To mark International Women’s Day, creative music charity, Brighter Sound have today launched a new manifesto for gender equality in music.
Describing the manifesto as the ‘culmination of five years' work’ on the ‘Both Sides Now Programme’, the charity aims to create long-lasting change around the roles, representation and recognition of women and people of marginalised genders in music.
Broken into five individual areas, the manifesto pays attention to Education, Talent Development, Live Music, Leadership, and Parents and Carers.
An open letter has also been launched, with signees including Bridget Whyte (CEO, Music Mark), Jeremy Pritchard (Everything Everything), Becky Ayres (Sound City), Oli Wilson (Beyond the Music), Anna Meredith (Composer/ producer), Matt Griffiths (Youth Music), Jeff Glozier (Sound Diplomacy) and Estée Blu (musician/singer songwriter).
Debra King, Director of Brighter Sound, says: ‘As an organisation at the forefront of gender equality through ‘Both Sides Now’, we’ve seen significant positive action in the music industry over the last five years, when it comes to representation and equality. However, countless barriers persist for many marginalised people, making it harder to get the support and access they need. With the launch of our crowd-sourced manifesto, we want to pave the way for measurable and impactful change that enables future and current talent from all backgrounds to feel safe, visible and included.’
The manifesto launch, called ‘All Things Equal’ takes place at Depot Mayfield in Manchester today, from 7pm until late. It will be co-produced with queer-led production team and international festival, Submerge. There will be a custom-made large-scale and immersive audio-visual installation by Rebecca Smith (Urban Projections), with a custom soundtrack by ‘genre-splicing genius of British electronic music’ Loraine James and spoken word from Princess Arinola Adegbite.
Rebecca spoke about the work: ‘This piece represents a shift in equilibrium. There is an acute sense of tension and harmony which is felt throughout, from beautifully transcendent moments of calm and reflection, to chaotic and sometimes disorientating mechanical swells. The piece tries to jostle with the journey of re-balancing and making things equal.’
Loraine James added: ‘This was such a unique opportunity to explore music in a different context and develop ideas alongside a visual artist, I’m so excited to see how they work together.’
