For all the glitz and glamour of award ceremonies, and the ability to celebrate talent, innovation and dedication to a particular craft, I always find workshops and conversation events to be the best source of information about the issues of importance and the work being undertaken to create positive and meaningful change.
The 2019 Australian Women In Music Awards, as well as showcasing an amazing line-up on awards night, offered an opportunity for women in the music industry to settle in and discuss the issues of the day.
There are a lot of issues: the lack of respect for female voices in the Australian hip hop scene, the way social and political climates impact creativity, body confidence versus the unwelcomed sexualisation of women in music, or the underrepresentation of women’s narratives and perspective in opera, it’s clear women in all areas of the industry are still fighting hard to be taken seriously – even in the era of #metoo and Beyonce.
Though it would be easy to become overwhelmed at the magnitude of challenges female musicians face, the fierce determination and conviction on stage made often complex conversations into empowering, hope-filled guidebooks towards making positive change. As media personality Althea Beetson reminded the crowd, “everything our Aunties and Uncles have fought for is starting to happen. We’re on the cusp of a great change".
In ‘The Art of Rebellion’, facilitator Merenia Marin led a rousing and complex conversation on the intersection of music and politics, and the way the current social climate impacts the voices given space to perform. Spoiler: men are still given better access to opportunities.
For a lot of people, it’s difficult to believe there’s so large a double standard at play. It’s 2019, surely female artists aren’t still battling for equal space and respect in creative industries? It’s a dirty little secret that the arts are prohibitively expensive, with a lot of amazingly talented people priced out of chasing their dreams even before having to deal with sexism and racism.
As Yumi Stynes noted within the panel, it’s the middle class, white, predominantly male voices that get the attention. Not because they’re more talented or deserving, but because they’re the ones with access to financial support and generally favoured by the industry. The BasicsCard is hardly going to accept rehearsal or recording spaces as a viable expense, and few families are willing to pay for their young female members to be groped, harassed, and mistreated: problems still regularly reported by emerging female musicians.
Many festivals, while promoting diversity, work hard to avoid ruffled feathers, even at the sake of amazing speakers. With the AWMA Keynote Address featuring trans man Eddie Ayers, it’s clear this is an awards and learning opportunity that walks its talk, and prioritises making space for the voices we don’t always here from. The conversations may not always be easy, or filled with simple answers, but the AWMA might well be one of the most vital conversations in the arts community.
