By Jane Churchill

Some of the world's biggest music artists are women. So why are music festival lineups one big dude fest?

It will become obvious, even with a quick glance, that the majority of music festival lineups globally are dominated by men. According to a 2017 study shared on festnoise, women comprised an average of 26 percent of major festival lineups and roughly 10 percent of headline positions. There is absolutely no shortage of women artists, so what’s with the disparity?

According to Iskwē - a member of Women in Music Canada - supporting women in festivals ultimately comes down to changing the way the live music industry is structured from the bottom up. In an interview with the BBC, Iskwē discussed other female artists she had spoken with, and came to the realisation that the workforce being dominated by men is a significant barrier for non-male artists.  She goes on to explain that “[women] don’t necessarily want to be in a recording studio where they're the only woman, or be on the road for six months in a bus full of men, rather than it being a mixed environment.” So to any of our readers, if you're an aspiring stage manager, sound technician, audio engineer or tour promoter, the music industry needs more people just like you!

In 2018, the PRS foundation, one of the United Kingdom's leading music and talent agencies, published a manifesto which pledged its commitment to striving for a 50-50 gender balance on festival lineups. Since 2018, many more artists have been making noise about the issue, bringing it to wider public attention. 

British band, The 1975, are one of several bands who have come forward with their own commitments. The 1975 have pledged that from now on they will only be playing at festivals with legitimate gender equality initiatives. Frontman Matty Healy told The Guardian that “it’s not a geopolitical nightmare: it’s the music industry, and it’s something that if everyone gets on board, we can fix.”

His statement on Twitter read as follows:

Take this as me signing this contract – I have agreed to some festivals already that may not adhere to this and I would never let fans down who already have tickets. But from now I will, and believe this is how male artists can be true allies.

It’s super important that everyone bands together in putting pressure on the industry to do better. In 2019, Primavera Sound, a summer festival in Barcelona, was one of the first major festivals to hit the mark of a 50-50 gender balanced lineup. And perhaps to the surprise of some individuals in the music industry, it was one of the fastest selling years yet. 

The truth is, gender targets don’t compromise ticket sales. In fact, diverse lineups bring something new to the table other than the classic rock band comprised of four white cismen. It is in the wider public interest to diversify music festival lineups, and of course, the music industry in general.

To our readers, please leave a comment below of who your favourite women or LGBTQIA+ artist is, we would love to hear from you so we can spread the word!

For more information, Pitchfork published a great article with a graphical breakdown of the gender divisions, I urge you to check it out!

References

Beaumont-Thomas, B, Snapes, L, (2020), ‘The 1975 commit to playing only gender-balanced music festivals’, The Guardian, <https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/12/the-1975-commit-to-playing-only-gender-balanced-music-festivals-matt-healy>

Charles, A. (2019), ‘The battle for gender equal music festival lineups”, BBC Music, <http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190625-the-battle-for-gender-equal-festival-line-up>

Festnoise (2019), ‘Gender equality in festival lineups’, <