in Brixton 2014. I was Head of Promotions at the time and the team had pulled off an amazing sold-out event at one of the most prestigious venues in South London. It was early doors and I was standing on the side of the stage watching the venue fill up fast. I was having a proper moment in my own head, looking out and feeling so proud of the team. It was also one of the biggest events I’d been involved in at that time. The next thing some guy, a guest of someone playing the event, comes over and interrupts my moment by asking me if I was the DJ’s missus. I laughed sarcastically and told him I wasn’t – “Ok, so which one are you shagging then?”. I rolled my eyes and told him I worked for Hospital Records. “Ahhhh ok, well go get me a drink then.”
Obviously, I walked off and didn’t get him a drink but I do regularly kick myself for not standing up for myself – this wasn’t the first or last time I’d experienced this but the difference this time was the moment in which he interrupted me. I went from being so proud to so disheartened in a split second.
Another moment that springs to mind that I can only laugh at given my age and experience was a comment made by a random guy backstage at a show: “You can’t be a Label Manager you’re too young….. and a girl”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Georgie Riot
Laurie Charlesworth
A pretty big DJ once asked me how I got backstage at an event, threatening to call security, basically insinuating that I’d snuck back there. I was actually working in management for another artist on the lineup at the time, which was why I was backstage. I was the only woman backstage.
Georgie Riot
I’m a 26-year-old female who’s always been surrounded by men during my education and now working in the music industry. In college I was the only female on my Music Technology course, I found that I was treated with less respect, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I find that as a female, no matter how good you are at what you do there is always someone ready to chime in and say something to dampen your success some of the phrases I’ve either heard people say or read online are: “she didn’t make that track herself”, “she probably had a ghost producer” “she only got to where she is now because she’s a female”.
Working in the music industry as a woman, it feels like you have to work twice as hard to prove yourself. even when you’ve proved yourself, people will always have something to say about you because of your gender. It’s something that most men will never understand because they won’t ever experience it. We are grossly misrepresented, not taken seriously as artists, objectified, and sexualised and it seems that our appearances are valued more than our skills.
A lot of people think it’s easier to pave a way for yourself in the music industry as a woman, but it definitely isn’t. Let’s stop pigeon-holding women, and try to re-programme people’s attitudes towards female artists. Let’s give women equal opportunities and support, after all music is supposed to be about peace, love and unity”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Luriko Yamaguchi/Pexels
Those experiences seen above are not isolated. Most women in the music industry have faced sexism at some point. There is still this massive imbalance when it comes to opportunities and exposure. Women often seen as less valuable and good as their male counterparts. The struggle that so many women in music face is huge. To getting started and being given the same opportunities as men. Making it onto radio playlists and festival bills. Feeling safe and secure. Having a lasting career and being taken seriously when they pass a certain age. Many men face some of these issues, but it is much more common for women. From gig-goers and station bosses, through to those higher up in the industry, women do need to be shown a lot more respect! There will be those coming out and saying that the issues I have outlined refers to a small number of men – and that most men in the music are respectful. This is true, but it is down to every man in the music industry to support women and talk about imbalances and inequalities. I don’t think there are enough using their platforms and voices to support women. Whether they are a journalist, label boss, musician, or anything else, you don’t see many interviews, speeches or podcasts where men are calling for change and progression. Most of the articles written relating to gender inequality, sexual assault and the problems at the core of the industry are written by women. If small steps are being made, there is an opportunity and real need for huge leaps to made! With every article, tweet, and report of women feeling unsafe, unheard, or disrespected, it proves that they are not perceived and treated the same way as men. Given everything they give to the industry, and the fact that they are responsible for making music as wonderful, accepting, and brilliantly diverse as it is, the least they deserve is…
TO feel respected, heard and treated far better than they are.