FORWARD Magazine by Leaharen Russo

F OR W A R D . a magazine of future sounds

May Special Issue

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Welcome to FORWARD Magazine

Editor: Leaharen Russo

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Welcome to this special issue of FORWARD magazine. This month weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re celebrating the women that run our Music Industry and the work they do. We take a look at the positives and talk to the women at the forefront and behind the scenes doing amazing work.

From organising an inner city music festival in Manchester, or campaigning against sexual harassment at gigs to being the online gal at an independent record label. We delve into all corners of the industry! Read, learn and be inspired!

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S N T E N T O

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4 Girls Against 24 10 Women In Music: 11 Laura Martin 12 Katherine Cantwell 16 Danni Brownsill 17 Olivia Hobbs 19 Caffy St Luce

Photo: Phoebe Fox

20 Hattie Pearson 24 30

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When In Manchester Men Talk ----------------

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6 9 INHEAVEN 26 WALL 27 Eat Grandma 28 Black Honey 32

The Big Moon Shura

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F E A T U R E S

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33 35 40

Introducing

Albums Live

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For Display Purpose Only

Man Made - TV Broke My Brain Debut Album

Out Now

Girls Against: Combating Against Sexual Harassment at Gigs In October 2015, five young women got together to create something extraordinary. Having all experienced groping at gigs, enough was enough, and so they set up Girls Against – combating against sexual harassment at gigs. After being touched inappropriately whilst at a Peace gig in Glasgow, 17-year-old Hannah Camilleri set the group along with four other friends who have shared the same experiences to try and raise awareness; to get people and musicians to talk about the growing issue. After texting a friend warning her of what had happened, she took to Twitter to raise awareness. After catching wind of the situation, Peace frontman Harrison Koisser took to the social media platform to tweet: ‘’If this happens at a Peace show tell me or security ASAP. If you think this is ok then please I beg you do not come’’ With the right support from the likes of Drenge, Slaves and Wolf Alice to name a few, Girls Against have successfully found themselves promoting the campaign across social media whilst continuing to do their A-levels too. Superstars! By offering their support, the group has received thousands of messages from individuals sharing their experiences in the hopes that this widespread problem is taken seriously. Girls Against have reached out to music venues and venue security to gain more support. By venues putting up posters to security companies training staff to have a better understanding of the issue, this problem can be tackled one step at a time. If someone feels uncomfortable or in a vulnerable position, they should feel confidant enough to approach security or venue staff to raise the problem.

Pictured: Girls Against In 2016, no one should have to suffer from any form of harassment at an event they’ve gone to enjoy. It’s with thanks to organisations like Girls Against that this issue is being tackled head on, whether that is sharing an experience with them, talking about it with friends or simply showing your support by wearing one of their badges (which you can get from their website). The five teenagers have recently set up a representative scheme, for young girls across the UK to represent the campaign and help spread the

‘‘

As we approach UK music festival season, we’re disappointed with the lack of diversity within line ups... It’s a symptom of a bigger, industry-wide problem, which we’re desperate to highlight and tackle!

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You can keep up to date with the campaign via Twitter: @girlsagainst

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Regular blogger for Girls Against, Libby Mayfield, talks about the importance of the campaign and what it means to her.. ‘‘I saw on the Girl’s Against Twitter page that they were looking for people to write blog posts for them on social issues. Most activism platforms that have more than a few thousand followers require you to have refined skills when it comes to discussing social problems, and as a first year journalism student I didn’t generally have the confidence to pitch to that level of publication. With Girls Against, it felt much closer to being a place I could tackle smaller issues individually - my first post was on how to get more women into performing music, whereas I think other publications would have asked for a broader topic covered in the same level of detail. Girl Against felt like a safe community where I could speak out about issues that affected a lot of people, but that I sure most people would have felt too insignificant to talk about on their own. I wanted to bring to light the things usually brushed under the carpet.’’

Where do you see the future heading for Girls Against? ----------------------------‘‘Girl Against have recently introduced their reps scheme (no, I haven't applied due to not having enough time) and whilst the group are currently working up a big online movement, I think it's important that this momentum is transferred to real life gig venues and music festivals. I worry some people think we're just a bunch of over-sensitive teenage girls online, mostly people who haven't experienced or perhaps don't understand harassment at gigs, but it's so much more than that - it's about vulnerable demographics of all ages and genders feeling unsafe in a place where they should feel secure.

How important the cause is to you? ----------------------------‘‘Since I was 15 I’ve frequently attended gigs on my own or with girls my age, either way leaving me in a vulnerable position. Though nowadays I’m generally able to scare off - much like you might a pigeon men at gigs who make me feel uncomfortable, I wasn’t always and I know a lot of girls aren’t either.

I think the next step is to spread the message by word of mouth, have all gig venues implement some level of protection, be that CCTV or security with no tolerance to harassment policy, and have security better informed on what harassment is taking place and, as I think might sometimes be happening, not let security brush off attacks as someone over reacting.’’

Gigs can often be the only time fans get to see their inspirations - albeit from a distance - and that shouldn’t be a privilege handed exclusively to men because women feel too uncomfortable in the situation, or are even scared to go to venues. Girls Against is part of a movement towards creating a music scene where a younger me would have felt safe.’’

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The Big Moon 2016 has certainly been very kind to the London quartet - signing to Fiction Records and supporting the likes of The Vaccines and label pals, The Maccabees on their UK tours. After appearing out of nowhere in April last year, Juliette, Fern, Soph and Celia have pretty much established themselves as the UK’s most exciting new band. The girls have been busy since the release of their first recordings, seeing huge success from Eureka Moment & Sucker.

The girls have already been selling out shows across the UK, really honing their sound and creating a real buzz around the indie scene. The coolest new girl band around? I think so. The Londoner’s see the release of their latest single ‘Cupid’ on the 13th May to coincide with their signing to Fiction Records last month. Cupid is everything you expect from The Big Moon and more.

Packing a punch with exuberant energy, the track oozes 90’s raucousness, teamed with tight harmonies and a typically infectious, chorus fronted by lead singer Juliette’s effortlessly cool swagger. If there is one to be certain of, we’re definitely not going to tire of the girls this summer, with a number of festival appearances under their belt - things can only get better for The Big Moon.

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SHURA After the success of her first official release, the White Light EP last summer. Half-British, half-Russian Aleksandra Lilah Yakunina-Denton (Shura) has announced the release of her debut album ’Nothing’s Real’ out the 8th July via Polydor Records. The BBC Sound of 2015 synthpop nominee has recently revealed the new version of her breakout track ‘Touch’, which features Talib Kweli on additional verses. It’s also definitely worth checking out the Four Tet Remix, which is available to listen to now. You can catch Shura all over the festival circuit this summer including Liverpool Sound City, Primavera Sound, Secret Garden Party, and End of The Road later this year.

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N E M O W In M U S I C

live in a world where sexism, misogyny, discrimination, ageism, racism, homophobia and much more, still unfortunately exist. As we take a closer look into the music industry, the problem is still very much alive and kicking. The music industry is known for its objectification and everyday sexism; a daily routine for some women. This is an issue that unfortunately, get’s brushed under the carpet and never spoken about again. However, in the past year or so, women (and men) have begun to call out this issue and there seems to be a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. This is where we give a round of applause to the Internet. Social Media has given women from across the globe an opportunity for their voices to be heard. An issue, once silenced, can now use the modern worlds most powerful platform to make a monumental change.

‘‘ I

think we’re getting closer to it in every industry, but we have to continue to lead by example to make sure the changes are felt everywhere

In this special feature, Leaharen Russo speaks to the women running our industry, discovering what they do on a day-to-day basis - From the senior marketing manager at Fiction Records to being the former press officer for Radiohead. Learning about each of the following individuals experiences is something to be inspired by, and that really, the industry needs more women like them running it. Hopefully those women will be us one day. So if you’re thinking of pursuing a career in the music industry, then I suggest you continue reading as there is some pretty special advice in there for all you aspiring women out there. by Leaharen Russo

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Laura Martin Real Life PR ----------------------------

We managed to persuade some tiny labels and bands to use us - I remember going through the front of magazines to find contact details, emailing journalists and calling them up about my bands, reading obsessively so I learnt which journalist likes what kind of music. A lot of hard work and long hours meant we got some good results - features and reviews in magazines for our clients. More labels heard about us and some bigger ones asked us to work with their new acts. So the company grew and grew. Each time we made money we’d hire someone new to the team with a different skill. This went on and on, because we were very good Have you faced any difficulties during your time?

Laura Martin with Foals

Can you tell me about the background of Real Life PR? RLPR is a new boutique PR company I set up 3 years ago. It represents credible musicians, credible events, and brands who are operating or want to operate in the music space. Prior to running this business, I set up and ran Anorak PR (for a decade) which was the UK’s leading independent PR company with divisions in press, How did you get to where you are and what made you choose to do the things that got you to where you are now? I studied journalism at University of Westminster. I loved reading magazines and enjoyed writing. At University I did work experience for a dance music magazine I loved (now closed). I did all the boring administrative jobs very well and with enthusiasm, made lots of tea for people with a smile, and after three months they offered me a job as editorial assistant. At the magazine I grew to understand what a PR is - they would ring the office all the time. When the magazine closed, I decided to try working for a record label doing PR using some of the same skills, writing press releases, pitching stories. I did this for a short while, then decided (with two friends) to set up a PR company of our own. We had £5k investment which is not a lot in the world of business, and slowly built it up from nothing.

Many! Lots of staffing problems on the business side. You train people up to be good PRs then the major labels sweep in and poach them for more money (salary)… leaving you with a hole to fill in the company and you do it all again. Of course there is a ceiling limit to what independents can pay vs what a major label can pay. Taking risks, borrowing money from the bank etc. On the PR side various press trip disasters, journalists that get angry, features that are supposed to run but get pulled last minute without telling you… Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality within the music industry? I don’t think there are enough women up top in the major companies vs the men, nor are women represented as much in a&r roles, or enough in technical roles such as producers/engineers we are still the minority. Things have improved and there is greater awareness, but things are not there yet. What is your advice for females who want to work in the industry? My advice for anyone who wants to work in the music industry is to pick an area, do work experience, work hard, and keep doing this until you find the area you want to work in and you are given a break. People want to employ bright, enthusiastic, polite, hard working people who show willing.

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Katherine Cantwell Online Content Manager @ Heavenly Recordings What do you do at Heavenly Recordings? At Heavenly I am their online content manager. This means I write the content for the Heavenly website & socials. I compose Facebook posts, tweets, regular/weekly mail-outs & update Spotify & SoundCloud playlists. I work with PIAS’s marketing team to co-ordinate posts for releases & album campaigns. My job involves marketing the label, the artists on our roster & our current releases. It’s also about promoting the Heavenly ethos, writing in our voice & ensuring that our online output reflects our spirit. My other job is running the online shop. It’s great to be able to sell our records ourselves. I also take care of our office calendar, oversee guestlists, form fill for our releases & I’m head of stationary too, ha, not so glamorous but worthwhile.

What inspired you to choose the route you’ve taken and the things you’ve done to get you there? I always wanted to work in music from my first gig when I was 13. I was lucky enough to see Arctic Monkeys shortly after the release of their debut album. It was amazing and there still one of my favourite bands. Un-able to play an instrument and without any doubt as tone deaf as they come - I still wanted a way in to this world. For me music has such a strong emotional attachment to people, time, place, growing up, adventures and pure joy. I also fell in love with The Libertines at 14, this obsession not only connected me to their songs, story & ideas - but - the books about their

career opened the doors to the music industry. Rough Trade Records & in particular their A&R man James Endeacott really resonated with me. Following this I also bought the NME, checked out local gigs in my hometown, listened to the radio and watched festival highlights. I started my own music blog, inspired by writers such as Krissi Murison (former editor of NME), Laura Snapes, Matt Wilkinson & Hamish Mcbain. I also chose media subjects for A Level: Media, Photography, English Lit. I chose to go to Goldsmiths in London to study media and communications & I specialised in journalism. I wanted to write. Writing and journalism gave me the opportunity to explore the world I wanted to tap into. I used any project as an excuse to interview my heroes. London was also a musical playground for gigs, new bands, record labels & magazine companies. Interviewing the likes of Krissi Murrison & James Endeacott - I was inspired to pick up work experience where I could: NME, London venues (Brixton, The Macbeth), writing for the uni paper & one week at Beggars Banquet. Doing a week at Beggars made me want to work for a record label - that’s where the real music lovers are. Not saying that journalists or promotors don’t solely love music, but, for me the label was where it all fell into place.

I fell in love with TOY when they supported The Horrors & through that encounter I contacted Heavenly in my second year. For one day a week I came into help out, one day moved to two and when I graduated they hired me.

TOY

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‘‘The talented people that we work with make Heavenly the label that it is’’ What’s the best thing about working with Heavenly? Jeff Barrett - he’s a musical icon, worlds biggest music fan and the biggest inspiration. It’s worth noting that Heavenly celebrated it’s 25th anniversary last year & every day it’s an honour to with a man whose love for music has produced some of the best records over a 25 year span. There are only 6 people in our office - so we’re a tight knit group, a family. It’s more than that though..we believe in magic and most of all we believe in our artists.

The talented people that we work with make Heavenly the label that it is. From the brilliant pop songs produced by Temples to the more revered Mark Lanegan & more recent party boys and newcomers The Parrots - our bands are hardworking, dedicated and genuine people. I really enjoy building a relationship with our bands & working with them on exciting projects.

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Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality within the music industry?

What are your highlights so far since working in the industry? The fairly obvious things like free gigs, festivals events & parties are always pinch me moments. Those are the perks of the job - if you start to not enjoy these things - your not doing the right work! Other more specific highlights for me have been forming relationships with our groups. I’m good friends with Hooton Tennis Club & it’s been good fun with all of them really. I love how our bands are from different places too - we have Palehound from New York, Amber Arcades from the Netherlands & Stealing Sheep from Liverpool. Each of our bands have their own story, their own background and I love seeing their personalities shine out on-stage and in their songs. A musical highlight was our Heavenly 25 birthday at Hebden Bridge - it was fantastic to have our bands play over four days at a venue called the Trades Club. I love getting out of London to see’s gigs. Your moving our of the zone where it’s all press, PR & managers - the people that get down to bands at The Trades Club are just out and out music fans - they’re the best kind.

Have you gone through any difficulties during your time at the label? Not really, the long hours can be difficult at times, but, then I remember that my job is a dream - so it all works out in the end.

I’m really lucky to not have experienced sexism in the industry. I’m also lucky that at Heavenly we work with a good number of female artists & industry people. We have Stealing Sheep, Gwenno, Lea from Kid Wave & Ellen Kempner aka Palehound. A number of our international team at PIAS & PR team are woman too. Their all a great bunch of girls. Like most people, I would love to see more woman heading up labels and woman artists topping festival bills. That said, Iv’e not experienced any adversity from people because I am a woman. I have dreams of perhaps having my own label, managing bands or hosting my own radio show. Perhaps being more in the spotlight might pose new difficulties...

What is the best advice you can give to any female wanting to work in the industry? Be passionate & enthusiastic. With these two things it’s second nature to then approach people or companies when it comes to work experience, opportunities & success. I would say it’s worth remembering to recognise that you have to start at the bottom to work your way up. I don’t mean making tea or working too much for free (any more than two weeks is mad.) But, starting your own blog, writing for the uni paper, bar work at your local venue - these things are important. My other advice would be, don’t be afraid to approach people. That’s when you can shoot for the moon, once your background is set-up - write to your favourite labels, band managers, festival organisers & industry folk. The chances is are most people are busy, but, their also not the artists and love a bit of recognition. And, they too will know what it like to be young & dreaming of a music job, so most will give you a look in. Go to gigs, label markets, read books, read record sleeves & most of all don’t ever forget to enjoy the music.

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@stolencomputer stolencomputer.etsy.com

Danni Brownsill Promoter @ The Sugarmill -----------------------------

Have you faced any difficulties during your time as the Promoter? I don’t’ think the life of any promoter is particularly easy. It’s a demanding job – more of a lifestyle choice than a career. You have to be available to deal with calls and emails 24/7, and you have to be prepared to work long hours. When you stand back and look at the crowd going mental for a sold out show though, it’s all worth it.

What have your highlights been so far? Favourite gigs that I’ve booked have been Johnny Marr, Foals, Martha Reeves, John Cooper Clarke and bringing Wolf Alice back to the city to a packed-out Keele Uni – (I first worked with them as a touring support, so it’s nice to have been with them as they’ve got bigger). Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes getting all the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to me was pretty cool too.

Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality within the music industry?

What is your role at The Sugarmill? I’m the in-house gig and club night promoter. How did you get to where you are and what made you choose to do the things that got you to where you are now? I started off working behind the bar when I was 19 and in my first year of a Journalism degree. I started to run some of the gigs, then became production manager and local band booker, and took over the head promoter role in 2012.

What is the best thing about working at an Independent Music Venue? I think the best thing is the fact that we’re completely run by people genuinely passionate about music. Our team are all in-house and take a lot of pride in our venues reputation. I think that’s why bands love to come here – they know they’ll be looked after whether it’s a kid from Stoke playing with their new band, or whether it’s someone like Johnny Marr or Foals.

I think the amount of women taken seriously in this industry is certainly getting better, even in the short time I’ve worked in it. In the early days, a few tour managers or bands were a bit patronising when they first encountered me, but I don’t get that much anymore. It’s still a heavily male-dominated industry, but I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing and inspiring female agents, managers, promoters, artists, techs and engineers who kick ass in their jobs everyday, not because they are women, but because they are passionate and good at what they do. It’s a tough industry for women, particularly if they have a family. It’s never going to be familyfriendly hours, that’s just the nature of the beast. More employers in the music industry, and in wider workplaces are willing to work with mothers now to find compromises so careers no longer have to be sacrificed when babies come along. I haven ‘t crossed that bridge myself yet, so maybe ask me in a few years how easy it is to stay in the industry. All I can say, is I know lots of women who have continued their music industry job postbaby and are still on top, so it must be possible.

What advice do you have for women who want to work in the industry? Just strive to be the very best you can be. Work hard, put in the graft, and you’ll get the recognition eventually. Your biology has absolutely zero effect on your ability to thrive in this industry, and anyone who thinks it does is probably not someone you want to work for anyway.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

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----- f o r w a r d ----Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at Fiction Records? I’m a senior marketing manager at Fiction Records, which means I work with artists to help them pull together their album campaigns and drive it forward. I have to work with the whole team, management, agent, pluggers, press, A+R etc to make the wheels go round. On top of this I commission music videos for the artists & single/ album sleeves, so it’s very busy & you need to be really organised.

Olivia Hobbs Marketing Manager @

Fiction Records

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How did you get to where you are and what made you choose to do the things that got you to where you are? I went to Staffordshire University & did a course in Music Tech & management, from there I went on to do other jobs in things like touring production & publishing before landing in Major labels, which is where I’d always wanted to be! I didn’t really choose, I think I just tried lots of things until I found an area I enjoyed & was good at! Basically I went for what I thought was the most fun!

What artists do Fiction work with? As a mix of past & present, we have bands like The Maccabees, Tame Impala, Elbow, Snow Patrol, The Cure, Crystal Castles & some new bands we’re really excited about this year too called The Amazons, The Big Moon & Palace.

You were recently featured in Music Weeks 30 under 30 list. How does it feel to be part of a list of people dubbed as the future of the music industry? It’s really nice, I didn’t know I’d been nominated as it’s an anonymous thing. Pretty cool though!

Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality within the music industry? I think we’re getting closer to it in every industry, but we have to continue to lead by example to make sure the changes are felt everywhere. I can’t speak for other women in the industry though, they will speak for themselves! Pictured: The Amazons

Have you faced any difficulties during your time? I’ve faced LOADS, I’ve made loads of mistakes & messed up an unbelievable amount of things & I think the biggest difficulty I had was in ultimately accepting that was fine. If you don’t mess things up you don’t move forward.

What advice can you give to females who want to work in the industry? I don’t think you should come at it from an angle of “I’m a girl & I want to work in music what shall I do” but more, “I want to work in music, what shall I do?” there’s no point getting hung up, move forward, work hard, speak up!

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Now Wave Presents

nowwave.co.uk | twitter.com/nowwave

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Caffy St Luce

hope that people will keep believing in the new talents that we recommend and try to connect.

What’s the best thing about what you do?

Live Music Events Manager/Promoter -----------------------------

That nearly everything is geared towards having some fun, whether its staging artists that my ears have fallen for, working with musicians that like what we do and keep in touch or just the social side of great gigs with great friends.

Have you faced any difficulties during your time? So many. Its a steep learning curve of mistakes -vdamage control sometimes, soul destroying at others and being a promoter at the grass roots end of things is something you do more to help artists and connect them, rather than to line your pockets.

Best thing about working in the industry? Hi Caffy! Can you tell us about your background and what you currently do? Hallo. I am currently a Live Music Event Manager/Promoter and part of a transmedia artist development collective, TheZineUK. I used to be a PR at independent publicists, Hall Or Nothing, being paid to work with bands I love like The Manics, Radiohead, Mansun, S*M*A*S*H, These Animal Men, The Bluetones and more. They all weaved the arts and DIY style into what they did, too. I think they’ve kept me young to this day. I am blessed to have kept many great memories and true friends from those days. I also feel very lucky to create on the DIY music circuit. Being self employed in the Austerity Age is as hard to mouth as being an unsigned musician, but just as rewarding. The quality of the artists in the smaller venues is, probably from necessity, outstanding right now and I am very excited about a healthy amount of new artists that have got involved in what we do. Having staged and or co promoted early shows by Bloc Party, Kate Tempest, Tinie Tempah and Misty Miller, I

That most of my extended family of friends have come through music. Actually, all of them, probably. Even how I came to be in conversation with you, now! Magic.

Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality in the industry? I think we have a long way to go I just (23rd April 2016 googled “A&R Women”) and it was topped by a 2009 article asking where they are? Considering that most of what we do (nicknamed Uniqulture) is driven by female scouts, I have said on many an occasion its not a phrase that you hear. I use that phrase as a barometer.

What advice can you give to other women who want to work in the industry? Aim as high as you like because you can do it. It’s impossible to not get stung, sometimes, by being viewed as some kind of 20th Century, secretary bird chick receptionist appendage to what is going on, but use that to your advantage to see through people without the negativity energy of rising to that bait. Don’t take no shit, though, you are the future of the industry, which is equality.

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Hattie Pearson Radio X / Freelance

----------------------------How did you get to where you are and what made you choose to do the things that got you to where you are now? I moved to Manchester because I knew that there were loads more opportunities here. The BBC hadn’t even moved up here yet, but there were lots of opportunities; radio stations and loads of other stuff happening. I think it was a wise move.

It doesn’t pay, but we do it for fun and we really enjoy it. It’s a good way for me to get experience of being behind the camera and were always learning!

How did you get into band management? The first band I began to manage, Etches, I’ve been managing them for around 4 years now. I used to put on gigs whilst at Uni, Etches played a gig for me one time (under a different name) and afterwards they sent me some demos since I was presenting on XFM. But instead of me giving them advice, I offered to manage them and have been since.

I studied English language at Uni; I was always good at it in school. I didn’t want to choose something specific and decided to do something more broad so I could make up my mind later on. I got involved with the student radio station, I became head of programming, I also wrote for the student newspaper. I just got involved with extra activities as well as gaining work experience. I met the guys who formerly done the breakfast show on XFM and asked for experience, I sat in on their show from there on. I won best female at the student radio awards in 2012, and then I managed to get my own show on XFM(now Radio X) in January 2013. It all kind of happens naturally when you are doing it.

What’s the story behind your vlog channel Matter of Sound? My friend Emily, she’s from Manchester originally; she’s a producer at a video production company. We met through the Manchester music scene, we are always at the same gigs and started following each other on Twitter. Because of her background in producing videos and mine in presenting, we decided to get together and do something, we both love music.

Pictured: Etches I don’t manage the other band Lake Komo, but more look after them. A guy I used to know at uni via student radio now works at Sony at Columbia records and signed Lake Komo. They’ve recently moved from Lancaster to Manchester, and he approached me knowing my involvement with the Manchester scene and asked me to help out with them getting gigs, like a regional manager to get them known around the North West. So I’ve been doing that for the past 6 months.

The band stuff is really cool; it’s very different to the radio and DJ stuff. It takes up a lot of time, when you’re working with a band there’s people to manage and you need to communicate with people averse to

Again, that was really organic, it just happened.

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‘‘I would hate to be in the position that I was employed because I’m a woman.’’

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Do you think we are getting closer to gender equality in the industry?

What’s the best advice you can give to those who want to start a career in the industry?

I’d like to think so yeah. Whether that is actually happening? I don’t know. If you just look at what people earn, I mean obviously I don’t know what everyone else earns at Radio X and they are all men, I’m the only woman on weekdays.

I think there’s three bits of advice that I’d give if anyone asked me. Be yourself, whether you want to be a presenter, producer or manager. That’s really important, if not people will suss you out, they’ll realise that you’re trying to be someone else, or emulating someone

I know that Chris Moyles earns a hell of a lot more than me for obvious reasons and that’s not because he’s a man, it’s because he is better than me – he’s been in the business for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is still a large gap in salaries though. But in terms of like presenting, producers you only need to look at like half of the BBC, if not more especially in the north there are so many women - which is great.

It comes back to the fact that I would hate to be in the position that I was employed because I’m a woman. If I ever found out that my boss put me on air because ‘’oh right, well we need a woman.. ok you’re the best of a bad bunch, we’ll put her on’’ I’d be absolutely fuming. But you don’t know what they are thinking, you can only play it the way you see it.

Radio X has seen a lot of criticism about being a male dominated station and male focused. But you only have to look at the likes of Heart; it’s a female brand and is predominantly dominated by women. It works vice versa.

else’s style. Being true to yourself is so much easier too, you’ll get so much further. Continue to work hard and be persistent – that’s the main thing. I know I’ve said that my journey has been quite natural, but it certainly wasn’t easy, and I worked my arse off. My friends at uni would be going out, and I’d be going to bed at 10pm to get up at 4am for work experience. You will get recognised if you keep working at it, be persistent and keep going.

The third thing is don’t really worry too much. I’m a big believer in fate, I’m a bit of a hippy about it and whatever will be will be. It can be really stressful, and you can get yourself down and look at other people that are getting a better job or the job you wanted, or have more experience. You can spend your whole life worrying about what others are doing. The older I get, the easier that becomes. I know especially when I left uni that was the hardest thing – just trying to enjoy what happens.

Putting pressure on you to be motivated and be yourself, kind of takes away from that – enjoying the journey. So when you do get something, just try to enjoy it. Don’t stress about always trying to make the best impressions, try and live in the moment too. It’s healthy to have determination, but if your not enjoying it right now, what’s the point?

Everyone has a different journey. As a freelancer, you have no security. So I think living that lifestyle, you need to enjoy what you are doing.

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M E N

L K :

Andy Inglis on why women in the music industry are crucial by Leaharen Russo

‘‘ I

just saw an opportunity to do something to begin to make a change - Andy Inglis

”

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----- f o r w a r d -----

Andy Inglis is a 43 year old, white man

trying to make the music industry a more diverse and, quite frankly, better place. My first encounter with the 5000 management owner was back in April, when I decided to apply for a job advertised on his website; specifying for a “woman under thirty” as his assistant and someone who would ultimately become his business partner. As I approach the age of 23, finishing university and the desire to enter the industry – this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Explaining the inspiration behind his initiative to help young women into the industry, he says: “I lecture internationally, mostly to those who’re younger than me, which has encouraged me to find ways to help young people, and since the industry I’m in (and the world for the most part) is institutionally sexist, and sometimes misogynist, I wanted to do something to counteract that, no matter how small a gesture it was in the grand scheme of things.” ----------------------------------Although receiving a pretty positive response from the majority of people throughout social media – especially women, the backlash of negative comments forced Inglis to pull the add, posting an apology on the matter: “I have angered a great many people – some I know, most I don’t. I am sorry for this and I unreservedly apologise. I was attempting to positively discriminate in an industry which continues to treat women – of all ages – badly, as society in general does.” Even though the job was pulled, I decided to send my CV and cover letter to Andy anyway. I thanked him for posting the advert, which positively gave hope to a young woman like myself. After a very heartfelt and positive reply, I decided to ask more about his motives behind the advert and how it was received. “There was criticism from women who don’t support positive discrimination, and those who felt it was ageist; criticism from the LGBT community who said I discriminated against those who don’t identify with one gender.” In the original advert, he admitted that the age restriction wasn’t set in stone “you’re over 30, fine; tell me why I’m an idiot not to consider you for the role” he then went on to outline why he decided this in the first place “A younger person is more likely to have avoided ‘my’ industry and is looking to create their own, or to reshape what’s there. They’re more likely to have new ideas, to have enthusiasm, to be opened minded (sic), to have less going on in their life that might preclude them committing to my business, soon to become their business; to be willing to learn, to challenge, to question”

continuing to write “We need better executives, we need them to look something other than white and male. This is one of the ways I’ve chosen to help.” Surprisingly, he went on to state that ‘“Not a whole lot of criticism came from men generally. Not one complaint about it discriminating against political views, also illegal under Equalities Act 2010. I said “no Conservative voters”. “ However, much of the backlash took its toll on the industry veteran, stating “Much of the criticism got ugly pretty quickly, it went on for about nine days. I stopped looking online.” Andy goes on to tell me his reasoning behind the job advertisement and what it means trying to help younger women into the industry: “My life experiences have brought me to a point of wanting to help and support young people, wanting to bring about the end of sexism and misogyny specially, and discrimination against all generally.” Continuing “I was figuring to be able to do it all myself and with one job ad, my confidence took a very heavy kicking, and I got a bloody nose; but it’s nothing compared to what women such as Lauren Mayberry deal with everyday.” A positive factor to surface from the uproar was the debates it created amongst the social media world “It ignited debates. That’s great. We need to have them. The conversations around diversity, genderfluidity, LGBT rights have only come to the mainstream in the past couple of years.” Stating an issue that isn’t just within the music industry “It’s new for many people, and people of my generation need to work to find their place in these conversations if we think we can do good, then get the vocabulary right, then find our voice.” He then expresses his disappointment towards the situations support from a-like industry professionals “I got no support from anyone in my industry. Not one voice. The thousands of white men in positions of greater power than I. One who agreed could have said “Well, I wouldn’t have put it that way, but Andy makes a point that we need to now, finally, very publicly address”. But no. Not one of my peers. I shouldn’t be surprised.” ----------------------------------After learning his motives more clearly, I could completely sympathise with Andy and the impending need for change within the industry. Although maybe getting it wrong by specifying age in the job ad, his intentions were certainly a positive outlook for women. I asked Andy one last thing - his hopes for the future of the music industry: “That it stops discriminating against anyone who isn’t middle-aged, old, white and male, and we find a way to make it more sustainable.”

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