No bitches?
It's not just an EDM problem — the underground isn't absolved from having lineups with no women.
I don't try to hide that my electronic music roots were planted in EDM. I got my start in music writing at EDM blogs, and it wasn't long before I noticed the lack of coverage for marginalized artists.
In 2021, I began advocating for artists to implement inclusion riders: clauses in a contract that a lineup should consist of a certain percentage of women, people of color, disabled folks, and artists that belong to other underrepresented groups. While the idea began to pick up some traction, it was clear that no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t make a difference. This led me to pivot to more local, less mainstream scenes that didn’t seem to need to be told the importance of diversity on a bill.
When I wrote my last weekly events roundup for HEADS KNOW, two of the events featured all-male lineups. I called one out for it, but it isn’t lost on me that plenty of underground parties have no shame in their scarcity of femme representation. If I can criticize male EDM acts for accepting bookings on lineups with no women, I should keep the same energy with their underground counterparts — not only to hold them accountable, but also to hold myself to the same standard for a scene I say I care so deeply about.
As an event producer and avid partygoer, I admit it’s been intimidating to condemn artists and other promoters in the community for building bills without women. It’s equally as hard for me to approach artists — even those with whom I’m friendly — about pushing back against being on all-male lineups. I partially justify it because I know firsthand about the shortage of money circulating in the scene, and I don’t want to add more pressure on people merely trying to survive. On the other hand, the sheer volume of women in the underground, especially compared to EDM, makes it hard to ignore. At this point, isn’t it embarrassing to host an event, or even be part of an event, that doesn’t include women?
After championing inclusion riders for so long, I honestly don’t know if they are the answer anymore. However, to my surprise, I did get a DM from a male artist in the scene asking for an inclusion rider template last year. He was called out for playing a festival stage with only men (there were 11 artists on the stage), and felt that an inclusion rider could “be a tool to say no to certain promoters.” So maybe there is still some value in this concept.
If inclusion riders are too extreme for artists to enforce in their contracts, especially when it comes to festival bookings, there have to be other ways to ensure a lineup won’t just be all men. I would never be offended if an artist or manager asked me about the tentative bill before confirming, or even suggested that they wouldn’t want to be on an all-male lineup. I’d hope that other promoters and artists who are curating their own events feel the same way.
While I try my hardest to be as intentional as possible about the lineups for my own parties, I can’t — and won’t — say there’s no room for improvement. One of the reasons I was so drawn to the underground community was because of the open dialogue and accountability expected from one another. Now it’s time to take responsibility.
It's kind of genius actually, to introduce inclusion riders in an arguably misogynistic scene. Admittedly, I haven't been to many underground shows but fortunately the ones I have been to, like The Smell by downtown LA, ran a more gender inclusive ship. Although, I can't say the same for some of the Afters I've heard about through friends, which were consistently male-dominated. I agree, there is a shortage in funding for upcoming artists, and it's not limited to venues in which they perform, but also in platforms where their music is streamed through. Not only do women in the industry get less access to exposure, they're also cheated by big streaming services such as Spotify and Apple music. Mon Hush wrote a piece about this, https://sinecurve.substack.com/p/spotify-only-dies-if-we-kill-him?utm_source=publication-search , that talks about faults within the system, and ways streaming services, can support a more equitable distribution of revenue and ownership. New Bands for Old Heads recently discussed this too, about how our streaming habits, as listeners, are fueling the "big bad Music Industry". It was a reality check forsure! But I'm glad listener accountability is getting thrown into the discussion.