Green Events & Innovations Conference 2025 launches
Registration for the 17th edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) is now open.
The leading conference for sustainability in the live events sector will return to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Tuesday 25th February 2025.
The one-day event is a partnership with not-for-profit sustainability specialists A Greener Future (AGF) and the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), which takes place immediately after GEI.
“Things are really heating up, literally and figuratively, in the lead-up to GEI17,” says GEI producer and AGF co-founder Claire O’Neill.
“The events and live sector is feeling the impact of global and national tensions first-hand with growing costs, ethical scrutiny, and uncertainty, but at the same time pulling out the stops on some of the most ambitious green initiatives we’ve ever seen.
“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action”
“We’re in a time of significant transition, which is sharpening focus and boosting innovation and action. The purpose of GEI has always been to do its small part to make the transition that we all have to face, a transformation for good. To be better people, making better choices, creating better experiences, and having the most fun possible during this brief time we get to be alive, together, at the same time, on this beautiful planet.”
GEI17 promises engaging talks, panels, discussions, case studies and networking opportunities. The conference concludes with the annual International AGF Awards Ceremony.
Previous GEI speakers include Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker, Pat McCabe, Aurora, Dale Vince (Ecotricity), Mark Donne (Act1.5), Cathy Runciman (EarthPercent), Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets), John Langford (AEG), Carol Scott (TAIT), Em Weirdigan (Green Gathering), Tori Tsui, Mark Stevenson (CUR8), Patricia Yagüe (Live Nation) and Fay Milton (Music Declares Emergency).
Super Early-Bird tickets are now on sale for £139 (€165), which includes access to the conference, the International AGF Awards Ceremony, a drinks reception, plus a five-star lunch.
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LIVE announces new round of partners for 2024 talks
Trade umbrella organisation LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) has announced a new round of ‘committed partners’ for its 2024 programme of LIVE Talks.
Launched two years ago, LIVE Talks is a series of free online workshops and conversations supporting EDI, wellbeing and sustainability issues affecting the live music industry.
This year’s programme will be supported by The Royal Albert Hall, OVO Hydro, See Tickets, Skiddle and The O2, which join previously announced supporters AEG, Live Nation, SJM Concerts and Kilimanjaro.
Two new events for 2024 – which are open to all and free to sign up – have also been revealed.
Menstruation and Menstrual Health in the Live Music Industry will take place on Wednesday 14 August between 12:00–13:00 in partnership with The Musicians Union & Hen Picked: Menopause in the Workplace.
“We believe that coming together to discuss and listen can positively contribute to people’s experiences of working in the live music industry”
From Melas to Stadiums: Exploring Opportunities within South Asian Live Music will take place on Thursday 24 October between 12:00–13:00 in partnership with award-winning DEI Specialist & Cultural Consultant Sania Haq. Anyone who wishes to register their interest in attending can email: [email protected].
“We are very appreciative of the support we receive from our committed partners who have fully engaged with what we are trying to achieve with LIVE Talks,” says Gaby Cartwright, head of partnerships at LIVE. “Since we launched this initiative in 2022, we have hosted 15 free talks covering a wide range of topics and issues and believe that coming together to discuss and listen can positively contribute to people’s experiences of working in the live music industry. With that in mind we are always looking to open this platform to other fantastic organisations who can share their insights and expertise and look forward to announcing more events in the near future.”
There have been 15 talks to date since LIVE Talks’s inception, all of which can be accessed via the LIVE website.
Previous topics include: Trans education and inclusion, breaking down barriers for disabled people, ADHD struggles and strengths, supporting parents and carers in music and mental health support for artists and backstage workers.
The importance of representation for Black Event Professionals, understanding sustainability terminology, supporting the music industry’s LGBTQIA+ community and mental health first aid have also been on the agenda.
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The experiences of mothers in the industry are hard to stomach
I am a published songwriter, and I am a mother, and like many of my fellow music peers, I was deeply unsettled in discovering that the Women & Equalities Committee Misogyny in Music report recommendations were rejected by the UK government.
Aside from my utter disbelief that recommendations were rejected around the most threatening issues, including sexual harassment, bullying, and sexualisation, I was also completely deflated by the dismissal of the maternity and paternity support and childcare recommendations.
As a co-founder of Mamas In Music, set up in 2019, I am advocating for all mothers across the global music industry. Whether you’re an artist, writer, tour manager, A&R, or a music lawyer, freelance or employed, if you are in music and you identify with being in a mother role, then Mamas In Music is here for you. We provide essential resources that empower mothers to advance their musical careers by creating a shared network, generating opportunities, and offering financial and emotional support initiatives.
Other women told me that to have a baby someday would be “career suicide”
A few weeks after I gave birth to my daughter, it dawned on me just how blurred the lines were for me as a newly signed songwriter alongside the enormity of juggling a brand-new baby. I had just signed my first publishing deal that I’d worked so hard for and remember being terrified at the prospect of delivering the news to the team that I was having a baby. How long would I not be available for? Could I try and take my baby to a writing session? I hadn’t really thought these things through.
The reaction from my publisher was one of general well wishes, and I considered myself incredibly “lucky.” But in truth I was applauding a response that somewhere along the road I had learnt was not the norm. My default was to expect rejection. I was giving gratitude and credit for having not been penalised!
As a young woman in the industry, it was in fact other women who told me that to have a baby someday would be “career suicide” and that I simply had to choose to either be a mother or make a success of a music career. I left having a baby until the very last minute in fear of those learnt beliefs being the truth.
So, what does it really look like to try and maintain a career in music and be a mother, for those self-employed emerging signed or unsigned artists? Those who are trying to fund a tour either with children on board (or leaving them behind)? Those trying to get to a studio, leave a studio to get back to relieve child carers? Pay for childcare? Breastfeed or pump at a festival, a gig, or in a music label’s office?
The endless encounters that mothers in the community have shared with me are still hard to stomach
The endless encounters that mothers in the community have shared with me are still hard to stomach. Those that have been dropped by a label or management after news of a pregnancy, being told they wouldn’t fit the bill, “look quite right on stage” or “be able to do the job with a baby bump in tow.”
I know several high-profile mothers in the industry who have felt the need to hide their pregnancy and birth to protect themselves and their contractual agreements. No paternity or shared parental leave for self-employed fathers or same-sex partnerships is having major consequences, and I know far too many mothers who simply have not been able to justify “staying in music.”
Acting as an international hub for mothers, Mamas In Music’s work includes the UK’s first songwriting camp in London for mothers, Mother’s Write (in partnership with Girl Grind UK and We Are The Unheard) a three-day camp bringing writers and producer mothers together. Other key initiatives include monthly virtual and in-person meet-ups with industry speakers and educators, a chance to connect as a community and share challenges, network, and support. Production albums in partnership with BMG and MPath and a recent spotlight series with APM shining a light on key mother artists.
I love that Mamas In Music advocates for the grassroots of this industry. We are grateful to the visible celebrity mothers who are celebratory of their motherhood status, but we also want to make sure we are working hard for the undiscovered talent that may otherwise go under the radar because of out-dated discriminatory systems. We want them to flourish in an equitable industry, for them and their future offspring.
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IQ 128 out now: Take That, Germany, Metal & more
IQ 128, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.
In the June/July issue, Gordon Masson goes behind the scenes of Take That’s This Life on Tour, and Derek Robertson charts the success of Switzerland’s leading promoter Gadget Entertainment as the company turns 30.
Elsewhere, Kerrang‘s Sam Law provides an in-depth report on the metal genre, and Adam Woods investigates one of the most robust music markets in the world – Germany.
Readers can also gain insight into the 2024 festival season, find out where some of the first New Bosses are today, and preview the forthcoming IFF (International Festival Forum).
For this edition’s comments and columns, Mamas in Music founder Mary Leay provides encouragement for mothers working in the music business, while MMF’s Manasvi Dethekar shares five takeaways from the association’s recent workshop in collaboration with Futures Forum.
As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.
However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month or click here to purchase your print copy.
Check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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Strength in numbers: How firms are diversifying the workforce
When the global live music industry began its recovery from two years of lockdowns, many organisations found that their workforce had been significantly depleted. However, as a business that has often been criticised for its lack of diversity, a concerted effort began to try to improve the makeup of the teams of professionals behind the scenes that help artists go on tour and perform at festivals.
Forward-thinking companies and organisations have embraced the concept that a diverse workforce helps deliver a healthier balance sheet, as it better equips operators to cater for artists and fans from all walks of life while acknowledging that different people have different needs, both in the workplace and at live music events.
“Think about the differently abled community or those who are neurodivergent,” poses Lindsay LaBennett, Wasserman Group’s VP of impact and inclusion. “From an employer, they need a space where who they are naturally is accepted and appreciated. So, if you are on the spectrum – say being social takes too much energy out – you should be able to come to work and not have to go to the happy hour, not have to participate, because you do your best work when you aren’t having to be social.”
A 14-year staffer at Wasserman, LaBennett has been working in her DEI role for the past four years, but her interest in inclusive business practices and equity-based initiatives dates back to 2016.
“We have a diverse roster – it’s not cookie-cutter music: we have a mix of people, and we need our staff to reflect that”
“For me, it was the Colin Kaepernick situation that caused an internal shift,” she tells IQ. “I wanted to be part of the solution for Wasserman when it comes to making sure we are advocating for communities and that we are addressing our own inclusivity gaps. I was doing this internally since 2016, but at the end of 2020, I created the role that I’m in now.”
Describing that development as “staff-driven and corporate stamped,” LaBennett recalls that various colleagues were calling for DEI to become a priority. “We had people across our business saying that we needed someone whose role was to focus on it 100% of the time. And our leadership, Casey Wasserman, completely agreed.”
Such employee-driven demand is a common thread among the companies IQ spoke to for this report. “AEG worldwide has made DEI a corporate priority, appointing a DEI director that leads its efforts,” explains Samantha Fernandez, VP of global partnerships at AEG Presents. “However, it has had a number of employee network groups for far longer, which have highlighted and created spaces for various employees.” Those network groups include Pride AEG, of which Fernandez is the executive sponsor.
But it’s not just the multinational corporations that are making moves to improve the makeup of their staff, as Hilary Walsh, general manager at London-based agency Pure Represents, attests. “This is our third year in operation, and we are now a team of 15 people,” she states. “Angus [Baskerville], and his wife, Jodie Harkins, who set the company up, worked very hard on their planning for diversity in the workplace because we have a diverse roster – it’s not cookie-cutter music: we have a mix of people, and we need our staff to reflect that. As a result, we really strived to hire people from different backgrounds, so that when our artists come into our office, they’re able to see a diverse bunch of people who are working on their behalf.”
“Our success is how our fans and how our communities look at us”
She adds, “We’re not just diverse in terms of ethnicity, it’s in ages as well. We have an intern who came to us through Small Green Shoots and she’s brilliant. She’s 22 years old, so she has her finger on the pulse, and she comes at it from a completely different background and train of thought. That diversity in age is something that we actively look for when we recruit, because if we all like the same kind of music, nothing’s going to change.”
Multiple Benefits
Fostering diversity in the workplace doesn’t just help with A&R activities, as the positive impact it can have when dealing with consumers is having a major effect on hiring practices for those sectors that are fan-facing.
Launched in late 2015 with an employee count of just six people, Oak View Group’s impact on the global venues business has been nothing short of seismic, with a current headcount of close to 50,000, “And we’re on our way to 60,000 probably before the end of the year,” says chief people & culture officer, Ann Jackson.
Stressing the importance of having a diverse workforce, Jackson says, “Our success is how our fans and how our communities look at us. We can build buildings or manage buildings or provide services, but if the people think we don’t look like or represent their community, or don’t share the same feel or vibe, that’s not success. So, it’s important to our business model that we can get out there and be very intentional on our hiring process.”
“The language that we use in job postings and adverts has become more crucial than ever”
That sentiment is echoed by others in the venues sector. “We have a really strong local presence in the cities where we operate, with the majority of our staff coming from the immediate area,” says Lee Bayman, ASM Global’s HR director for Europe. “We’re going through a process of building our talent team at the moment, and what I hear in a lot of the interviews is that the candidates are existing customers, which is super positive, especially as I know that our existing employees also continue to be customers at our venues.”
He notes that ASM Global is currently updating its systems and processes to help with recruitment, with DEI being central to those manoeuvres. “There’s a lot of underground work that we need to do, and it’s not glamourous, but it’s essential to provide us with the tools that we need to then go on to the likes of social media to help with our recruitment drives,” he explains.
Elsewhere, Bayman says that advertising in trans publications and Pride magazines is helping broaden the search for new employees. “I don’t think we particularly struggle to get the message out in this industry, as live events are an open door to everyone. But the language that we use in job postings and adverts has become more crucial than ever, as we try to give people a feeling of what the culture is at ASM Global.”
Noting that Pure Represents uses specialist recruitment consultants, Walsh says the company also relies on trade publications to communicate about job vacancies.
“We’re always mining for where else we can find people: What are their locations? What other organisations can we get into partnership with?”
“We will advertise in the usual suspects of IQ Magazine and Music Week to reach a target bunch of people that we know want to work in music. If I put an ad in [the mainstream press], it might not achieve that goal,” says Walsh. “We’ve also had success advertising with Black Lives in Music, but finding all the right avenues is tricky, so we’re always open to hearing about new places where we can connect with a wider target audience.”
Walsh adds, “Being small and independent, we can choose who we work with to reach a diverse target audience. And that’s why working with a company like Small Green Shoots is really beneficial because they came with a whole selection of CVs to choose from.”
Detailing the OVG strategy for finding new staff, Jackson says, “Our head of talent acquisition and our head of DEI work very closely together to make sure that we’re always mining for where else we can find people: What are their locations? What other organisations can we get into partnership with?”
And with the venue conglomerate entering markets in the likes of Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East, education about cultural differences is hot on the agenda for the OVG recruitment teams.
“What really moves the needle is when we have our cis straight allies coming to the table”
“We need to make sure we understand the local culture by trying not to only have an American-centric view of everything,” stresses Jackson. “We try to make sure our Oak View Group values align with the local culture by talking to local people and engaging local HR professionals as well.”
Taking the Middle East as an example, Jackson says, “We need to learn what employee expectations are beyond the employment laws. From an employee experience perspective, we want Oak View Group to be a great thing in the Middle East, with our employees as our ambassadors, so it requires a lot of research and listening to our local partners.”
Education
DEI training is also becoming more important internally at companies working in live entertainment, and numerous specialist consultants and organisations now offer guidance and tuition on aspects such as inclusive language and behaviour.
For her part, Fernandez believes that training needs to start with senior management. “What really moves the needle is when we have our cis straight allies coming to the table,” she tells IQ. “When a boss starts using gender-neutral references to their partner, it really makes a huge difference. That’s started to happen quite a bit at AEG, which has a lot to do with these education programmes, and diversity training – when you highlight it, it really does start to make its way through.”
“Not everyone is a behemoth like Wasserman, but there are small things that we can all do every day to be more equitable”
Externally, Fernandez reports that AEG has developed a long-standing relationship with the LGBTQ Center. “Our ‘Pride at AEG’ group has spent time there in various ways, including a recent career session where we brought folks from all divisions of AEG to a moderated panel where young people were able to fire questions at us. The idea was to give them an idea of the various roles that exist in entertainment. I oversee brand partnerships – a job I didn’t know existed when I was younger. So we need to tell young people that there are careers out there for them.”
That scenario also rings true for Walsh. “Growing up, I never knew there were jobs like a music agent or a lighting designer. It would be amazing if we got to a place where career guidance at schools might involve real live examples of people speaking to the pupils: ‘I am an agent, and this is what an agent does.’ If we were able to engage with high-school-aged people, that’s where we could find the most diverse array of potential new recruits.”
In terms of outreach, LaBennett tells IQ that Wasserman Group has historic relationships with Black colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions. “We partner with them with the intention of bringing our expertise to the students, because having people [from the industry] visit college campuses is so much more meaningful than just reading books or listening to lectures or podcasts.”
But she is cognisant that the resources of the corporate world should be used to help the wider sports and entertainment sectors. “We’re aware that a lot of smaller companies don’t have the resources or budget, but we want to educate them and say, ‘Don’t let those be hurdles to being equitable.’ Not everyone is a behemoth like Wasserman, but there are small things that we can all do every day to be more equitable.”
“Our main focus is creating safe spaces for the LGBTIQ+ community to connect with each other”
Under the Microscope
With Pride month events filling the calendar over the next few weeks, companies operating in the live entertainment sector are acutely aware that the makeup of their workforce is being scrutinised by event attendees and the talent who entertain them.
Detailing some of AEG’s Pride initiatives, Fernandez says, “Our main focus is creating safe spaces for the LGBTIQ+ community to connect with each other – and that also goes for our LGBTIQ+ staff and allies.
“AEG is an official sponsor of LA Pride, and we have a quite a large presence there. And then we do various internal events throughout the year. Last year, for instance, we screened a documentary by the Trevor Project and had a Q&A afterwards.”
However, noting that it can be difficult for some people to talk about their identity, Fernandez observes, “It’s not often that you’ll interview somebody and they’ll say, ‘Hi, I’m part of the LGBTIQ+ community.’ That’s a really interesting challenge – how to ensure we are casting a wide net when it comes to hiring, as it relates to the LGBTIQ+ community, but still wanting to protect people’s identity if they want it protected.”
“I think folks are expecting some kind of sort of visible commitment to diversity”
When it comes to recruitment, ASM’s Bayman observes that job candidates are more assertive than ever, asking probing questions of HR professionals in terms of DEI policies, sustainability, and staff support structures.
“It’s important to use the recruitment process to help people understand what your company culture is, but you also need to be prepared to be transparent and honest about what their role might be, both when it’s crazily busy and when it’s a quiet day, otherwise people start working for you and the reality is nowhere near what they might have expected,” he says.
Homing in on the kinds of proactive elements that can entice people from all walks of life to consider live music as a career path, Fernandez says, “I can speak mostly to the LGBTIQ+ community, of which I am a part. I think folks are expecting some kind of sort of visible commitment to diversity, both in the events that we do and the lineups that we book.
“There was a lot of press that came out of Coachella this year about the number of female queer artists, which was amazing to see. For our employee base, those kinds of things bring us a lot of, for lack of a better word, pride.”
“In the time that I’ve been at AEG, the leave policy for a non-carrying parent, and for a carrying parent more than tripled in both cases”
Fernandez applauds her employer for listening and reacting to the needs of staff. “In the time that I’ve been at AEG, the leave policy for a non-carrying parent, and for a carrying parent more than tripled in both cases. For somebody who is in a same-sex partnership, and who has both carried children and been a non-carrying parent, it really made a huge difference for our family.”
At Wasserman, LaBennett comments, “In my experience, what people need from their employer is to be able to show up authentically and to have a space where they feel a sense of belonging – they want to see other people that look like them. Imagine having a disability and when you come to work you see someone else with that same disability: there’s an instant connection and instant community. Whether you are Black, Hispanic, Asian, part of the queer community, you want to see people who are walking your walk.”
Results
While endeavouring to build truly diverse teams is crucial to 21st-century commerce, establishing protocols to measure company progress can be a difficult proposition.
“We do employee testimonials to ask how they feel about new things we implement. So we’ll check-in with people three months down the line to gauge opinions as a kind of measure,” says Jackson of some of OVG’s efforts to track DEI results.
“At the end of the day, if we’re not making a difference, what are we doing?”
“We attach it to competencies within our performance management. Have we seen an increase in our hiring? Have we seen diversity improvement among suppliers coming to work at OVG? So, where we have data, we collect it to figure out ‘is this good enough for us?’ To be honest, so far, it’s not, but we’re giving ourselves grace because we know that we are committed to it.”
Fernandez notes that AEG carries out attitude-based surveys, quizzing staff if they feel connected to the work environment and if they feel their identity is being celebrated. Meanwhile, the company’s DEI and HR teams calculate changes in workforce demographics on an annual basis.
For a smaller company like Pure Represents, results are easier to assess. “We just need to look around the office to see the results,” says Walsh. “We heavily promote inclusion as one of Pure’s fundamental principles. So, when we have A&R meetings, for example, we invite marketing, we invite the intern, and everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts on the artists that we’re talking about. You can do that when you’re 15 people. If you’re in an office of 200 people, you may have less of a voice.”
Agreeing on the importance of monitoring progression in building diverse teams, LaBennett says, “We’re constantly challenging ourselves to come up with creative [key performance indicators] and metrics because, at the end of the day, if we’re not making a difference, what are we doing?”
“In order to get your bonus or to get promoted, there’s a DEI behaviour that we’re looking for”
One Wasserman-related yardstick she points to involves its college music business programme. “It boils down to whether we are able to hire the students: Did they secure an internship? After they secured an internship, were they offered full-time employment? If we’re able to say Wasserman hired eight interns, and of those eight, four of them are returning and two of them are getting full-time jobs, that’s a metric that matters.”
Indeed, in a move designed to ensure that those results continue to improve, Wasserman has integrated DEI participation into every employee’s performance review. “In order to get your bonus or to get promoted, there’s a DEI behaviour that we’re looking for,” explains LaBennett.
“That might be something as simple as working with a Black-owned caterer when you’re hosting an event. Or if you are going to go speak to college students, making sure you include people that are neurodivergent. There has to be some sort of element of your work that is equitable and inclusive.”
Challenges
While real strides are being taken across the live music entertainment business to fill vacancies with individuals from marginalised groups, the task facing recruiters is not without its difficulties.
OVG’s Jackson comments, “Underrepresented people, whatever group they’re part of, want to be valued. It’s our task to understand what is important to them, whether it’s through their culture or religion or whatever group they’re part of, and we need to show a value to that, rather than discount them or being deaf to them.
“This industry has historically been led by white males – and it still is – but the employees we’re hiring now need to be given the confidence that [they] will one day be the industry’s leaders. We want them to be leaders in 15, 20 years, and we will try to put things in place to let them see that we’re supporting that for real and that they have a long-term home here.”
“Being able to stick with it is crucial, because results are not immediate”
Considering career progression, LaBennett flags up staff retention as an ongoing battle. “It’s hugely important because career growth usually comes when you’ve been here for a while, then you get elevated to senior director or vice president. But, if we’re not able to retain that talent in the first place, that’s going to negatively impact our diversity ambitions.”
LaBennett also highlights empathy fatigue as a real challenge in the drive to embrace DEI initiatives. “In 2020, the world was revved up about the need to be more equitable and the need to help certain communities,” she recalls.
“Basically, we’re talking about biases – race and gender and sexuality and religion in the workplace – and 15 years ago, we weren’t doing that. Matter of fact, we were consciously staying away from it.
“Being able to stick with it is crucial, because results are not immediate. With DEI work, we’re sowing seeds and then we’re watering the seeds and then getting the sun to come in. But we won’t bear that fruit anytime soon.”
Work in (Good) Progress
As companies throughout the sector meet potential new employees who fully expect favourable DEI terms – often before they even agree to attending a job interview, those key policies are becoming essential throughout the industry, as suppliers and contractors are also being urged to step up their game.
“The bottom line is the more diverse a team you have, the more diverse the clients you’re going to attract”
“We have, like, a very robust supplier diversity programme here in the States,” Oakview Group’s Jackson reveals. “We gather data on suppliers, we measure that, and we set goals on how we want to grow, year over year.”
Pure’s Walsh observes, “At interview level, we find that potential employees often have read the ‘people and planet’ section on our website, where we outline our policies on diversity and sustainability. They also take a keen interest in our links to Earth Percent, Small Green Shoots and Black Lives in Music, the interviewee looks at the company holistically and its culture – it’s no longer just about the salary offered.”
LaBennett states, “The bottom line is the more diverse a team you have, the more diverse the clients you’re going to attract. If you go to a music festival right now, you’re not seeing one kind of person: you’re seeing a myriad of people from different backgrounds. If we aren’t recog- nising that those are the ultimate people that our artists are trying to reach, then we’re failing.”
Walsh concludes, “Every day is a school day – there’s constantly new challenges, and what worked last week might no longer work this week. But so long as everyone is open to that, and open to learning, then I think we’re going in the right direction.”
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LGBTIQ+ List 2024: Ary Maudit, Strongroom
The LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – IQ Magazine’s fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.
The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s fourth Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.
Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day, starting with Ary Maudit (they/them), a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer at Strongroom Studio/Saffron Records in the UK.
Ary Maudit is a non-binary multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer who crafted their ears both in live and studio environments. Their mission is to empower trans, non-binary, women and gender-diverse artists inspired by the motivation of making the music industry a more inclusive place.
Starting in venues, and warehouses across east and south London – including the O2 Kentish Town Forum, E1 and Printworks – Ary landed at Strongroom Studio in 2021, accumulating credits on records from Sault, Yungblud, Tom Chaplin, Declan McKenna, Erland Cooper and more. At the same time, they toured as a FOH for Picture Parlour, Art School Girlfriend, and PECQ. When not in the studio, Ary is a sound mentor for Saffron and an active motorcycle rider, supporting Sapphic Ryders LMCC.
Tell us about the professional feat you’re most proud of in 2024 so far.
The year has just started and I feel like my best feat is yet to come. I definitely enjoyed kicking off the year on the road with Picture Parlour across UK and Europe. Great fun, I love them and I know they will go far. I am so grateful I get to be involved in the process.
What’s your most pressing challenge in the industry at the moment?
The music industry has many pressing challenges right now, mostly linked to the lack of funds and the overflowing of privilege. It is hard to identify the most pressing one as it might vary from profession to profession. Definitely, artists would benefit from less pressure in content creation and more value in their music, and music industry partitioners in more visibility and better pay.
“I found so many people who empowered me towards my career but struggled with affirming my professionality beyond my identity”
What would you like people to know about your experience as a trans person in the sound community (both live and recorded)?
That there are good people out there and good spaces. My personal experience so far has been a mixture of ups and downs. I found so many people who empowered me towards my career but also struggled with affirming my professionality beyond my identity. Especially touring, which involves very short turnaround times, rarely offers the opportunity of having ‘the conversation’ and it ends up being a parade of misgendering. To all the people approaching the industry at this very moment, I’d like to say to never stop speaking up for themselves and believing in their skills, even if sometimes they are not the person that everyone is expecting to be in charge behind the desk.
Why do you offer mentorship and reduced-priced/free sessions to LGBTQI+, BIPOC and minority people?
To make education more accessible to an unprivileged demographic, and re-qualify tech and educational spaces. I believe ‘what you can see, you can be’. At the beginning of my career, I struggled to find a mentor from my same background/gender identity/sexuality. Having someone like you who can not only teach technical concepts but help you navigate the industry understanding the nuances related to your identity, makes a big difference. So I’m not just interested in fostering diversity in sound, I would also like to offer others what I lacked.
“Often companies are more interested in ticking the inclusivity box rather than actively listening and making structural changes”
How do you see the live music business developing in the next few years?
On a general level, I feel it’s a tough time due to Brexit and the overall recession the UK is going through. Touring is getting harder and harder due to prices and artists are forced to make cuts in every corner to only break even most of the time. I can definitely see a total reshaping of old ways of doing things to give space to a more free and independent, DIY market. Hopefully, that will mean more opportunities to see queer artists at the top, which consequently will mean more inclusive crews.
Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
Take effective action. Many people are advocating for change and inclusion in different areas of the music industry, from live to studio. Although, often companies are more interested in ticking the inclusivity box rather than actively listening and making structural changes. The industry, all together, should actively work to make structural changes – from hiring processes to inclusion policies. It is a painful one as it requires dismantling old dynamics that have been in place for decades. Re-educating people who have been working in the industry for many years alongside pushing minorities to the higher grounds would ease this process. It is becoming more common nowadays to see women/non binary/trans and gender-diverse industry professionals at entry-level positions but there is some work to do in the higher grounds.
“I rarely go out nowadays as I am very busy with work, but Unfold is the only party I haven’t given up yet”
Shout out to your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Jake Murray, director of Strongroom Studios. He did and does to this day whatever is in his power to make inclusivity and equality part of his ethos. It is vital to have people like him in the industry who give equal opportunities to all.
What’s your favourite queer space?
Fold, without a shadow of a doubt. For those who don’t know, it is a community-driven nightclub and art space in Canning Town, London. It’s predominantly attended by queer people and they bring the best current electronic music/techno DJs and performers. They run an event called Unfold every first and third Sunday of every month which is uber trans/queer. I rarely go out nowadays as I am very busy with work, but Unfold is the only party I haven’t given up yet.
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Coming out: IQ’s Pride Takeover edition arrives
IQ 127, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.
The May/June 2024 issue marks the fourth annual Pride takeover edition, supported again by Ticketmaster.
At the forefront of the issue is the LGBTIQ+ List, announced yesterday, which profiles 20 queer pioneers making an impact in the international live music business and beyond.
Issue 127 also sees the return of the Loud & Proud playlist and feature, in which our agency partners spotlight 12 queer stars to note.
Elsewhere, Pride editor Lisa Henderson profiles LGBTIQ+ List finalist and ASM Global heavyweight Anna Sjölund, charting the trajectory of her 25 years in the business.
Meanwhile, Gordon Masson talks to executives about putting diversity, equality and inclusion strategies into practice in the live music industry.
For this edition’s columns and comments, Zoe Maras shares her experience of being asexual in the industry and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 details the ramifications of proposed anti-drag and LGBTIQ+ legislation in the United States.
Beyond the Pride-specific content, DJ Mag editor Carl Loben examines the trends shaping the global electronic music scene and Adam Woods visits some of the diverse territories that make up the vibrant, ever-expanding Latin American tour circuit.
As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.
However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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LGBTIQ+ List 2024: This year’s queer pioneers unveiled
IQ Magazine has revealed the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – the fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.
The list is once again the centrepiece of IQ’s annual Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.
The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee – are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.
The fourth instalment comprises agents, promoters, venue directors, bookers, consultants, sustainability experts, talent buyers, managers and sound engineers from across the world.
In alphabetical order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 is:
Anna Sjölund, EU programming director, ASM Global (SE)
Ary Maudit, sound engineer/producer, RAK Studios/Strongroom/Saffron Records (UK)
Buğra Davaslıgıl, senior talent buyer, Charmenko (TR)
Caterina Conti, operations manager, 432 Presents (UK)
Chris May, general manager, BC Place Stadium (CA)
Dustin Turner, music marketing agent, music touring, CAA (US)
Emma Davis, general manager/agent, One Fiinix Live (UK)
Gwen Iffland, senior marketing & PR manager, Wizard Live (DE)
Jason Brotman, founder, Five Senses Reeling (US)
Joona Juutilainen, Booking Assistant, Fullsteam Agency (FI)
Luke Mulligan, director, Circa 41 (AU)
Paul Lomas, booker, WME (UK)
Pembe Tokluhan, production/founder/diversity consultant, Petok Productions (UK)
Priscilla Nagashima, VP of engineering, DICE (UK)
Rhys France, corporate & private events booker, CAA (UK)
Rivca Burns, acting head of music, Factory International (UK)
Ross Patel, green impact consultant & board member, LIVE/MMF (UK)
Sam Oldham, venue director, The O2 (UK)
Sam Booth, director of sustainability, AEG Europe (UK)
Zoe Maras, founder & artist services, Joyride Agency (NZ)
Throughout Pride Month (June), IQ will be publishing full-length interviews with each person on the LGBTIQ+ List 2024.
However, subscribers can read the full Pride edition now. Click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or see what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.
Check out previous Pride lists from 2023, 2022 and 2021.
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Deezer strengthens support for French festivals
Streaming platform Deezer has pledged its “renewed and strengthened support” to French music festivals this summer under its “Live the Music” banner.
The Paris-headquartered company will continue to work with events such as We Love Green, Garorock, Eurockéennes, Vieilles Charrues, Rock en Seine, Rose Festival, Delta Festival and Golden Coast to curate “unique and immersive” festival experiences.
Promotions include the live version of its “Shaker” feature, which turns a collaborative playlist into a mini-festival with an exclusive dance floor and customised merch, and live music and party series Purple Door, where fans experience their favourite artists in an intimate and exclusive setting.
The streaming service also regularly brings its award-winning Giant Karaoke, after-parties and unique fan activations to events at Paris La Défense Arena, as well as organising exclusive concert series Deezer Sessions Live.
“We’re excited to be back this summer season to create even more unforgettable shared moments”
“Deezer is proud to support festivals in France,” says Deezer CMO Maria Garrido. “We strongly feel that festivals are social and cultural experiences in their own right, uniting fans through live music experiences and creating a sense of belonging.
“For years, we have been committed to offering festival-goers unique and immersive experiences, connecting them in new ways with their favourite artists and with other fans. We’re excited to be back this summer season to create even more unforgettable shared moments.”
The reinforced commitment comes after rival platform Spotify said last December that it was withdrawing its financial support from two French festivals in response to a new tax imposed on streaming services in the country. The so-called “streaming tax” was announced by president Emmanuel Macron’s government following “several months of consultation”, and will require subscription streaming platforms to make a contribution of 1.2% of their turnover in France.
The tax will directly finance France’s National Music Center (CNM), which was created in 2020 to support the wider music industry. Platforms that turnover less than €20 million a year will be exempt. However, Spotify said it would no longer support the Francofolies de La Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges festivals as a result of the proposal.
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UK gov rejects Misogyny in Music recommendations
The UK government has rejected the recommendations made in the Misogyny In Music report, conducted by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC).
Published in January, the report demanded urgent action to tackle “endemic” misogyny and discrimination in the UK music industry.
The document described the business as a “boys’ club” where sexual harassment and abuse are common, and the non-reporting of such incidents is high. It adds that victims who do speak out either struggle to be believed or may find their career ends as a consequence.
Limitations in opportunity, a lack of support and persistent unequal pay are also encountered by women, the report found. These issues are intensified for women facing intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination.
The WEC followed the report with “a series of strong and wide-ranging recommendations” and urged ministers to take legislative steps to amend the Equality Act.
In response, the government said it is “clear that everyone should be able to work in the music industry without being subject to misogyny and discrimination” but stopped short of accepting the recommendations. A number of industry bodies have expressed their disappointment at the response and urged the government to rethink its position.
“We are shocked that the select committee’s recommendations have been rejected in this way”
“The MU are deeply disappointed in the government’s response to the Misogyny In Music report and shocked that the select committee’s recommendations have been rejected in this way,” says Musicians’ Union general secretary Naomi Pohl.
“Women from across the music industry have bravely shared their experiences of misogyny, sexual harassment and abuse as well as other very real barriers they face whilst working in the industry,” she continued. “The government had an opportunity to listen and learn from those lived experiences and implement the changes that the select committee’s report recommended. Instead, the government decided that women’s safety is not a priority. Again, survivors are not being listened to.”
“The Equality Act is out of date and does not reflect how people see themselves or how they work, it needs updating as a matter of urgency. The industry needs increased funding to support targeted action to improve diversity and an improved legislative framework that reflects the way musicians work. The government has committed to neither.”
“We urge the government to rethink its position and implement the recommendations from the report,” she concluded.
The chief executive of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) Deborah Annetts adds: “The Misogyny in Music report should have been a moment of immediate and lasting change for the music industry. The report laid bare the incredibly serious problems the sector has and the entirely reasonable steps government should take the rectify them.
“For the government to choose not to make music safer for women is painfully disappointing, if sadly not surprising. The brilliant women who make our music industry what it is deserve better.”
“The Misogyny in Music report should have been a moment of immediate and lasting change for the music industry”
Meanwhile, Safe Gigs For Women comments: “We are saddened to read that this government has rejected the Misogyny in Music report published in January by the Women and Equalities Committee. Sexual violence changes lives – inaction is inexcusable.”
The committee’s recommendations included taking legislative steps to amend the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees and bring into force section 14 to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.
It also recommends the government should legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties – a proposal the government initially supported and then rejected last year – and says it should urgently bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination.
The WEC report adds that the establishment of a single, recognisable body – the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) – will help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry and may reduce the risk of further harm. However, it advises that it is “not a panacea for all of the problems in the industry” and “time will tell whether it has the powers required to drive the changes needed”.
The Misogyny in Music report was discussed by key figures in the industry during ILMC 36. See key takeaways here.
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