All the singin’ ladies
Why can’t NZ festivals attract more female stars?
A Kiwi music festival is bucking a global trend in employing more women then men, but its director says it’s still a challenge to create a gender-balanced lineup.
A 2019 study led by a team at Northwestern University in the United States found females are still grossly under-represented in the music industry, with men making up some 75 per cent of artists signed to record labels and releasing more songs.
Rhythm & Alps, on the other hand, is making sure its backroom staff are femaledominated, with festival director Alex Turnbull saying more than half – 13 out of 22 – of its department heads are women.
‘‘The majority of the management structure is female-led and that’s because they’re the best people for the job,’’ said Turnbull.
‘‘Our team is better with female management in it. Women are often better than men at their jobs and can have a calming influence.’’
Women are also well represented in other areas of the company, including stage and event management, he said. However, the three-day festival, which takes place in Cardrona, hasn’t found it easy to secure a relatively equal number of men and women in its lineup. About 22 per cent of acts feature at least one female member.
Turnbull said he wasn’t sure how many of the 130 or so artists set to appear at the upcoming festival were female, but said the team ‘‘tried for a lot more’’.
‘‘Unfortunately, some we approached weren’t available or were out of our budget.’’
The festival did secure UK
reggae, hip hop and jungle MC Eva Lazarus, who will perform while pregnant, and New Zealand hip hop and soul legend Ladi6.
American transgender DJ and producer Honey Dijon had been due to perform but ‘‘had to pull out 24 hours ago due to mental illness’’, Turnbull said.
Despite the renewed focus on gender-balanced lineups, many popular festivals have struggled to attract female stars.
The 2020 Laneway Festival will feature 40 per cent of artists with at least one non-male member, according to a social media account that monitors gender diversity in festival lineups in Australia and New Zealand.
Northern Bass, an electronic dance music festival held over New Years at Mangawhai, will have a quarter of its lineup with at least one female member.
And, just 14 per cent of artists performing at Soundsplash at Raglan next month will have one non-male member.
Turnbull said he preferred to think of gender balance in terms of the industry as a whole.
‘‘Often people focus on who’s singing on the microphone but often there’s a band behind them, along with an agent and others who helped them get where they are.’’
Going forward, Turnbull expects to see more females both on and off-stage.
‘‘We’ve seen a big change in the behaviour of our customers. Nine years ago, there was no such thing as a reusable cup or a nonplastic straw ... Alongside that we’re seeing better gender balance in the workplace ... With time things will get better.’’