Music festivals and conferences around the world are pledging to achieve a 50/50 gender balance in lineups by 2022. It’s an effort backed by the PRS Foundation as part of its Keychange initiative, which supports various projects that seek to address the gender gap in the music industry — both on and off stage.
Last year, a number of festivals made the commitment including Reeperbahn (Germany), BIME (Spain), Iceland Airwaves, Way Out West (Sweden), Musikcentrum Sweden, Tallinn Music Week (Estonia), MUTEK (Canada) and The Great Escape (UK). Now, that number has reached 45.
The male dominated nature of music festivals and music conferences has become more vocally criticized, sometimes scrutinized in recent years. According to the PRS Foundation, promoting a 50/50 gender balance is only part of the process — which will ideally promote more diverse lineups across the board. 
PRS Foundation chief Vanessa Reid says:
Our focus on gender equality in 2018 aligns with the centenary for some women being given the vote in the UK. 100 years on, the push for gender parity across society continues and with increased public awareness of inequalities across the creative industries we have an opportunity to respond and commit to tangible change in music
The Keychange network of female artists and industry professionals and the festival partners’ idea of establishing a collective pledge will significantly accelerate change. I hope that this will be the start of a more balanced industry which will result in benefits for everyone.
Learn more about PRS Foundation’s International Keychange initiative and see the full list of pledges here.
Photo via Rukes.com
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