Assimilating data, feedback and independent research sourced from 20 leading european music festivals, we are studying the 'diversity' of these big events and their powerful institutions. 'Diversity' being the keyword to define the balance (or imbalance) of sexes, ethnicity and skin colors as well as access to opportunities in a given society or region. After all Europe is the most ethnically 'open' and 'inviting' continent with the world's biggest institutional resources dedicated to promoting arts, culture, music, technology, law, human rights and promoting diversity. The given pressure of populism, feminist activism and institutional call for diversification of popular european culture and music in the last 4 to 5 years have seen 'some' credible changes in the spectrum and created hope for further diversity. Yet the real picture remains far from the projected one, far from a truly diverse playground, often mired in exoticism and clouded by various agendas being propagated by big institutions, festivals, agencies, promoters and clubs. Here is a graphical representation from available data. Download PDF version.
Pitchfork says "there’s no more predictable pile-on in music culture than the backlash to festival lineup announcements. Within minutes of any given festival poster’s release, critics are comparing font sizes to make the usual points" Though their own festival's poster cites all artists in equally weighted letters, the line up itself is skewed - Pitchfork itself is perpetuating white chauvanism in music? 76% white artists [of which 66% is male] are from north america and Europe, with 'token spaces' designated to african, gay, lesbian and one or two fringe exotic elements. Pitchfork's online content and focus is very similar to their much 'sought after' annual festival. Even as Pitchfork and equally big tastemakers, feature african and asian artists, from time to time, the overall figures expose how markets control reality - how the bias remains deeply rooted within various curator's circles, while waving similar mantras and mandates of inclusion and diversity. The majority of artists at the biggest music festivals, in Europe and North America remain male and white.
Pitchfork says "there’s no more predictable pile-on in music culture than the backlash to festival lineup announcements. Within minutes of any given festival poster’s release, critics are comparing font sizes to make the usual points" Though their own festival's poster cites all artists in equally weighted letters, the line up itself is skewed - Pitchfork itself is perpetuating white chauvanism in music? 76% white artists [of which 66% is male] are from north america and Europe, with 'token spaces' designated to african, gay, lesbian and one or two fringe exotic elements. Pitchfork's online content and focus is very similar to their much 'sought after' annual festival. Even as Pitchfork and equally big tastemakers, feature african and asian artists, from time to time, the overall figures expose how markets control reality - how the bias remains deeply rooted within various curator's circles, while waving similar mantras and mandates of inclusion and diversity. The majority of artists at the biggest music festivals, in Europe and North America remain male and white.
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