Equal pay, a seat at the table: Women demand equality

Equal pay has been named the top accelerator for gender equality by women working in the international live music business.

With International Women’s Day taking place tomorrow (8 March) under the theme of Accelerate Action, IQ asked executives to name one thing that would make the industry a more equitable environment for women.

“To create a more equitable industry for women, equal pay is essential—without it, there is little incentive to stay or advance,” says Jana Posth, festival director of Rock am Ring in Germany.

Rauha Kyyrö, FKP Scorpio’s co-president of touring & artist development, reiterated the sentiment, adding: “Regardless of an employee’s gender, the industry should pay equal wages.”

But as many executives pointed out, transparency around salaries is the first step to eradicating the gender pay gap. Wasserman Music’s Flo Noseda says that this should start early in the process, when companies are advertising a position.

“Let’s see who’s really delivering progress and who’s delivering rhetoric”

“[Adverts] that say “competitive” or “DOE” usually means “underpaid” and when there is no gauge at all it can waste people’s time and mean that people (especially women) can be underpaid from the offset,” she tells IQ.

One Finiix Live’s Jess Kinn would like the transparency to go a step further, with companies forced to publish everything from policies to promotions.

“I’d like to see a body with teeth – like the DCMS – survey the top 50 music companies in the UK with questions about how their gender equality policies are actually working in practice eg: What proportion of your promotions went to women in the last year? What proportion of your leadership team are women? What are you doing to encourage women into the industry? Make the results public, then we can really see who’s delivering progress and who’s delivering rhetoric.”

Having spent the majority of her career as “the only woman in certain rooms,” ASM Global’s Anna Sjölund has called for better representation in the boardroom.

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception,” she said, quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late American lawyer and fierce advocate for gender equality and women’s rights.

“Stop defining us by our gender e.g. a female agent”

“In our industry there are still plenty of rooms where the women are the exception and the ones that have the power to change that are the men in majority,” she continues. “If you never leave your seat – no one else gets the chance to fill it.”

Sam Oldham, venue director at The O2, agrees but warns companies that it’s not enough to just have token representation at the table. “Actively seek out diverse perspectives. Make a concerted effort to ensure all voices are heard and provide a safe space to do so, in which minorities feel comfortable coming forward with their views.”

As Ticketmaster’s Sarah Slater points out, the board room isn’t the only place that women’s voices and ideas should be heard and praised. “Hype women up—especially when they’re not in the room. Create space for their voices where they’re often overlooked. Amplify their work, share opportunities, and make sure they get the recognition they deserve. No gatekeeping—just lifting each other higher.”

CAA agent Beckie Sugden, meanwhile, is keen to remind the industry that colloquial language plays a key role in gender equality.

“Stop defining us by our gender e.g. a female agent etc,” she says. “I’ve never heard anyone say male agent before so why is this defining tag necessary for women? In my example I am an agent that happens to be a woman not a female agent! I have to check myself on this also as it so deeply entrenched in how we talk about ourselves and women in general. Until the language and narrative, we use daily changes nothing will change. The tags reinforce us as second class citizens on so many levels!”

“Pay us equally, respect our boundaries, and stop expecting us to do your admin!”

As Mojo’s Kim Bloem underscored in her Q&A, flexible hours and working conditions are crucial components for women juggling a career and motherhood.

Roundhouse’s Lucy Wood echoes this sentiment, adding: “I think it would be a great thing for organisations to adopt a policy of allowing parents to expense evening/night care costs, in my case this would be covering babysitting while I’m out at gigs, but could be for anyone with caring responsibilities more generally.”

LIVE’s Gaby Cartwright, meanwhile, says that raising awareness among individuals who do not menstruate or experience menopause is crucial to making the industry a more equitable environment.

“It’s important to highlight how menstruation and menopause can significantly impact both the day-to-day lives and professional experiences of individuals in the workplace, especially within the industry,” she tells IQ. “By fostering this understanding, we can create more supportive and inclusive environments that accommodate the needs of all employees.”

Put simply by Raven Twigg, ASM Global: “Pay us equally, respect our boundaries, and stop expecting us to do your admin!”

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