Jan 18, 2024 at 9:40 PM
More than half of the people working in the music industry have experienced inappropriate behavior. This is evident from a survey by Movisie among almost a thousand music professionals. One in three says they have experienced sexual misconduct.
“I have been in the music industry long enough not to be surprised by the results, but it still hits home hard,” Annabel Heijen of Taskforce GO!, which was created to tackle abuses in the music industry, tells NU.nl. Dutch singers previously sounded the alarm about inappropriate behavior in the music industry in an open letter, after abuses at The voice of Holland came to light.
Of the nearly one thousand respondents, more than half say they have experienced inappropriate behavior. This not only concerns artists, but also employees of music venues, record companies and, for example, management offices. In most cases there was intimidation and emotionally inappropriate behavior.
One in three people has experienced sexual misconduct. For 20 percent of respondents this was physical. For all forms, it is experienced more often by women and people with a migration background.
Campaign aimed at awareness and behavioral change
Many incidents (42 percent) of inappropriate behavior take place when the perpetrator and victim are alone, say the participants in the study. So without bystanders. Not in all cases do the perpetrators know that what they are doing is wrong, says Heijen. “And you can’t reach those who do know with campaigns.”
Task Force GO! is therefore launching the campaign today at Eurosonic Noorderslag I set the tone. “We focus on both awareness and behavioral change,” Heijen explains.
According to all respondents, a joke about skin color or sexuality was not transgressive.
Annabel Heijen, Task Force GO!
Informal power differences play a major role in the music industry, she says. This means that people with status, fame and a large network are automatically assigned power. “It is essential to understand these dynamics within the industry. Once you see that, it becomes easier to intervene in an unsafe situation.”
Not everyone thinks the same about what constitutes inappropriate behavior, the research shows. “A joke about skin color or sexuality was not transgressive according to all respondents. By talking more about this and creating awareness, you determine this together.”
Bystanders are asked to intervene if they notice something. “Confronting someone about their behavior has consequences in that specific situation, but you also set the standard for the future.”
Less one-on-one contact due to transgressive behavior
Since there has been more talk about transgressive behavior, things are changing in the music industry. According to Heijen, one-on-one contact is increasingly kept to a minimum. “For example, female artists state in their conditions that they do not want to work alone in a studio with one other person.”
During writing sessions with multiple artists and songwriters, it is becoming increasingly normal for a confidential counselor to be present. “We see several movements that should provide more safety.”
The task force plans to repeat the research in a few years and hopes that music professionals will be more aware of boundaries and that this will lead to changed behavior. “But this takes time. It won’t be solved within a year.”
2024-01-18 20:40:35
#music #professionals #experience #transgressive #behavior #Music
