Women In Music

On Monday I was invited to the UK House of Lords on behalf of Funny Women. Baroness Jenkins and the Pink Shoe Club hosted an event featuring and discussing #WomenInMusic. Amongst other things we looked at what can be done to help promote and support our various roles within the industry. It was such an empowering and inspiring event, but also one that left me feeling anger on behalf of those women who have suffered, and are still suffering, harassment and discrimination in our industry.

Topics covered included:

Equal representation, bias, pay gap, sex discrimination, #MeToo, imposter syndrome & more.

Solutions: Education Mentors Key:Change A Women’s Guild in the MU, end silencing settlements (horrible things, should never have existed in the first place), ‘calling it out’ every time, pay gap transparency and #Equality.

Panelists included: Artist Elle Exxe, Lara Baker Founder of The BKRY, Author Sue Lawton MBE, Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE Chairman of the Radio Academy, Helen Bousfield, Head of Artist Rights and Touring Services, Universal Music UK, Angie Greaves, Radio Presenter, Magic FM, Sammy Andrews, CEO & Founder of Deviate Digital and the wonderful Alex Kerr-Wilson, Co-founder of Discovery Talent, who puts on events supporting new and independent talent.

There is change, but it’s painfully slow within the music industry. Hopefully our views will help and be heard at the next meeting of the House Of Lords.