I have been in conversation with over 40 women from the music industry for a year now. We have been discussing what it is like to be a woman in the music industry, whether you are a performer or behind the scenes. The book began with me asking four questions - have you ever experienced sexism, have you observed it, do you have ideas to combat it if you have seen it and what is the way forward?
The answers I got were astounding - women who have experienced misogyny and sexism and those who haven't. From almost sexism-free careers to men getting their appendages out in the dressing room, to men asking for secret dates in return for a booking, the stories are incredible and told with a touch of humour and much honesty.
There are also ideas - lots of them- for how to deal with the challenges women in the music industry face - like no loo roll, no lock on the toilet door in a mixed dressing room, late-night gigs, and juggling family life with keeping up their career.
What surprised me was how they feel men are vital on the journey to equality, so I invited men to comment - and they agreed - so much so that they have a chapter to themselves. Men are doing great things - they are self-educating, discussing, taking part in training, and all to ensure the music industry doesn't lose the women they value so much.
The book contains so much advice - from world-renowned musicians from classical, rock, jazz, punk, soul, rap, and other genres including Dame Evelyn Glennie, Ruby Turner, Debbie Wiseman OBE, Ssister Cookie, Jennifer Batten, and many more and the people in it are not just musicians. There are DJs, curators, writers, and other roles too.
The dynamic energy of the conversation is impossible to ignore - change is happening.
The book is released on 17th October 2024.
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