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The pressure to diversify lineups is coming from multiple angles: public expectation is increasing on programmers to book more inclusively, and talent themselves are putting inclusion riders in their performance agreements.
The pressure to diversify lineups is coming from multiple angles: public expectation is increasing on programmers to book more inclusively, and talent themselves are putting inclusion riders in their performance agreements.
Demand for under-represented acts isn't going away.
Demand for under-represented acts isn't going away.
See a sample of the continuous media coverage on the issue here.
Examine your assumptions
Examine your assumptions
... about which acts and which promoters sell tickets.
Dig into your demographic data. Do you notice any changes to your audience demographics when you program differently?
If you've never programmed differently... how do you know what impact it has on your sales?
Why do you think the genres you're active in are so homogenous? Is one kind of person simply inherently more talented? Or is it more likely that there are conditions that encourage or discourage certain kinds of people from participating?
Ask yourself what your purpose as a venue is: Are you here to make money? To connect people to new music? To build community? All of the above? Then ask yourself what kind of responsibility you have as a gatekeeper of culture.
Learn about why representation is important.
What you can do:
What you can do:
Commit to prioritising space for bookings that have more diverse lineups and audiences.
Proactively seek out promoters who program like this, and proactively seek to book artists from under-represented communities.
Put an inclusion rider component into your venue booking contract to encourage or require promoters to book inclusive lineups inside your venue.
Make sure your venue is a safe and welcoming space for the communities you're trying to engage. If women or BIPOC or queer folks feel unwelcome in your venue, fresh young talent from those groups aren't going to play shows for you or put money over your bar.
Make inclusivity and diversity part of your organisation or event's value statement. Codifying a commitment in writing is a helpful anchor point to revisit on a regular basis as well as a lens you can apply to tricky decision-making situations.
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