With recent viral feminist movements like #metoo and #imwithher, it is evident that gender inequality is a worldwide problem that is trying to be addressed. When it comes to the music industry in general, and alternative indie/pop artists in particular, female musicians are no exception. While their success is impressive and encouraging, the stories shared by Texas-based alternative/indie artists like Jorja Smith, Camp Cope and All of Our Exes highlight how female musicians face a multitude of gender issues in their profession. as they, as musicians, champion feminism and attempt to provide strategies to improve inclusion and representation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Additionally, in recent years, University of Sydney academic Rae Cooper has explored issues of gender inequality in different aspects of the music industry in her 2018 report Skipping a Beat. It focuses on the Australian music industry, exploring how gender inequality is evident in a multitude of locations. Cooper reveals a shocking statistic showing a lack of women in tech positions with “women occupying just 5% of record producer and recording engineer positions”. To support her claim that women face issues of inequality and are underrepresented in the music industry, Cooper analyzes, although she noted the lack of it, the data available to her. The data ranged from musicians' radio plays, charts, as well as statistics on gender roles in relation to powerful decision-making and senior roles in the music industry. All the statistics covered in the report seem to be in favor of male musicians. While awareness and proper collection of statistics are important to support claims about gender inequality, particularly regarding the more prominent presence of male artists in radio play, festival line-ups and award nominations, it is important to note that the reason this problem is so difficult to address is due to its very complex nature. Cooper highlights this in his report, suggesting that it “cannot be explained by simplistic arguments such as 'listeners prefer men to women' and 'men simply make better music than women'. Instead, explanations lie in the industry's ingrained structures, norms and behaviors that disadvantage and discriminate against women." Building on this, Cooper points out that the lack of female representation in senior roles, roles that hold great power in decision-making, is what ultimately creates more barriers and fewer opportunities for female musicians. She believes this “pyramid” gender structure in the industry mutually reinforces women's inequality. The lack of representation of women in top positions means that decisions affecting the sector are largely made in the absence of women, and therefore women's voices are not heard. Lack of airplay translates to a lack of sales, streams and awards, and a lower chance of female music artists getting signed. This observation is important because it addresses a tangible issue that must and can be changed. Furthermore, Cooper's recognition of the underlying barriers to gender equality allowed her to make educated recommendations that, if eventually implemented, would not necessarily solve the problems ofgender inequality but would be a positive step in the right direction. Cooper's suggested improvements include: Increasing the representation of women in decision-making structures Addressing gender bias in the Australian music industry by prioritizing inclusion and representation as a core value of the industry Using gender equality criteria when deciding funding outcomes public Establish a well-resourced independent sector advocacy body for gender equality. The report and recommendations have been recognized by the Australian Government Agency for Workplace and Gender Equality. Elaborating on one of Cooper's recommendations, there are already some organizations seeking to promote “inclusion and representation as a core value of the sector”. Organizations such as LISTEN Australia are attempting to improve inclusion and representation by holding biannual community discussion conferences, but most importantly they present live music events in an attempt to “enable change, using a feminist perspective to promote the visibility and experiences of women , gender and women". non-conforming and LGBTQIA, people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities and other marginalized people in Australian music. LISTEN encourages anyone who feels passionate about music and equality to be part of their growing organization and aims to “stimulate conversation, initiate change and celebrate equal participation in the music industry”. They advertise their values ​​as "Equality, Intersectionality, Equity, Justice, Education, Inquiry, Innovation, Interconnection, Inclusion, Honesty, Respect and Compassion" which are reflected in their media posts and in their organization of events to help promote and encourage all musicians, especially those who face barriers of discrimination and inequality. Starting organizations like this is just one strategy to improve inclusivity in the music industry. It is important that the music industry promotes gender equality in job roles. In a general sense, women are severely underrepresented and underpaid in job roles. Although stations like Triple J, Double J and Unearthed have revealed that there is an almost even gender split in their workplace, statistics reveal that "whether you work as a songwriter, artist manager, independent label manager or on the board of directors of a major musical group." body – you are more likely to be a man than a woman.” This is further evidence and support for Cooper's claims that senior roles are mostly in favor of males. Furthermore, when it comes to remuneration, institutions such as the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) “grant organizations a license to reproduce, perform, copy, record or make available the music of our members” and, more importantly, pay royalties to musicians. Statistics reveal that APRA has one of the largest gender gaps with only 1 in 5 musicians being female. Due to APRA's large membership base of over 85,000 members, Triple J interpreted these statistics to be an "accurate reflection of the large gender gap among songwriters in Australia". These statistics only reinforce Cooper's claims and highlight the importance of changing workplace standards in order to improve gender relations in the workplace. Gender equality is a complex issue that affects all of society, therefore society must be aware of the underlying barriers that need to be addressed to initiate change. Cooper points outthis aspect and suggests that the underlying barriers are due to deeply rooted social values ​​that need to be changed. The media plays an important role in raising awareness and pushing for change on issues of gender inequality. News and media are a very accessible way to educate society on current issues. By providing society with enough information about a specific issue, in this case gender inequality in the music industry, it allows people to reflect on their values ​​and how they can contribute to positive change. ABC news stories like Australian music has always been a man's world, it's time to celebrate women, provide information to the public about the complexities of gender inequality in the music industry, as well as positively celebrate female musicians. The article begins by quoting Jill Soloway, a director, writer and producer who has “examined gender inequality in filmmaking.” It reveals that to achieve gender fairness in the film industry “we would need almost every single film to be produced, written and directed by women for the next 100 years.” The comparison between the music industry and the film industry allows the reader to connect the two entertainment industries and understand that gender inequality is a problem that does not just affect one of them. Furthermore, the article also reinforces the same issues Cooper raises. It suggests that “men hold a monopoly on the world's wealth and therefore the market (art or any industry) is dominated by men, their interests, needs and stories,” which is the same point Cooper is trying to make by referring to his “ pyramid as a gender structure. Through more news and media platforms that promote and educate these issues, society can become more aware and educated, which can foster a change in mindset and values ​​regarding gender issues. Once society is aware of such problems, it can get involved and initiate change. . The news media is only one way to educate the public on some issues, but social media platforms provide a universal and common platform for society to speak out and push for positive progress. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat allow celebrities to share their experiences with their fans and the wider public, about gender inequality in their daily lives as women. Movements like #metoo and #imwithher are a form of activism, now labeled as hashtag activism. The “Me Too” movement has allowed celebrities, both men and women, to come forward and share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace. Although the movement was not gender specific, the overwhelming response from women around the world revealed many issues related to gender inequality and sexism. Many female musicians broke the silence and took part in this movement, including Lady Gaga, Sherly Crow and Bjork. The movement led to many court cases, in which many male celebrities had to stand trial, and ultimately helped provide justice to women who had previously suffered abuse but were too afraid to speak out. This movement is a form of progress in the music industry that has given a voice and allowed a small sense of justice to the women involved. The Me Too movement has allowed many female musicians to step forward and fight for change. Alternative band All of Our Exes Live in Texas opened up about their experiences of sexual harassment in the workplace and expressed how Me Too has made a difference in their lives. All of Our Exes Livein Texas is an ARIA-winning all-female alternative band formed in 2013. Since forming they have performed with stars such as Kesha, Midnight Oil, Passenger and Backstreet Boys. All four members of the group said they had suffered "sexual assault and uninvited touching, as well as vulgar comments and being judged solely on their appearance rather than their music... by teachers, fellow musicians, sound engineers , industry professionals and even fans." They also revealed sexist attitudes from fellow musicians, claiming that members of a male band made vulgar comments such as "saying they would sit in the front rows of our shows so they can look up our skirts." While these incidents are unfortunate and unfortunately very common, the band believes that movements like Me Too have "helped highlight a wide range of issues." It started discussions and conversations that need to be had with members of the music industry who were unaware of the regular, some might say ingrained, sexism. While there is still an urgent need for change so that women can have the respect and equality they deserve, since the movement began the band believe they have seen, albeit slowly, an increasing number of female artists in the line-ups of festivals and women working in the music industry in general. It is important to encourage more female musicians to take a stand and contribute to positive change as this will have “a trickle-down effect on young women and girls… as they will stand at the front of the show and absorb the idea that they can do it too”. As for female artists in the indie/alternative genre, few spoke about how they encountered gender inequality and sexism in their working environment, paying particular attention to the imbalance between male and female artists in music festival line-ups (which was also mentioned in Cooper's report). Two popular festivals that fall more specifically into the alternative/indie pop genre are the Falls Festival and the Laneway Festival. The upcoming Laneway is considered one of the most diverse festivals, with 38% of solo artists in 2016, compared to festivals like Listen Out with only 9% of female artists in 2016. This statistic is scary, as 38% is considered a high ratio compared to some festivals with few or no female acts, which further reinforces Cooper's measurement of female success at festivals. Expect a host of talented musicians from around the world at Laneway 2019, including female artists such as Jorja Smith (making her Australian debut) and Camp Cope (who have already performed at Falls Festival), as well as Courtney Barnett as one of the main acts. Although these female musicians are working hard and achieving success, they are still overshadowed by the fact that most acts are male-dominated. Additionally, both Jorja Smith and Camp Cope have their own experiences with gender inequality in the music industry. Jorja Smith is an independent artist admired for her recent songwriting with feminist overtones, but her fame was established by none other than her male peers. Jorja Smith is an emerging superstar, recently "nominated for three titles by national awards bodies." She has been described as "immensely talented and provocative, using her talents for good social causes such as gender equality", following the release of her powerful single Beautiful Little Fools. Spurred on by the damsel Daisy from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby, Smith uses her music to call out unrealistic beauty standards and empower her peers. Although Jorja Smith's success is a source of.