It may seem that equality and the #MeToo movement are all that are being spoken about right now but thank goodness! It’s about time, amiright ladies?

The #MeToo movement was created back in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke however it became an overnight phenomenon in October 2017 after Alyssa Milano encouraged women to speak out via a tweet. This was done in the simple form of tweeting #MeToo however some women took the opportunity to open up in more detail. Within days, social media was flooded with the hashtag from celebrities and people we view as invincible to our next-door neighbours, mothers, best friends, cousins.

As we all know, the film industry was dealt a massive blow with names such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey being brought into the spotlight. But what happened to the music industry? As of writing this, R Kelly has spent his last two weeks in and out of jail primarily for the sexual abuse towards four females. However, it only takes one watch of the six-part documentary Surviving R Kelly to realise the number of victims is higher. It’s safe to say the music industry has been less public about releasing names however, sadly, the movement still exists. Music moguls such as Russell Simmons and Charlie Walk, former president of Universal Music Group’s Republic Group, have both been forced to step down after allegations.  

Although #MeToo has caused the industry to sort their shit out and treat women more equally, we still face all sorts of challenges ranging from the lack of women in senior roles/boardrooms to motherhood affecting our jobs. The UK Music Diversity Study of 2016/17 found that whilst women make up 60% of intern and entry level roles, they only make up 30% of senior executive roles. They also make up over half the workforce in the age group 25-34 years old, but only 33% of the age group 45-64 years old. The three major labels all have men at the helm but there is hope! The AIM Board has gradually gone from 1/20 being female to 32% and industry associations such as MMF and BASCA have female CEOs.

Last year, the government made it compulsory for companies with over 250 staff to report on their gender pay gaps. Unfortunately, the three major music labels did not come off too well in these reports. On average, women earn 33.8% less than men with a massive 49% pay gap at Warner Music. That’s practically double, ladies, DOUBLE. Live Nation UK also had a 46% gender pay gap along with a – wait for it – 88%, YES EIGHTY EIGHT, difference in bonuses paid between men and women. There is also an average of just 31% of women in leadership positions at these labels. Having said that, since this report there have been a lot of female promotions so let’s hope for improved statistics in the future! One reason that lack of females in higher positions may have been the case is due to unconscious bias. We tend to ‘hire in our own image’ meaning that if white, middle age men are the ones conducting the interviews, they’re likely to favour the younger men that they can envision growing up to be like them. Because of this, it is now common for orchestras to have blind auditions to ensure the focus really is on the playing, as opposed to the person playing.

Let’s not forget what is considered by the majority of the older generation as the ‘most important role’ in a woman’s life… motherhood. The music industry is yet to perfect the balance between motherhood and continuing a job. In the majority of cases, the primary caregiver is still the mother. In an industry that is running basically 24/7, this can be seen as challenging to balance. Those long office hours mixed in with attending gigs in the evenings and festivals at weekends, not to mention dealing with band members who think nothing of calling at 4:37am, aren’t always understood by a 5-month old baby. This can lead to mothers feeling like they have to ‘pick’. Spotify are hopefully leading the change in this department by now offering equal maternity and paternity packages, as well as an easier return to work for new parents.

Certain areas of the business are still extremely male dominated – mainly the ‘behind the scenes’ part of the industry. Within the studios, there are only a few female producers, mixers and engineers. In DJMag’s top 100 DJs list, which is publicly voted, only 6/100 were women. These numbers are increasing thanks to programmes such as Red Bull’s Normal Not Novelty and Smirnoff ‘s Equalising Music programme. These both offer training for female DJs and producers with Smirnoff also offering performing opportunities at the big festivals. As a Music Event Management student, I can confirm that the majority of the live sector are also men however, again, this is slowly changing. Our course leader ensures we have at least a fair split of men and women all from with the industry. Last year, we had a 50/50 split of men and women.

Although there are more female artists than there are women behind the scenes, this isn’t always reflected within festival line ups. Reading & Leeds and Wireless Festival have both come under scrutiny in the past with Wireless having only three women on the line up during their first announcement of 37 artists. One of these was Cardi B, who later had to pull out due to falling pregnant. If only Offset had done the same, eh? Paul Pacifico, CEO of the Association of Independent Music, commented on the Wireless situation labelling it “absurd” due to half the population being female and half the attendees probably being female. Despite not commenting publicly, I found out that Festival Republic had asked females to perform however they were all unavailable for the dates required. In 2017, only 17% of international festival headliners were women. Keychange, an international initiative created by PRS Foundation, is a pledge for festivals to achieve a 50/50 gender balance by 2022. At the time of writing, over 150 festivals around the world have signed this pledge. 2018’s BBC Music Introducing Live held over 500 speakers on various panels and 50% of these were females. This shows it can be achieved! Alongside this, women are underrepresented on both the radio and streaming services’ playlists (such as Spotify and Apple Music). On country music radio, the approximate ratio of playtime is one female song to every nine male songs. Radio consultant Keith Hill states that this is because 70—75% of country radio listeners are women and “women like male artists”.

Ladies, it may not seem like it now but I promise change is coming. Music Week’s Women in Music Awards are there to celebrate us. The AIM’s Women in Music conference is supported by the Mayor of London. Universities around the country are supporting us. Our entire year on the Music Event Management course is female. Networks are being created to help us build contacts, mentor each other and find job and event opportunities. The future is coming and it’s coming both slowly and so fast you won’t know what’s hit you. If you want to be in the music industry, even in a job that’s ‘not normally done by women’ DO IT. You’ve got this and we’ve all got your back. And for the men reading this, which I hope you are, you can do your part too. Asked to be a part of a panel titled ‘Women in Music’? Do it! Conducting the interviews? Pick the best person for the job, regardless of their gender or age. Become our allies and do what would make your mothers proud. Help us out – Lord knows we need it.