An Update From BBC: 2018’s Festival Gender Equity Pledge

Last year, Vanessa Reed founded the Keychange 50/50 pledge which aimed to resolve a glaring gender disparity in festival lineups. Reed is the founder of Keychange, CEO of the PRS Foundation, and was named third most powerful woman in the music industry.

This week BBC published an article that revealed updated goals for the 50/50 initiative. The pledge is being expanded to address more issues than just festival lineups. Reed says “”We’re opening up the pledge because we recognize the gender gap is an industry wide problem, it is not just about festivals.”

Sixty organizations have committed to supporting the pledge including the Royal Opera House, Bella Union record label, and English National Opera. Reed concludes in a powerful way:

“I think we just need to really consciously shift those stereotypes that are restricting the way that both young girls and boys see their futures. This of course it is not specific to music. There are these deeply embedded prejudices that we need to get rid of because we are all talented, it is about opportunity, it is the opportunity that isn’t everywhere the talent is.”

We at Gender Amplified are excited about the future of this pledge and very happy with the decision to expand the goals of the pledge as well.