THE PROCESS
1. SIGN UP
Fill out this form to notify us that you want to discuss details and sign the pledge.
2. Share
Share your pledge with your fans, followers, peers and partners, and encourage them to take the pledge too.
3. Engage
Play an active part in the Keychange community.
PLEDGE ACTION PLAN
#TargetedActionWorks
Keychange shares an update on the progress of the Keychange Pledge and reveals its Pledge Action Plan outlining next steps. Featuring feedback provided by more than 200 global pledge signatories over 5 years, the Pledge Action Plan has been created by Keychange based upon data analysis provided by Erasmus University Rotterdam. Read more and access the Action Plan by clicking the button below.
Keychange Pledge Research Report
Following on from the Pledge Action Plan, we are proud to bring you the full Keychange Pledge Research Report! We would also like to take a moment to thank our signatories for their contributions to the research.
Further signs of progress include the expansion of the Keychange Pledge to the wider music industry is the right direction and the next priority for the movement. As of 2022, 40.5% of the 613 Keychange Pledge signatories are festivals, 9.1% are Associations (organisations, trade bodies), 8% are management and/or booking agencies and 6.9% represent concert halls and venues. Festivals, venues, promoters, booking agents, record labels, companies, organisations, education institutes, broadcasters and more - we encourage everyone to take the Keychange Pledge and work with us towards a gender balanced music industry.
Why a Pledge?
Representation of women and gender expansive talent in the music industry remains very low in all European countries. Across the participating countries’ collecting societies, women represent 20% or less of registered composers and songwriters. Earnings for women are even lower and women and gender expansive people are underrepresented in leadership roles across the industry and on stages at festival programmes.
The Keychange Pledge represents a collective effort to change this landscape. Through the Keychange Pledge, Keychange is building a network of music festivals and organisations who are committed to achieving and transforming representation throughout the music industry.
Take the Pledge
We are inviting all music organisations to take the Keychange Pledge. As all festivals and organisations are unique, we ask each pledge signatory to outline their own ambitions when signing the pledge.
- Orchestras could use the 50% target for composers commissioned and/or number of players, number of principal players, balance of senior staff
- Concert halls could look at line-ups on stage (as our Keychange festivals have) or other aspects of their organisation e.g. senior staff, backstage staff
- Conservatoires could look at students, lecturers, senior staff teams, live music programmes, visiting musicians
- Agents, publishers and labels may want to look at the balance of artists they sign
- Other charities or trade bodies could also consider the make-up of their Board and staff whilst pledging to encourage its members to sign up to Keychange as well
- Broadcasters could use the pledge to look at the guests they invite onto their shows or presenters and music broadcast
- Publications and those employing editorial staff could apply the Keychange pledge when commissioning writers, editors, photographers etc.
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Organisations with youth groups or education programmes may also want to apply a Keychange pledge to this area of their work
We strongly believe that the target needs to be defined and owned by the festivals and organisations themselves and we will collate data annually to help measure progress
All Keychange Pledge signatories are also encouraged to submit pledges to address intersectional barriers alongside their commitments to improving gender representation. Here are some examples of what that could look like:
- Companies and organisations can commit to meaningful recruitment in outreach to increase different gender, socio-economic, disability, racial and cultural backgrounds of their staffing.
- Companies and organisations can commit to pay transparency at all levels.
- Labels, studios, venues, festivals and organisations can commit to equitable representation of racially and culturally diverse staff, artists signed, lineups, speakers, etc.
- Labels, studios, venues, festivals and organisations can commit to proportional representation of D/deaf, disabled and chronically ill, (including those with mobility impairment, those with sensory impairment such as loss of sight and hearing, those with an intellectual disability, and those living with chronic illness), artists signed, lineups, speakers etc.
- Commit to a sustainable approach in all your respective activities (e.g. venues/festivals providing e-tickets, digitised advertising, recycling waste)
Join The Keychange Network
By taking the pledge, you will become a part of the Keychange network, comprising 650+ festivals and organisations that are working towards equal representation in the music industry.