As a largely freelance community of working musicians, the absence of systems and structures that would normally protect workers are missing. Photo: Shutterstock.
The Musicians’ Union welcomes this new report, which represents the most significant evidence base gathered through research on this topic, which we are well aware of through our case work.
The report recommendations and findings only reinforce our calls for governments to act further on the Misogyny in Music Inquiry report, which we have been lobbying for since its publication. Change is possible, but we need legislative reform, better pathways for justice, and better protections for all freelance workers.
The report shares stark findings on the rate of experiencing sexual violence and harassment – 81% of 409 survey respondents reported such experiences, and for 78% it was not a single incident.
It is on all of us to contribute to building a more accountable music industry
We are deeply concerned at the rates of younger musicians experiencing harm during their formative years of learning and entering the music industry. We know that calling out problems as precarious and early-career workers is more difficult, and that this only compounds the issues around low rates of reporting and accountability. As a largely freelance community of working musicians, the absence of systems and structures that would normally protect workers are missing.
As the report evidences, perpetrators of harm are most often colleagues and peers in a small musical community, so it is on all of us to contribute to building a more open, trustworthy and accountable music industry.
It needs to feel safer for people to come forward outside of anonymised frameworks if we are to see justice in individual cases and with individual perpetrators, and we’re just not there yet.
This work is urgently needed
This research reaffirms the need for the new Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), which is currently seeking investment to enable it to do essential work tackling bullying and harassment within the creative industries.
CIISA has already set out its Standards Framework, built with input from across the creative industries. The CIISA Standards outline expectations around safety, wellbeing and behaviour for everyone who works in the creative industries, and we would welcome the adoption of these standards by the Scottish folk music community.
MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl said: “Sadly, the Musicians' Union's SafeSpace service for musicians and other music industry workers experiencing sexual harassment and abuse is as busy as ever.
“The Employment Rights Act, recently passed by the UK Government in Westminster, will strengthen rights for many workers but Labour have also pledged to improve protections for freelancers, which is the next step in delivering their New Deal for Working People. This work is urgently needed. We also hope all industry organisations will step up to fund CIISA so it can build on the important work it's started”.
Read the full report.