The third event of Women in Music took place in Nottingham on 13th March, resulting in an interesting night of discussion and networking. With talks, interviews and personal anecdotes from many women working in diverse roles within the music industry, the night proved to be informative and inspiring for any woman with similar aspirations.
“she receives 10 times as many applicants from men as from women for a job vacancy within the music industry, which highlights the need to encourage confidence in young women”
The evening opened with a welcome talk from Katie Muckle, head of HR at the DHP Family. She informed the audience that she receives 10 times as many applicants from men as from women for a job vacancy within the music industry, which highlights the need to encourage confidence in young women.
“The main advice the two protégées would give to others aspiring to the music industry would be to get stuck in, put yourself forward, ask for what you want and always try to build a network”
Panel 1 kicked off with Beverley Whitrick from the MusicVenues Trust charity, which works to protect Grassroots Venues around the UK. The charity also provides a pilot scheme in which young women can organise and promote a live event at a small venue, and Beverley interviewed two young women who had taken part and used the scheme as a springboard into a career in music. The main advice the two protégés gave to others aspiring to make it in the music industry is to get stuck in, put yourself forward, ask for what you want and always try to build a network. Too often, women don’t have the confidence to put themselves for jobs they are capable of; The imbalance must be addressed from the bottom up.
The women also highlighted the importance of self-care as the draining profession can have detrimental effects on mental health
Following Panel 1 was an interview with Molly and Abi of Babe Punch, a local Pop-Punk band, in conversation with Kemet FM’s Jackie P. The Tuts, the original interviewees, had cancelled last minute, so Babe Punch stepped in to share their experiences of being young artists in the industry. Having formed at 14 and now being 19 and 20 years old, the women had suffered a plethora of unfair treatment and patronisation, from dismissive booking agents to unhelpful sound engineers. This began due to their young age, but they soon realized the sexism that pervaded the industry. The women also highlighted the importance of self-care as the draining profession can have detrimental effects on mental health.
“All three women worked to overcome male bias to thrive within the industry, with Cassie and Goc even running their own festivals now”
Finally, Panel 2 inteviewed three women who work behind the scenes at music festivals: Cassie Fox of Loud Women, Goc O’Callaghan of Arctangent and Joanna Leljevahl of Snowbombing, Austria. All three women worked to overcome male bias to thrive within the industry, with Cassie and Goc even running their own festivals now. They would advise young women trying to break in to the industry to have great drive, motivation and attention to detail, and be a solutions person.
Although the evening was a positive step towards spreading encouragement to young women aspiring to the music industry, the women on the panels were often self-deprecating and conscious of bragging and talking too much. The message of inclusivity shone through, but the problem of women’s tentative attitudes about themselves still needs to be tackled through education and events like these in order to truly dismantle gender imbalance.
Rating: 7/10
Lucy Miles
Featured Image courtesy of Lucy Miles
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