Written evidence submitted by WeAreMusic (MiM0041)

INTRODUCTION

WeAreMusic is the independent music industry resource and campaign working towards eradicating harassment and bullying in the music industry. We are a not-for-profit connective initiative promoting togetherness and support for those who need it. Originally inspired by personal experiences of women in the music industry, we are also fully open to provide support for all.

We are a dynamic and evolving resource aiming to respond to changing needs. WeAreMusic is fully independent (not-for-profit) founded and created by its Director Emily Saunders (vocalist, composer, producer and music industry campaigner); inspired by countless conversations over 3 years with fellow music creators and industry professionals across the UK, alongside personal experiences. Highlighted was the overdue need for positive change to happen, both within the music creative sector, and also within governance and organisation environments.

We are designed to be low-overhead, message and directive focused with a small team, supported by a strong forum of experienced music industry voluntary advisors (music creators and campaigners).

Following countless conversations and in broad consultation, we ‘soft-launched’ phase one, the WeAreMusic.info online support resource/website and its social media campaign:

(Instagram @WeAreMusic.info and Twitter @WeAreMusic_info) on International Women's Day Feb 2022.

Phase two, our outreach poster and messaging campaigns are planned for Autumn 2022/2023.

OUR MISSION

WeAreMusic believes all music professionals should be free from bullying and harassment. We are fully independent, signposting to trusted organisations that help make the music industry safe for all. We aim to provide talking points to inspire positive change, and promote current initiatives that people need to be aware of.

We call for every company to pledge to do their best to rid bullying and harassment in their workplace.

WeAreMusic sign-posts initiatives and services that seek to end bullying and harassment in the music industry, as well as signal-boosting those seeking to proactively change various equality imbalances in our industry.

SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR WOMEN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

WeAreMusic signal-boosts those seeking to proactively change equality imbalances in our industry, those aiming to support with resources, advice, guidance and opportunities for women in music.

There's a growing focus in key organisations and initiatives which seek to support women in their careers to remove barriers and help with challenging circumstances; creating events celebrating women’s professional work, enabling greater recognition, and inspiring greater confidence in dealing with challenges within the music industry, eg: The F-list; Women in CTRL; Black Lives in Music; Help Musicians; The FAC; Loud Women.

We believe that industry-wide developments are needed to increase support for those providing these structures.

SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

WeAreMusic signposts to organisations which provide support across the music industry, including crisis support, business structural or legal advice, alongside outreaching principles to better inform and inspire positive change.

The support structures we signpost to include:

HELP MUSICIANS:

The Help Musicians helpline supports those suffering bullying and harassment within the UK music industry. With the majority of musicians in the UK working on a freelance basis, there is currently no support of this kind available to individuals who are experiencing problems with difficult behaviour. The new helpline, provided by Help Musicians, aims to fill a gap in support provision, ensuring that everyone working in the music industry has a place to turn for advice and practical help. Callers are able to immediately speak with a specialist bullying and harassment advisor, who undertakes a risk assessment.

THE MUSICIANS UNION:

Offering support for workplace issues, advice and legal advice, The MU is the UK’s trade union representing professional musicians.

The MU runs a SafeSpace service which provides a confidential place to share and report instances of sexism, sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the music industry. This service is open to anyone working in music. As well as contributing to the MU’s campaigning work to eliminate sexual harassment and abuse from music, reporting to their SafeSpace gives access to advice on your rights and support in deciding whether or how to take your complaint forward.

INCORPORATED SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS:

ISM, the UK professional body for musicians and subject association for music, provides legal advice and support via their specialist in-house legal team to help with professional advice and to look after interests in numerous ways (one to one legal assistance) for ISM members.

PRIDE IN MUSIC:

They work to create a cross-industry network for the LGBTQ+ community, artists and allies working within British Music. It aims to provide a support network to break down stereotypes, to work as an education service to employers and staff, as an entry point to the industry for underprivileged youth and to provide a peer mentoring, networking, and an industry wide social group to help those who may struggle with the anxieties and stigmas that generally arise with these topics.

SAFE GIGS IRELAND:

They are an initiative to make gigs and nightlife safer, for everyone. They want to eliminate discrimination and sexual violence in nightlife by creating a zero-tolerance environment for all forms of violence and unacceptable behaviour.

MUSIC MINDS MATTER:

This is Help Musicians' dedicated mental health support line and service for the whole UK music community available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They offer emotional support, advice and information, signposting to other specialist services, debt and legal advice.

MISOGYNY, BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

The Vice.com article[1] (July 2022) highlights the experiences of women DJs working in club environments:

“There's cases of women DJs having residences in clubs and bars and suffering from harassment, and then they've just stopped their residences.

“The cases Rebekah found align with industry reporting that points to an alarmingly widespread issue that has yet to be fully dealt with. In a 2019 report, the Musicians’ Union, which represents 31,000 musicians in the UK, found that 48 percent of respondents said they had experienced workplace harassment, and the union were aware of cases where artists left the industry completely after experiencing sexism or abuse. The prevalence of abuse in the industry was so widespread that according to John Shortell, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Musicians’ Union, many people saw sexual harassment as an ‘occupational hazard’ that was ‘part and parcel of the job’.”

Existing data and information from across the music industry drawn together by many trusted music organisations and professional researchers, highlight stark statistics of people’s experiences as professionals working in the music industry:

●        Of all songwriters and composers who received a royalty in 2020 from their music being streamed, downloaded, broadcast, or performed, only one in six (16.7 percent) were women (PRS for Music - members gender data)[2]

●        Women represent less than 1/3 of artists in the music world today, with 12.6% of songwriters and fewer than 3% of producers that have been on the charts, between the years of 2012 and 2020.[3]

●        In its 30-year history the Mercury Prize has been awarded to only seven female artists. [4]

●        Joint research by the Musicians’ Union (MU), Equity and the ISM reveal 1 in 2 of all music, dance and drama students are at risk from bullying and discrimination, including sexual harassment.[5]

●        Across the three creative roles highlighted in the study led by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, women make up 21.7 percent of artists, 12.3 percent of songwriters and 2.1 percent of producers.[6]

●        ​​Prior to the pandemic, a poll of the union's members found that 48% of musicians had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work, 58% had witnessed an incident of sexual harassment and 10% said they had witnessed similar incidents regularly.[7]

●        Musicians’ Union survey shows almost half its 31,000 members have faced sexual harassment at work[8]

●        Only one in ten headliners at the UK's top music festivals this summer will be women, a BBC study has found.[9]

●        According to a new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, less than a quarter of the artists on the chart in 2021 were women. [10]

●        Be the Change: Women Making Music report by MIDiA, Tunecore and Believe revealed almost two-thirds of female creators identified sexual harassment or objectification as a key challenge, making it by far the most widely-cited problem[11]

●        Be the Change: Women Making Music survey reveals that the music industry wants female artists to be young – partly a symptom of the industry’s youth obsession, but also so that women become successful before they are presumed to decide to take on the role of motherhood[12]

This almost overwhelming set of statistics is only part of the information available, showing the fundamental need for positive change, and that change is taking too long.

Questions could also be asked if there is unequal peer pressure on women in performance, regarding performance quality and physical presentation. ‘Mediated Pop’, the online resource analysing media and popular culture, discusses concerns around double-standards in the music industry.

“Whether it be performance quality, music videos, or even just fashion, female artists are expected to outshine themselves with every show, while male artists are taken as what they are.”[13]

HOW CAN MISOGYNY IN MUSIC BE TACKLED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY

Call To Action:

We believe all music professionals should be free from bullying and harassment: We call for every individual and company to pledge to remove misogyny, bullying and harassment, from the music industry within all working environments, at all levels.

WeAreMusic requests for specific research and references into women’s age-related experiences around exploitation and invisibility, which could inform greater understanding of a woman's personal journey: how they experience being perceived and how opportunities they receive alter as they progress through life in their professional career, to inform how to address specific issues to enable positive change.

We request for research to explore if there is a pressure and influence of an exploitative ‘commodity’ culture in some instances, compared with experiences of rejection, negation and invisibility.

We request greater funding support for organisations which provide support and guidance for women and those identifying as female working in the music industry.

We request the promotion of clear, widespread and full industry support for the music Independent Standards Authority.

We believe in fundamental positive development, that safe spaces should not need to be an ‘add-on’ to a music industry environment, but in fact the music industry itself should be a safe space, where all people can work together equally without bullying and harassment of any kind.

July 2022