There has always been a lot of crossover between the worlds of sport and music.
When it comes to the fight against racism and boosting diversity and inclusion, some of our leading role models in bringing about positive change are music or sports stars. However, the various crossovers between sport, diverse communities ended in a toxic mess when it comes to Yorkshire County Cricket Club which now faces allegations of ‘institutional racism.’
‘A Venn diagram of stupidity,’ was the blunt conclusion from Julian Knight, the chair of Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, on Yorkshire’s handling of the racism scandal that engulfed the club following the racism allegations made by whistle blower Azeem Rafiq.
'A key tool in the fight to boost diversity in the music industry has been our determination to seek the evidence to identify where changes are needed.'
This is a scandal that is not going away — not least because it will resonate with some many people from ethnically diverse backgrounds in the worlds of sport, the arts and elsewhere. They know that Azeem Rafiq’s experience is far from unique, and that many of them are being denied the chance to reach their full potential. However, I believe both arts and sports can learn from each other’s mistakes. We can all improve the ways they tackle racism, as well as boost diversity and inclusion. I hope that the world of cricket and sport can learn something from the work we have been doing in recent years in the music industry.
UK Music is the collective voice of the UK music industry and as the chair of its Diversity Taskforce, I have been working to try to make the music industry a beacon of excellence when it comes to rooting out racism and making our industry as inclusive as possible.
Yorkshire faces the prospect of a humiliating but vital corporate reset as it tries to build bridges with groups ranging from the local Asian community to its fans and sponsors in the wake of its appalling treatment of Azeem. However, it should not have to be that way if organisations take action to move the dial and ensure they are truly representative of wider society and take a transparent approach to their work on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Since I became chair of the Taskforce, I've been fortunate enough to help in selecting a playlist of practical initiatives that make up UK Music’s current push for greater fairness in the industry. This playlist contains all the big anthems — diversity, inclusion, equity, accountability, fairness. As everyone knows, these are slow burners, not overnight sensations, and will take time to deliver the results we all want. However, we do already have a few real hits to report when it comes to driving real progress over the past year. To deliver radical and tangible change, we worked with stakeholders across the music industry to draw up our Ten-Point Plan which was published last October.
'I have been working to try to make the music industry a beacon of excellence when it comes to rooting out racism and making our industry as inclusive as possible.'
Just over a year on, that Plan is properly embedded and has become the music industry’s template for transparent action on equality, diversity and inclusion. Our Ten-Point Plan makes clear how we aim to bring about positive changes and who is accountable for tackling inequity in the music industry. Crucially, it also offers routes to support and advice and has a sharp focus on working together.
A key tool in the fight to boost diversity in the music industry has been our determination to seek the evidence to identify where changes are needed. Our bi-annual diversity survey provides regular hard data that ensures industry leaders can see the impact of the decisions they make — for better or worse.
Metrics are important because they provide the technical hard stop that is essential to discover what is really happening, especially at board level and among senior management teams. However, evidence is not everything. I strongly believe that data is a technical, not an ethical, tool.
Data can help us gain an understanding of why exclusion is still happening in so many workplaces, but despite what everyone says, knowledge isn’t power. To make change happen — and to harness the potential for creative and economic growth carried by those who are currently locked out of decision-making roles — we need to take action to bridge the gap.
'Our drive to change the music industry is still a work in progress, but I hope our experiences will help others in their journey to helping create more diverse, inclusive and welcoming workplaces.'
The pay gaps on ethnicity and gender are clear from the evidence that we and others have collected. But there is also a gap between where we are now and where we need to be tomorrow. We need to work together, not just in the music industry but right across sport and the arts, to close that gap.
From the boardroom to the green room, organisations such as the Black Music Coalition, Black Lives in Music, PRS Foundation’s Power Up, Action for Diversity and Development and Women in CTRL have all set people talking about the work we still need to do.
We hope that the incremental changes that the UK Music Diversity Taskforce continues to make will cascade down right across the music industry. We are trying to be honest and transparent about how we look and behave as an industry. Where we identify that more change is needed, we are working together and striving to make those improvements. We are drawing a Venn diagram of honesty and best practice which we hope others will follow.
It is only by listening to and including more diverse voices will we be able to shatter the glass ceilings and tear down the internal barriers which are holding back our attempts to better those who love the music we make.
