Keychange Announce New And Bespoke Gender-Diversity in Radio Project
Keychange is pleased to announce a new project titled “Gender Diversity In Radio” conceived in partnership with Linecheck and the British Council bringing forth the expertise and knowledge of women and gender-diverse people in the realm of digital radio.
A total of six music and sound creators and changemakers from the Keychange network will take part in the “Gender Diversity in Radio'' project which is a Keychange collaboration with Linecheck’s Ascolto programme and British Council’s Selector Radio led by PRS Foundation.
With women and gender-diverse people still being a minority in the realm of digital radio, three persons from the UK, two from Italy and one from the EU, in addition to two Selector Radio representatives are meeting in Milan following a nomination process by all partners. The aim is to provide a fertile space for knowledge exchange and increase awareness of practices, challenges, shortcomings and opportunities in the sphere of digital radio under the banner of Linecheck’s ASCOLTO programme.
We are excited to share that the nominated final participants are:
Margherita DeValle (IT)
Estelle Birch (UK)
Samantha Lippett (UK/LT)
Kikelomo Ouledmi (UK/DE)
Claudia Franco (SP)
Alice Salvalai (IT)
Taking place over two days in Milan, Italy, the programme includes a panel discussion titled “Gender-diversity in Radio” hosting Sian Eleri (Welsh radio DJ and television presenter) and Hayley Clark (Radio & Podcast Producer) as part of the Selector Radio presence at Linecheck.
The programme also includes networking opportunities, workshops and listening sessions presented by participants of the network meeting to open discussions around achieving a more equitable radio community. The event will see the gathering of cca 30 web and community radios from around the world.
London based artist, activist, DJ and close Keychange collaborator Madame Gandhi will deliver a performance as part of the programming, and both festival attendees and participants will experience showcases as part of the British Council’s Selector Radio programme presented by Sian Eleri and Hayley Clarke (producer).
We are looking forward to seeing everyone come together within this exciting brand new project supported by The British Council.
Christina Hazboun, Keychange Project Manager at PRS Foundation says:
“The radio space is closely linked to the world of music and is an integral part of it. Building on the belief of intersectionality within the music industry, we have planned this brand new project to focus on women and gender-diverse people broadcasting and producing for different radios. Our exciting collaboration with Linecheck’s ASCOLTO programme and the British Council makes space for acknowledging more technical aspects within the music industry and brings everyone together under one sky”.
Shannon-Latoyah Simon, Music Relationship Manager, The British Council, says:
“We’re really pleased to be working in partnership with Keychange, PRS Foundation, and Linecheck to support their ASCOLTO programme. In today’s rapidly evolving musical landscape, it’s vital for us to work together to strengthen the music ecosystem by amplifying the voices of women and gender-diverse people in radio production and broadcast. The programme will bring together a group of UK and international pioneering and diverse music leaders to strengthen networks and pave the way for a more inclusive future in music.”
Federico Zonno, ASCOLTO, Linecheck, says:
“Keychange has been such an important partner in developing this year’s edition of ASCOLTO. This collaboration pushes us to work towards creating a more equitable and diverse music ecosystem for all. Digital and Community Radios, can be the alternative to a music industry too often built on algorithms rather than passion; they put people, scenes, communities in the first place, protecting them, championing them, supporting their development. We want to work together, with partners like Keychange, to support their mission, one broadcast at a time.”
About The Partners:
ASCOLTO at Linecheck Festival
ASCOLTO is a format created by Linecheck with the aim of offering a platform for community radios worldwide, to meet, discuss and showcase their talent. Since 2021, ASCOLTO has hosted almost 20 community radios, building an international community of cultural operators, music lovers and activists.
Strengthening international cooperation as well as supporting advocacy and sustainability in community radios are some of the key topics discussed during the summit. In May 2024, Linecheck was invited to present ASCOLTO in France, during Nuits Sonores.
Keychange is a global network and movement working towards a total restructure of the music industry in reaching full gender equality. Keychange consists of collaborating partners in Europe, Canada and the US, working proactively to make this change.
Since 2000 PRS Foundation has given more than £47 million to over 8,900 new music initiatives. 5 out of the last 6 Mercury Prize winners had received PRS Foundation support (including recent winner Ezra Collective) and the charity has supported BRITS, RPS, AIM and Ivors Award-winners.
PRS Foundation supports outstanding talent from all backgrounds, covering the whole of the UK and all genres, with grantee success stories including Little Simz, Wolf Alice, Dave, Sam Fender, Years & Years, AJ Tracey, Anna Meredith, Yola, Glass Animals, Ezra Collective, Jade Bird, Ghetts, Shiva Feshareki, Sarathy Korwar, Floating Points, Nadine Shah, The Fanatix, Imogen Heap, IDLES, Kae Tempest, Kojey Radical and Emily Burns.
Widely respected as an inclusive, collaborative and proactive funding body, PRS Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity through direct grants to music creators and through support for pioneering organisations, including venues, festivals, promoters and other talent development organisations. PRS Foundation founded the Women Make Music fund, co-founded global gender equality initiative, Keychange and most recently launched the POWER UP initiative to tackle anti-Black racism in music.
Selector Radio picks out the best new UK music each week and shares it with four million listeners around the world. It’s a show we’ve been producing at the British Council since 2001 and it continues to connect a global audience to the ever-changing sounds of UK culture. The show shines a light on scenes, festivals, towns and cities up and down the UK, to bring you anything and everything that’s exciting right now. We take you on a virtual tour of the UK, dropping you into the heart of cities like Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow to listen to the best emerging talent.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022-23 we reached 600 million people.