Featured image and photography: Anna Marsden

The Beyond the Music Conference in Manchester became a rallying point for tackling the endemic misogyny embedded in the music industry, with a panel of influential women calling for urgent cultural change and industry accountability.

Organised in partnership with the Musicians Union and She Said So, the event spotlighted the findings of the Misogyny in Music Report and championed the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) as a critical step toward reform.

CIISA, an independent body aiming to help protect victims of sexual harassment and abuse within workplaces, took centre stage during the discussion. Panellists, including Jen Smith, CEO of CIISA, outlined the voluntary pledge businesses can adopt to demonstrate their commitment to safety and equity.

“This is about courageous leadership,” said Smith. “This is about the industry taking responsibility for a really long-term problem.” She urged businesses to embrace the pledge and employees to educate themselves on their rights.

Smith said: “Whether you’re an artist or you work within a big organisation, educate yourself about confidentiality and what your rights are as a worker. Go and visit our website, and get your business to sign up to the business pledge.”

The panel agreed that although a voluntary pledge may seem small, it sends a “very powerful message”.

Dr Diljeet Bhachu, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer at the Musician’s Union UK, highlighted findings from Women and Equalities Committee report, which laid bare the pervasive barriers women face in the industry: 

‘Women working in the music industry face limitations in opportunity, a lack of support, gender discrimination, 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. Despite increases in representation, these issues are endemic and are intensified for women faced with intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination.’

The panel discussed the misuse of NDA agreements within the music and entertainment industry and the role that they play in keeping victims of misogynistic abuse silent. Zelda Perkins, producer, founder of Can’t Buy My Silence, and former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, expressed how she would like to see the “banning of misuse of non-disclosure agreements” in the music industry, as well as women being educated on their rights before they sign an NDA.

She said: “The majority of NDAs are not legally enforceable, they are just a form of coercion and a kind of systemic gaslighting.”

The panellists also discussed how fame and power are often abused within the industry, especially for high-profile people who can afford to “keep the lid on the pot.”

Smith further elaborated on this, discussing how in freelance positions where people can move around from job to job, there is no place to report concerns of misogyny and sexual harassment.

Smith added that this is “the gap that CIISA is aiming to close”, as people can report a concern to CIISA confidentially. She also shared that a fundamental part of the CIISA is to ask whether working environments are safe and inclusive.

Frances Barber Shillito, co-owner of NWN Management and advocate for women’s safety within the music industry thinks that CIISA is “one of the most important things to get actioned”.

Barber Shillito further discussed her position as a female artist manager and the importance of including male names in conversations about misogyny. She said: “It’s about bringing those male artists into the conversation and encouraging them to not be scared. The male voice is powerful, it is more powerful than ours at times because men respond to men, unfortunately.”

The panellists also emphasised how the music industry could learn something from the film industry’s response to misogyny.

Perkins said: “I think some of the things that are being implemented in the screen industry would be really helpful in the music industry. I know it’s not quite the same thing, but having an intimacy coach when you’re on stage. When you’re looking at making music videos, a lot of that is pretty sexual.”

She went on to reference the recent controversy around the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing: “They now have chaperones and that should be something that is always requested until you feel that you are in a position where you’re safe. There are certainly some cultural safeguarding things that could be adopted from the screen industry to the music industry.”

British Jazz artist, Ni Maxine, offered her perspective on how the music industry can tackle issues regarding misogyny and the lack of diversity within positions of power: “As an independent artist, we very much rely on other organisations which are often led by white men. Older white men who do not understand what it means to be a black woman, in my case, who has been raised in a working-class environment.”

She added: “There are so many stereotypes placed on us. If there were more people who were more like us in those positions of power, I think it would be a massive help.”

When considering how to tackle misogyny, Bhachu encouraged people to value the work women do: “It’s about creating a positive celebration of what we do. Fundamentally, misogyny comes from women not being protected, being undermined, and not being valued.”

Bhachu also emphasised how people are “not willing to engage with the fact that misogyny is still a problem”.

Smith added: “There is a tsunami coming, and how are we going to deal with that as an industry? Are we going to let that play out in an unregulated space, or are we going to get behind a body, an entity that can play a hugely preventative role over the long term?”

To find out more about the Misogyny in Music Report and CIISA, visit: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmwomeq/695/report.html