PRS Foundation has revealed that a further 40 festivals have signed up to the Keychange pledge for 50:50 gender balance across their line-ups by 2022.
The UK and international additions will be announced at Liverpool Sound City tomorrow (May 4) and include: Annie Mac's AMP Lost & Found (Malta), Bestival - Temple Stage, Black Deer Festival, Bushstock, Cambridge Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, EFG London Jazz Festival, MUSEXPO and Relevance Festival in Denmark.
The Keychange commitment covers live music line-ups, as well as music conferences.
It follows the gender balance pledge made in February 2018 by 45 international music festivals and conferences including existing Keychange partners Reeperbahn Festival, BIME, Iceland Airwaves, Way Out West, Musikcentrum Sweden, Tallinn Music Week, MUTEK and new UK Keychange festival partner Liverpool Sound City.
Vanessa Reed, CEO of PRS Foundation, said: “We’re thrilled that Liverpool Sound City has joined the Keychange partnership and is hosting an event which celebrates the fact that another 40 festivals have joined since we launched at Canada House a few months ago. It’s been hugely encouraging to hear from such a broad range of independent music events who recognise the benefits of championing more female artists across their stages.”
PRS Foundation was honoured with the charity award at the Music Week Awards.
Rebecca Stewart of Cambridge Folk Festival added: “Cambridge Folk Festival is delighted to be part of the Keychange initiative, especially as we currently aim for a 50:50 balance on the line-up and have done so for a number of years. We want to be held up as a shining example that this is possible and that if a Folk Festival can do it, then others can too. We hope it will inspire women to expect to be up there with the best and to keep fighting. And, as we are predominately a female managed festival, we want to show that women are as successful behind the scenes as well."
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