Over 250 music companies pledge to achieve 50/50 gender split by 2022

The UK’s PRS Foundation has announced today (June 25) that it is extending its ‘Keychange 50/50′ festival pledge to the wider music business to achieve a better gender balance in the industry.

Keychange is an initiative led by PRS Foundation and supported by the Creative Europe program of the European Union. It aims to achieve a 50/50 gender split in the music industry by 2022.

Since the launch of the Keychange pledge in 2018, more than 190 festivals have signed up and committed to programming gender balanced line-ups by 2022.

Over 60 additional music industry organizations have now signed up to the pledge, including the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra BDI Music, Bella Union and Bucks Music Group. The full list can be seen here.

In November 2018 the initiative undertook a landmark step towards achieving its goal of encouraging a gender-balanced music industry worldwide.

In collaboration with Keychange festival partners, Vanessa Reed (CEO of PRS Foundation and BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour’s 3rd Most Powerful Woman in Music) presented a manifesto for change at the European Parliament in Brussels, with the aim of increasing and sustaining representation of women in the music industry.

“It’s really encouraging that major music organisations and independent companies are demonstrating their commitment to gender equality in music alongside hundreds of festivals worldwide.”

Vanessa Reed, PRS Foundation 

Vanessa Reed, CEO of PRS Foundation and Founder of Keychange, said: “It’s really encouraging that major music organisations and independent companies are demonstrating their commitment to gender equality in music alongside hundreds of festivals worldwide.

“From world leading concert halls and orchestras to Bella Union, (the first indie label to approach us), pledge signatories are creating an industry wide movement.

“This will increase choice, quality and opportunity for future generations of music lovers, industry professionals, music creators and artists.”

“It’s a logical step in equal measures that the initiative has now been transferred to neighbouring businesses within the music industry and the media. We are very much looking forward to see the change in a broader way.”

Alexander Schulz, Reeperbahn Festival

Alexander Schulz, Founder of Reeperbahn Festival, added: “In 2017, when we launched the Keychange program at Reeperbahn Festival, we also declared our intention to present balanced line-ups on festival stages and conference stages by 2022.

“For us it was crucial, that we have a clear vision of our goals and transparent parameters to count the change.

“With this initiative we installed another helpful tool on the long road towards change for the entire music industry.

“Since then more than 190 festivals worldwide have joined the pledge of 50:50 by 2022. This is much more than we were expecting and a wonderful add on to the original Keychange program.

“It’s a logical step in equal measures that the initiative has now been transferred to neighbouring businesses within the music industry and the media. We are very much looking forward to see the change in a broader way.”Music Business Worldwide

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