The UK parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has been holding an inquiry into ‘Misogyny in Music‘ over the last year and a half.
We’ve reported on some of its oral evidence sessions: in February 2023 and September 2023. Now the committee has published its report, and it pulls no punches right from the very first sentence.
“Women working in the music industry face limitations in opportunity, a lack of support, gender discrimination and sexual harassment and assault as well as the persistent issue of unequal pay in a sector dominated by self-employment and gendered power imbalances,” is how it begins.
“Despite increases in representation, these issues are endemic and are intensified for women faced with intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination.”
The report goes into detail on all of this, and makes a number of recommendations. Some of them are for the British government: for example ensuring freelance workers get more protections against sexual harassment and discrimination, and legislating to prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases involving sexual abuse, harassment, misconduct and/or bullying.
Other recommendations are for the music industry. They include labels committing to regularly publishing data on the diversity of their creative rosters and workforces, as well as gender and ethnicity pay gaps.
The report also recommends that recording studios should be licensed (including a sexual harassment risk assessment); a mandatory accreditation programme for music managers; and including conditions around tackling bias, harassment and abuse in the licensing rules for music venues.
The report also takes a wider, societal view. “Too often, problems of discrimination, harassment and misogyny are seen as women’s issues – that it is their role to experience, avoid, overcome, withstand, analyse, discuss and understand misogyny so men don’t have to,” it says.
“Educating boys and men on misogyny and consent, how to respect and better support women and to recognise the additional challenges they face will be more transformative than any of the measures set out in this report.”
You can read the full report here. What happens next? The answer to that can be divided into two buckets: potential legislation by the government, and voluntary action by the music industry.
On the first, don’t hold your breath. The UK is almost certainly going to have a general election later this year, with the ruling Conservative party having been in power since 2010, and now facing a resurgent opposition Labour party.
Infighting, quick-hit policies (e.g. tax cuts) and picking culture-war battles seem to be the government’s priorities. Tackling misogyny in the music industry (let alone wider society) is probably not.
That’s not to disrespect the commitment of individual MPs to these issues: six of the committee’s 11 members are Conservatives including its chair Caroline Nokes MP.
“Our report rightly focuses on improving protections and reporting mechanisms, and on necessary structural and legislative reforms,” she said today.
“However, a shift in the behaviour of men – and it is almost always men – at the heart of the music industry is the transformative change needed for talented women to quite literally have their voices heard and be both recognised and rewarded on equal terms.”
The report makes some very clear recommendations, and if not before the election, certainly they may be picked up again after the dust has settled, possibly under a new government keen to hit the ground running.
But these kinds of reports aren’t just about legislation: they’re about the firm nudge they give an industry to face up to its problems, and to tackle them. British industry bodies have already been responding this morning.
“Misogyny in music and across society is completely unacceptable. This report contains some thoughtful recommendations and recognises that all parts of our industry have a shared responsibility to tackle this important issue head on,” said BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist and chair YolanDa Brown in a joint statement.
“There must be zero tolerance for misogyny and all forms of discrimination in the music industry, which is working hard to tackle these issues,” said UK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl. “We recognise there is still more to do, that misogyny continues to exist and we are striving to bring about positive changes.”
(We’re publishing the response statements in full at the bottom of this story.)
There is a lot of criticism in the report, but there is also acknowledgement of the work already being done in the industry, as well as hope for the UK’s new independent standards body, CIISA, which will be working across the music, film, TV and theatre industries.
One of the points made in the February evidence session was that there are a number of organisations within the music industry already doing this work – but often are struggling for funding.
“Investment is the biggest problem,” said Vanessa Threadgold of Cactus City Studio. “Probably 95% of us are self-funding those initiatives. I would love the music industry to properly support and work with us, because we have the solution,” added Vick Bain of The F-List.
If the WEC report opens some industry wallets a little wider for these organisations, that would be a really encouraging step, as the industry digests the full report and its recommendations, and charts a positive path forward.
Statements from the music industry in response to the report follow:
Dr Jo Twist and YolanDa Brown (BPI)
“Misogyny in music and across society is completely unacceptable. This report contains some thoughtful recommendations and recognises that all parts of our industry have a shared responsibility to tackle this important issue head on.
We are already working with the wider music sector to build on the progress our label members are leading the way in making and in supporting the work of UK Music and the ongoing development of CIISA.
As the Committee acknowledges, record companies have increased representation of women in executive positions, and we’re seeing more women – as artists and in their teams – achieve success.”
Tom Kiehl (UK Music)
“There must be zero tolerance for misogyny and all forms of discrimination in the music industry, which is working hard to tackle these issues.
“We recognise there is still more to do, that misogyny continues to exist and we are striving to bring about positive changes. We are working right across the sector to ensure the music industry is an inclusive place for everyone to work.
“Our unrelenting drive for change will continue as we tackle misogyny by calling it out and changing practices that disadvantage or hinder women.
“We will continue to make further changes by ensuring equality of pay and promotion, gender balance, and boosting transparency over pay and conditions.
“This will build on UK Music and its Diversity Taskforce’s Ten Point Plan and 5 P’s initiatives, the principles of which are echoed in the report.”
“This report rightly recognises the freelance nature of the music industry, where many are self-employed. We are pleased to see that the report recommends to government that they introduce protections for freelance creatives that we have sought in our recent manifesto.
“We will continue our work with the Government to drive out misogyny, bullying, abuse and harassment to ensure the UK music business is a welcoming place for women to work and pursue a career.
“We will also continue to engage with the development of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) and other proposals to ensure working our sector is a positive experience for all”
Dr Charisse Beaumont (Black Lives in Music)
“I’m deeply moved by the findings of the WEC Misogyny in Music Report. It validates our experiences, particularly those of Black women in the music industry. The data mirrors the challenges we face and amplifies our voices, calling for an industry where everyone, regardless of background, can flourish.
Black Lives in Music fully support the recommendation for the music industry to collaborate with Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) to tackle bullying, harassment and discrimination, and we eagerly anticipate the launch of our survey investigating bullying and harassment in the music industry next month.
We at Black Lives in Music are profoundly grateful to everyone who shared their experiences for the ‘Being Black in the UK Music Industry’ report. Your courageous voices were instrumental in the WEC Misogyny in Music inquiry and continue to form our strategy for industry wide change.”
Deborah Annett (Independent Society of Musicians)
“The ISM thanks the members of the Women and Equalities Committee for listening so carefully to the evidence which so many gave their committee.
We are extremely grateful for their hard work and for the resulting comprehensive and robust Misogyny in Music report, which so graphically portrays the discrimination and harassment which women and others have been subjected to in the music sector for many years.
In the face of this ground breaking report we call on both government and the music sector to act. We hope the publication of the Misogyny in Music report is a moment of real and lasting change in the music industry.
Less than a year ago the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, was told of the issues in music by ourselves and many others. The Minister did nothing. Now it is time for her to act.”
Rebecca Ferguson (artist and campaigner)
“It’s been a long time coming and women in the creative industries, going as far back as Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, have had to deal with the most disgusting behaviour. Change takes time and this is just the beginning of the change.
The government have been given urgent recommendations by the WEC and now those that say they care for creatives in the industry need to ensure that these recommendations are followed through. The WEC have paved the way for change, we need to make sure it happens and if it doesn’t then the women in the creative industries need to get seriously loud!
There’s a lot of people that say they care about musicians but if that’s the case in 2024 why are most musicians effectively working for free? Many with huge costs against them. Not enough rage or anger – far too much servitude.
There’s no business like showbiz, yes correct it’s the only modern industry with a 99% bullying and sexual harassment record (ref. UWS and University of Winchester study).”
[The study she is referring to can be read here: it found that 99% of women who completed its survey had been bullied.]
CIISA statement
“The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) welcomes the Women and Equalities Committee recommendations and commitment for CIISA to help shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry.
The evidence given in WEC’s Misogyny in Music report reveals an industry with an alarming prevalence of misogyny, discrimination, and gendered power imbalances. CIISA supports this essential report.
As the report concludes there are a number of urgent actions required to tackle these widespread issues including the creation of CIISA which will provide a single point of accountability.
CIISA will be a ‘single front door’ for those working in the music industry – and across all the creative industries – to confidentially report unacceptable behaviour and use this insight to raise awareness and tackle concerns directly. CIISA will also unify existing best practice in promoting inclusive workplaces and addressing negative behaviours through the publication of its Standards.
CIISA is currently working with a range of stakeholders – particularly those who may use CIISA – to co-design its future services, which will include providing support, advice, mediation and adjudication where required. CIISA will go live with a range of initial services at the end of the year.”
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