A new inclusion initiative has been launched by a number of major electronic music brands to combat discrimination and harassment in the industry.
Pioneer DJ, Beatport, Sentric Music Group, AFEM, Mixmag, RA, IMS, and Women in CTRL have partnered up with InChorus, a groundbreaking data collection platform, to launch the Electronic Music Inclusion Initiative (EMII). The objective behind the project is to take a data-led approach in order to foster more a more inclusive dance music ecosystem.
According to Mark Grotefeld, Pioneer DJ’s General Manager, EMII will “push for systemic change across the industry” in its goal to empower those who have been marginalized.
The proof is in the pudding when it comes to EDM’s discrimination problem. Of all the artists in the 2019 edition of DJ Mag‘s polarizing “Top 100 DJs” list, only five were women and in 2020, the number rose to a meager 14.
According to a 2020 study conducted by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 21.7% of electronic music artists identify as female. The study also unearthed the notion that the issue isn’t exclusive to artists. The results concluded that women make up less than 3% of production and technical jobs in the music industry and women of color assume a paltry 0.3% of those roles.
InChorus has encouraged anyone who has experienced harassment or discrimination while working in the electronic music industry to participate via a survey, dubbing the project a “safe space where no incident is ‘not a big deal.'” A press release issued to announce the initiative notes that the survey will be available for four weeks and will offer key insights into the root of behavioral trends linked to harassment, bias and discrimination, according to AFEM General Manager Greg Marshall.
“Microaggressions are day-to-day expressions of bias & prejudice that create a hostile environment for certain groups,” reads the initiative’s microsite. “For example, it might be comments about your appearance that make you uncomfortable, or having others make assumptions about your abilities. We know these are far from ‘micro’ in impact, so please share with us so that – together – we can make change happen.”
You can participate and share your experiences by filling out the survey here.