IQ101

IQ’S FIRST PRIDE TAKEOVER EDITION

LGBTIQ+ LIST 2021 THE LIVE INDUSTRY’S QUEER PIONEERS

PRIDE & PREJUDICE LOUD & PROUD Live music as social activism

101 An ILMC Publication JULY 2021 | £25 | €25

The agencies’ stars of tomorrow

At Live Nation Entertainment we count ourselves lucky to work with some of the finest LGBTQIA+ artists to bring their creativity, vision and expression to fans at concerts and festivals around the world. But we know that to deliver amazing experiences like these, our workforce must be as diverse as the artists and fans we serve. This is why we strive to cultivate and celebrate a diverse workforce and culture where everyone can be themselves. This work has to extend beyond the office walls as well, and we make every effort to ensure that everyone in our community – across all underrepresented groups – is valued, respected, and treated equitably.

We’re incredibly proud of our global Employee Resource Group ‘Pride Nation’, made up of LGBTQIA+ employees and allies that educates, builds understanding and promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment for all Live Nation Entertainment employees and our surrounding communities, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Throughout Pride month, Pride Nation has been driving awareness of the history of Pride, sharing the lived experiences and perspectives of our employees, leaders and allies, promoting rising LGBTQIA+ artists on internal and external platforms, and giving our employees the opportunity to demonstrate their support.

We recognise the importance of Pride, not only for our community, but for the entire LGBTQIA+ community around the world, without whom our sector would not be the dynamic, diverse and ultimately unifying force it is.

Diversify The Stage was founded by Noelle Scaggs, co-lead vocalist of alt-pop band Fitz And The Tantrums, in the spring of 2020, with a focus on transforming the concert, events, and touring industries to increase more diverse representation.

The organization counts on the support of industry professionals and artists to collectively and actively build a culture of accountability that establishes more inclusive hiring practices and greater access to equitable opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ); Female-identifying and Gender Nonconforming individuals. In less than a year, Diversify The Stage has set forth long-term change by partnering with the like minded Community Engagement organizations like Music Forward Foundation, SoundGirls, Women In Music and She Is The Music to create educational and mentorship programs followed by paid internship/apprenticeship placements, in addition to working with NeverFamous.com to create a technical solution to hiring qualified touring staff. Diversify The Stage has gained support from the biggest players in the industry, including Live Nation, Live Nation Urban, WME, UTA Music, Azoff Company, Elektra and Atlantic Records, The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), The Event Safety Alliance, Roadies Of Color United, lighting collective EVEN Network, as well as, stage suppliers and designers Clair Global and TAIT.

IQ101 CONTENTS

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18 NEWS

FEATURES

COMMENT AND COLUMNS

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Index In Brief The main headlines over the last month Analysis Key stories and news analysis from around the live music world

Loud & Proud Highlighting some of the queer acts that could – and should – be coming soon to a venue near you The LGBTIQ+ List To mark IQ’s first Pride edition, we profile 20 LGBTIQ+ pioneers whom eveyone should have in their contacts Pride & Prejudice Lisa Henderson talks with artists and professionals who risk their lives to help change attitudes in intolerant nations and learns of the true power of live music as social activism

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Strength in Numbers Raven Twigg reflects on her coming-out and the creation of the Women Connect collective How to Become an Effective Ally Tour manager Lotje Horvers shares her tips for allyship in the workplace IPM Production Notes Having transitioned, Laura Nagtegaal shares her unique perspective of the industry’s sexism problems Your Shout What's your favourite Pride moment?

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PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION

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t feels oddly fitting that IQ’s first-ever Pride takeover edition happens to be issue 101 – the number associated with an essential education. I think I can speak for the entire team when I say that the process of making this magazine has been exactly that – even for myself as a queer person. And I must thank Live Nation and Ticketmaster for supporting our inaugural Pride edition, because without their backing none of this would have been possible.

Throughout this process, I’ve felt very aware of all the things I don’t know about what it means to be queer in this industry, and how my incomplete knowledge could lead me to making mistakes. I was so nervous of getting it ‘wrong’ – of accidentally assuming pronouns, of misrepresenting my interviewees’ experiences, of asking triggering questions.

Guess what? I did make a mistake. Fortunately, the recipient of my mistake was gracious in educating me on what I did wrong and, ultimately, the exchange turned out to be the single most enlightening experience of this process. I hope that reassures nonqueer people in the industry to know that even queer people have a lot to learn and even queer people make mistakes. This edition served as an essential education for me and I’m hoping it’ll do the same for you, too, whoever you are.

So, educate yourself on how to be an effective ally with Lotje Horvers’ instructional guide on page 15; pay attention to the challenges of artists and promoters in conservative countries on page 36; and learn from Laura Nagtegaal’s undeniable testimony of sexism, transphobia and toxic masculinity on page 16.

Once you’ve used this magazine as your handbook for being a better ally, use it as your Rolodex. This issue reveals the finest queer talent both offstage and onstage, according to you, the international live music business. The LGBTIQ+ List 2021 (page 24) comprises the outstanding queer professionals in the international live music business, as nominated by you and verified by our esteemed steering committee. Loud and Proud (page 18) highlights burgeoning queer talent, selected by our world-renowned partner agencies.

Within these features is your next collaborator, mentor, mentee, headline act, colleague or ally. Now you know their faces, now you know their contact details, there’s no excuse for not widening your recruitment pool or diversifying your stage – not even the fear of ‘getting it wrong.’ If we want to keep the international live music business on its toes and fight for a more diverse and inclusive industry, we should be aiming for progress, not perfection.

ISSUE 101 LIVE MUSIC INTELLIGENCE IQ Magazine Unit 31 Tileyard Road London, N7 9AH info@iq-mag.net www.iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0300 Twitter: @iq_mag Publisher ILMC and Suspicious Marketing Editor Gordon Masson News Editor Jon Chapple Staff Writer Lisa Henderson Advertising Manager Steve Woollett Design Rather Nice Design Sub Editor Michael Muldoon Head of Digital Ben Delger Contributors Lotje Horvers, Laura Nagtegaal, Raven Twigg Editorial Contact Gordon Masson gordon@iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0303 Advertising Contact Steve Woollett steve@iq-mag.net Tel: +44 (0)20 3743 0304 ISSN 2633-0636

GUEST EDITOR Magazine

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IN BRIEF INDEX The concert business digest

JUNE John Sharkey, executive vicepresident of European operations for leading venue operator ASM Global, announces his departure from the company after seven years.

Governments in Denmark and Norway start organising large-scale test events to determine how large gatherings can take place during the pandemic.

Fieldlab Evenementen reveals the findings from three months’ worth of pilot events in the Netherlands.

The International Festival Forum announces a physical, non-socially distanced event in London this September, complemented by an online pass for delegates who are unable to travel.

Luxembourg’s Rockhal scales up its pilot concerts from 100 to 600 people per night, as part of the Because Music Matters initiative.

Barclaycard Arena Hamburg welcomes spectators for the first time in over a year for a series of tests.

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Dutch music venues are permitted to reopen from 5 June, when the country enters step three of the government’s reopening plan.

Belgian live entertainment giant Sportpaleis Group is given the green light to open its pop-up arena in the coastal area of Middelkerke this July.

Chinese post-punk band Re-TROS make history with the biggest rock show in China since the beginning of 2020.

Finnish metal band Nightwish are joined by more than 150,000 fans from 108 countries for their virtual concert experience.

Promoters buy into Oz ticket marketplace Tixel.

Laneway Festival, the much-loved Australasian touring festival, joins the TEG family.

WME parent company Endeavor posts a small profit of $2.4million (€2m) in the first quarter of 2021.

Hearby launches gig guide that will cover 36+ UK cities.

Live Nation appoints Nicole Portwood to the newly created role of chief brand officer.

UAE announces it will require proof of vaccination for live events.

Jazzopen Stuttgart is on track to welcome more than 30,000 fans to open-air venues across the German city this September.

Poland’s Fest Festival is given permission to go ahead as planned, without any capacity limits, provided that attendees have had their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Belgium gives green light for 75,000-capacity open-air festivals.

Sky Festivals, the largest festival owner in Norway, acquires Stavernfestivalen.

Barcelona-based TiketBlok says it has developed an app that makes it possible to identify everyone who attends a major event through their mobile phones.

Plans are underway for a summer concert for 60,000 people in New York’s Central Park.

Paris’s Accor Arena hosts 5,000 people with no social distancing for Ambition Live Again.

The South African Roadies Association hits out at the loose regulations governing live event production in South Africa.

Israel’s successful Covid-19 vaccination programme allows event organisers in the country to operate as they did back in 2019.

A number of music businesses and associations mark the oneyear anniversary of the Blackout Tuesday/#TheShowMustBePaused campaign.

An American inventor patents a new thermometer design he says will allow the taking of temperature readings without physical contact at live events.

The UK’s live entertainment community holds its breath for the government’s long-awaited 14 June Covid briefing.

Austrian promoters and festival organisers prepare to relaunch activities in July.

UK promoter Magnitude Live launches.

French live music associations initiate a push for their members to be allowed to reopen at full capacity.

In Brief

GET INVOLVED Employers’ association WNP and trade body VSCD join forces ahead of live music’s return to the Netherlands.

Tixxy, the start-up predictive concert recommendation service, expands its team with three new members of staff.

Sławomir Worach is named as the new chairman of MAKiS, which operates both the Widzew Stadium and the Atlas Arena, in Łódź, Poland.

Research by LIVE reveals even a four-week delay would cause £500m (€585m) of economic devastation to venues, festivals, and touring companies in the UK. Sir Elton John calls on the British government to take advantage of the current window of opportunity to solve the Brexit crisis facing emerging artists.

Female urinals are developed to eliminate festival queues.

Attitude is Everything publishes a ten-point ‘live music checklist’ to help ensure deaf, disabled and neurodivergent fans are made welcome.

Live events will be permitted at full capacity in the Netherlands and Denmark.

TicketSwap raises $10m (€8.4m) in its first funding round.

Verbraucherzentrale NRW (the Consumer Advice Centre of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany), brings legal action against CTS Eventim.

A new series of pilot events in Germany aims to convince authorities to allow open-air raves, following the success of earlier test shows.

The British government confirms that live entertainment businesses will have to endure another month of closure.

Irish concert businesses receive €25m in summer funding.

Goodlive Artists, the booking and touring division of Berlin-based Goodlive, launches Goodlive Artists Austria in Vienna.

Metallica sue Lloyd’s of London over postponed tour losses.

Danny Wimmer Presents acquires Billy Alan Productions, a leading booker of talent for Native American-run casinos.

UK festivals including Black Deer in Kent are forced to call off their 2021 events at the last minute after the government U-turn.

Former APA staffers, Steve Martin and Andy Somers, launch Paladin Artists in the UK and the US. DEAG’s Kilimanjaro announces acquisition of promoter UK Live.

UTA signs Grammy-nominated artist Demi Lovato for worldwide representation in all areas.

Germany’s LEA honours the biggest and best events of 2019.

Spain’s Mallorca Live will hold a pilot concert later this month using the local health passport to do away with social distancing.

Tour manager and health and wellbeing specialist Suzi Green commissions a series of resilience workshops for the international live music industry.

The first Manchester Arena Inquiry report identifies several missed opportunities it claims could have lessened the impact of the attack.

ASM Global expands partnership with Ticketmaster.

Indian ticketing giant BookMyShow lays off another 200 employees as coronavirus restrictions continue to hurt demand for live entertainment and cinema.

UK government is savaged in parliament over Brexit ‘no deal’ for music.

Serbia’s Exit festival will launch a new open-air event, Sunland, in Bulgaria next month.

Scientific data from pilot concerts in five European countries, most recently Belgium, demonstrate that live events do not accelerate infection.

Casey Wasserman says his company’s experience in working with brands will be the number one opportunity for its many new artist clients.

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UK industry bodies write to the prime minister regarding what they describe as crippling staff shortages across large parts of the UK economy.

The O2 is set to become the first real-world arena to get its own venue in Fortnite.

Seven people, including five police officers, are injured on Friday night as police break up an illegal rave in Brittany.

Tomorrowland 2021 hangs in the balance after local authorities decree the dance music festival would not be allowed to go ahead.

Download Pilot – the UK’s first major camping festival of its kind since lockdown – is hailed a resounding success.

Joss Stone signs with ICM Partners for worldwide representation.

Facebook will not charge a fee to content creators for at least the next two years, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces.

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Analysis

UK LIVE INDUSTRY HITS BACK AS BRITISH GOV STALLS ON RETURN

Download was able to host 10,000 guests for a weekend camping festival, as part of the UK’s test event programme

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n mid-June, the British government confirmed that live entertainment businesses would have to endure another month of closure, after deciding that the 21 June date on its roadmap to recovery should be delayed while it deals with the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The devastating decision places numerous businesses in jeopardy, wiping an estimated 5,000 concerts, festivals and events from the calendar and costing the UK industry hundreds of millions of pounds in lost revenues.

The music industry, as well as theatre businesses, have repeatedly called on the government to outline the scientific basis for its decision to maintain restrictions on events.

“The Events Research Programme (ERP) pilot events were supposed to be the key to getting back to full-capacity live performance, and we understand that there were only 15 cases out of 58,000 attendees – although government is refusing to either publish the full report or to allow the sector to open up with the carefully planned precautions, which we have been planning and putting in place for months,” says Lucy Noble, chair of the National Arenas Association.

Despite portions of the ERP economic impact assessment being leaked to the media, the govern-

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ment refused calls from many MPs in a debate on Tuesday, 22 June to release the report in full.

Live music industry body LIVE (Live music Industry Venues and Entertainment) and a range of theatre businesses have now commenced legal proceedings against the UK government to force it to hand over the report from the ERP. Stuart Galbraith, CEO of Kilimanjaro Live and co-founder of LIVE, said: “The live music industry has been very willing to work with government for the last year to show that our industry can operate safely. But it is intolerable that after running pilot shows for the government’s ERP, at our own cost, we have been blocked from seeing the results, leaving the whole sector in limbo with the real chance that the entire summer could collapse for the second year running.

“Even now, the live music sector has no idea

what the rest of the summer brings, and we are left with a complete inability to plan ahead due to the government’s continued unwillingness to provide some form of insurance to enable events to move forward.”

While the lawsuit focuses on forcing the government to release the findings of its pilot programme, the legal papers also criticise the lack of guidance for the forthcoming final stage of reopening, provisionally scheduled for 19 July.

Several UK festivals, including Kendal Calling, Truck, and Let’s Rock, have cited the non-release of the ERP data and lack of guidance as two reasons for cancelling their 2021 events.

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) estimates that 51% of all UK festivals 5,000 cap and over have now been cancelled.

“The Events Research Programme (ERP) pilot events were supposed to be the key to getting back to full-capacity live performance, and we understand that there were only 15 cases out of 58,000 attendees” Lucy Noble | National Arenas Association

Analysis

TOMORROWLAND NEVER COMES

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wo months out, the 2021 edition of Tomorrowland has finally been called off, after ministers failed to convince the local town mayors to allow it to go ahead.

Despite a last-minute plea from the prime minister of Flanders, the mayors of the towns of Boom and Rumst, where the 70,000-capacity festival has taken place since 2005, are unmoved in their decision not to grant Tomorrowland a permit to go ahead, citing concerns about the safety of local residents.

Although the Belgian government has cleared 75,000-capacity festivals from 13 August 2021, Tomorrowland – which was scheduled for 27-29 August and 3-5 September – sadly confirmed that mayors Jeroen Baert (Boom) and Jurgen Callaerts (Rumst) had decreed that the event, the world’s largest dance music festival, would not be allowed to go ahead this summer.

While Flemish minister of the interior and society Bart Somers said on 24 June that Tomor-

rowland would not have to pay back in full the €1.8million aid it received from the Flemish government earlier this year, the cancellation still leaves the festival in financial trouble, according to a spokesperson. “[It] is a lot of money and we are very happy with the support, but it is a drop in the ocean,” Debby Wilmsen tells The Brussels Times, adding that the festival has already cancelled orders worth €50m.

“We were starting up already,” she explains.

“The main stage was finished, we had to pay the advances for ordering materials, the delivery of the wristbands had been ordered, 140 people were working full-time to make the festival, artists were booked… Organising a festival like Tomorrowland costs a lot of money, and a lot of things have to be paid in advance.”

The cancellation of the festival leaves Pukkelpop (19–22 August) as the last remaining major music festival in Flanders in 2021.

INDUSTRY FACES STAFF SHORTAGES

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s live music prepares to get back to business, industry bodies in the UK, the Netherlands, France and elsewhere have sounded the alarm over the impending labour shortage.

UK industry bodies including LIVE (Live music Industries Venues and Entertainment), the Concert Promoters Association, the Events Industry Forum and the UK Crowd Management Association have written to the prime minister regarding what they describe as crippling staff shortages across large parts of the UK economy.

The live entertainment and events associations are joined by trade bodies representing other sectors, including hospitality, food and drink and retail, in calling for government action to help remediate the situation, with the letter suggesting that EU workers could be allowed to return on a short-term basis to help fill the empty roles.

“While the overall picture is complex, one short-term solution with immediate benefit would be to temporarily ease immigration requirements for the large numbers of workers, par-

ticularly from the EU, who have returned to their homelands during the lockdowns. This has contributed greatly to the shortfalls,” reads the letter.

“A relaxation of the rules does not need to be open ended but it needs to happen quickly if we are to support the recovery of the UK economy.”

The letter comes as entertainment and hospitality businesses in other countries also claim they are facing a staff shortage as they begin to reopen this summer.

In the Netherlands, live music association VNPF is warning that the industry will likely be short of staff when full-capacity shows restart later this year, with many professionals having left the industry over the past 16 months.

Both venues and festivals are short of people, VNPF director Berend Schans tells NU.nl, with the former sector having laid off an average of 20% of their staff last year and the latter probably even more. “Exact figures are lacking, but because that industry [festivals] has been hit even harder than venues, and they have received relatively less government support, I would say that the situation there is even more serious, especially in view of the lay-offs at Mojo Concerts

MVT HONOURS FRANK TURNER MVT principals Mark Davyd and Beverley Whitrick presented Frank Turner with Outstanding Achievement for Grassroots Music Venues Award 2020 atop the O2 arena in London

and ID&T, for example.”

Similarly, France, the United States and New Zealand are all facing post-pandemic labour shortages, particularly in the hospitality sector, and while the issue has been exacerbated by Brexit in the UK, experts have been warning of shortages for months.

The UK Door Security Association (UKDSA) said back in March that venues and clubs could face trouble reopening as planned following an exodus of security staff during the pandemic. In addition to EU workers who have gone home, many qualified door staff were forced to find work elsewhere when venues were closed in March 2020.

According to the Security Industry Authority (SIA), over a quarter of the UK’s total security workforce were non-UK nationals in 2018. The UKDSA estimates that over half of the vacancies in the sector may be left unfilled when business restarts gets back to normal later this summer.

“This will need a government intervention to ensure that the industry has the ability to provide enough staff,” says Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association. Concerning new elements in the SIA door supervisor licence which require more training for door staff, Kill adds: “While the training is welcomed, it is not timely given the current economic situation across most of the sector, and consideration needs to be given to it being pushed back to 2022.”

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Analysis

A TESTING TIME FOR SOME

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hile scientific data from pilot concerts have helped many European countries get back to business, others are still trying to determine how live events can take place during the pandemic.

Spain’s Mallorca Live will hold a pilot concert later this month using the local health passport to do away with social distancing.

The show, featuring Barcelona-based band Sidonie, will take place on 25 June at Antiguo Aquapark in Calvià, Mallorca, with 5,000 people, all of whom will have their health status certified by the Certificado Digital Covid (Digital Covid Certificate), the Balearic Islands’ digital health ‘passport’.

To gain entry to the venue, all patrons will have had to have received a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (interestingly, only a single dose is required), or to be immune after having recovered from the disease, or to have had a negative later-flow or PCR test in the previous 72 hours.

Unlike at previous events in Spain, the all-standing audience of 5,000 will not be divided into sectors, but they will be required to wear a mask at all times.

The show was previously organised as a seated, socially distanced event. Promoter Mallorca

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Live says that those who already have tickets and aren’t comfortable being in the pilot will be offered a full refund.

Elsewhere, in Germany, academics, associations and festivals in Lower Saxony are aiming to prove that open-air dance music events may be held safely this summer with a new pilot project, Back to Dance, which began Friday 18 June.

An initiative of Fuchsbau Festival, SNNTG Festival, local industry associations such as Musikland Niedersachsen, MusikZentrum Hannover and KlubNetz, and Hannover’s Leibniz University, the Back to Dance events will take place over four days (18 June and 2, 3 and 4 July) in four different settings, with scientists from Leibniz University in Hannover and the Hannover Department of Health examining the impact of each format on the risk of infection with Covid-19.

The pilot will look particularly at effects of

dancing on the transmission of aerosols, with organisers noting that, for both promoters and fans, dance music events are “simply unthinkable without guests having permission to dance.”

As scientists are testing different formats, masks were compulsory for the first event, on 18 June, while alcohol is available for all shows except those on 2 July. All eight events (two each day) will take place in the inner courtyard of MusikZentrum Hannover (pictured). All visitors must be at least 18 years old and have produced a negative Covid-19 test within 12 hours of attending the event (even those who are already fully vaccinated against Covid-19).

Organisers will make use of Germany’s Corona-Warn-App for contact-tracing purposes during and after the shows, which will feature a mix of live DJs and recorded electronic dance music.

The pilot will look particularly at effects of dancing on the transmission of aerosols, with organisers noting that, for both promoters and fans, dance music events are “simply unthinkable without guests having permission to dance”

Analysis

EUROPEAN MARKETS SET TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS

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rance, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, and the UK have set a date this summer for the resumption of non-socially distanced shows.

In France, there will be no capacity restrictions on open-air concerts and festivals from 30 June. The news follows sustained lobbying by industry associations and the success of the Ambition Live Again pilot concert.

As of next Wednesday, concert organisers will be able to do away with social distancing, and the current attendance cap of 5,000 people for outdoor events. Indoor shows, meanwhile, remain limited to 75% of capacity.

All events of more than 1,000 people must ask for attendees’ pass sanitaire, the French health passport, certifying that they have had either both vaccines, or a negative Covid-19 test in the last 48 hours. Masks are advised but not compulsory.

Previously, outdoor festivals in France were limited to 5,000 people, seated, with social distancing equivalent to a space of 4m² for each festivalgoer – restrictions that forced the cancellation of festivals including Hellfest and Rock en Seine.

In Belgium, the country’s federal government has announced that large-scale events of up to 75,000 people may take place from 13 August.

In a press conference on Friday 4 June, Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke confirmed that mass events held in the open air, such as festivals like Pukkelpop (66,000-cap.), would be permitted from that date, provided attendees can

Organisers of Pukkelpop are preparing to start the build for the festival’s 2021 edition

present a ‘Covid safety ticket’ (proof of full vaccination) or a negative Covid-19 test before entry.

The penultimate stage of Belgium’s easing of lockdown will commence 13 August, with the final restrictions planned to be lifted from 1 September.

Pukkelpop (19-22 August) is aiming for “full-capacity, 66,000 people a day,” organiser Chokri Mahassine told radio station Studio Brussel, adding that the festival will be “without social distancing and without masks.” Tomorrowland – which was scheduled for 27-29 August and 3-5 September – has been officially called off (see page 11).

In the Netherlands and Denmark, live events will be permitted at full capacity this month provided fans can produce proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test.

The Dutch minister for economic affairs, Mona Keijzer, announced on 11 June that ticketed events in the Netherlands may go ahead at 100% capacity after 30 June as long as attendees provide a vaccination certificate or negative test (the latter a maximum of 40 hours old). Currently, a minimum distance of 1.5 metres is required between each eventgoer.

The new rules initially apply only to ticketed single-day events, though multi-day events and overnight stays will be possible from 29 July, according to Nu.nl.

In Denmark, as of Monday, 14 June, up to 10,000 people are allowed at “public events,” AFP/Reuters reported, thanks to the country’s

Covid-19 ‘passport’, Coronapas, which certifies that the bearer has either tested negative for the coronavirus or is immune/vaccinated.

The loosening of restrictions initially applies only to outdoor events, with 11 August the date when any form of assembly limit (indoors or outdoors) is scheduled to attend, according to The Local.

Additionally, there are different rules for music compared to sport and other live events: the live music industry is currently permitted only 2,000 guests for outdoor events and in sections of 500. From 1 July it will be 2,000, in sections of 1,000, and from 15 August it will be 10,000 attendees, in sections of 2,500.

The Danish government is aiming for the Coronapas to be phased out completely by 1 October, when it is hoped enough people will be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Promoters and festival organisers in Austria are also looking forward to the resumption of full-capacity standing events, both indoor and outdoor, which will be possible from 1 July onwards.

Social distancing and masks will not be required, but event attendees will still need to meet one of three rules to gain admission: they must be vaccinated; they must be able to provide a negative Covid test; or they must be able to prove that they have recovered from a Covid infection.

The UK is set to resume non-socially distanced shows from 19 July, after the British government delayed the final stage of reopening by a month (see page 10).

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Comment

Strength in Numbers Metropolis Music promoter Raven Twigg (she, her, they) reflects on her coming-out story and how her move to London allowed her to work with other like-minded souls and create the Women Connect collective.

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his is my first Pride where I’ve felt proud to be a queer woman. Pride is about embracing your LGBTQ+ friends, colleagues, family, and neighbours not only for one month but all year round. I’m so pleased to be able to align my own identity within my work. Metropolis Music has an impressive roster bursting with diversity and inclusivity, and it’s just organically happened that way.

Our team (which feels more like a family) is reflective of the real people of London in 2021, and we’re able to filter that into the artists we naturally are drawn to. From guitar bands, to non-binary soloists, we have a beautiful spectrum of music to promote nationally.

Prior to my work with Metropolis Music, I’ve worked in offices around the world from Manchester, UK to Sydney, Australia, which have been predominantly white and cis-gendered males. My coming-out journey was delayed significantly, and in retrospect, I realise that it wasn’t helpful for me to work amongst those environments. For me to feel comfortable in an office environment, I needed to see more people like myself. Fortunately for me, I made the move to London in 2018, swore I’d only last six months before I was craving the Northern soul I’ve grown up with, but instead I ended up meeting my now girlfriend and have never looked back.

In 2019, myself and four other music biz friends, Alex Ampofo (Metropolis Music), Sian Pescow (Metropolis Music), Bre McDermott-King (Sony Music), Becky Stainton (Sony Music), birthed a networking collective named Women Connect.

Together, we have raised money for Galop, Refugee Women, Solace, MIND, and hosted events highlighting issues such as period poverty and mental health within the music industry.

Before we were forced to take a break from physical events due to lockdown restrictions, we’d just celebrated our first birthday by throwing a bash at the Sony London offices and tied it in with International Women’s Day. We heard from

so many incredible panellists and had a special performance from Izzy Bizu and DJ Ashleigh Simone. We always make sure our events are inclusive and free to attend. As a collective we have such different backgrounds, and it works harmoniously together.

Fast-forward to 2021, we have now hosted an online Back to Basics series with PRS Foundation; brought free mindfulness and yoga sessions; and collaborated with CTRL Shift on an event to teach folx DJ skills and so much more.

It’s through collectives like ours that I’ve been able to feel comfortable enough in my own skin and be inspired by the people I’m seeing around me. And that’s what we intend to bring to our following, too. By showing budding music professionals panels filled with people who look like them, sound like them, and are a similar age to them, rather than offering the perspective of CEOs of huge companies, which makes achieving career dreams feel so unreachable.

I hope to see in the future, as the world awakens to the beauty that’s within it, effortlessly inclusive global organisations who recognise the power they have to fill their teams with gender-diverse people, queer folx, and other people from marginalised communities. My sexuality, gender, or my pronouns, amongst many other things, don’t affect my capability to do a good job, but rather offer an alternative angle. Artists that organically enter my radar, are different to those that enter the radar of my colleagues, who also offer an alternative angle.

We are all fabulously different in our own huge ways and that’s the truly beautiful thing about Pride month. It’s the opportunity to learn, educate and grow together as human beings.

We’ve come a long way from the Stonewall Riots over 50 years ago, but there’s still a way to go. Get clued-up on queer culture, listen to queer artists and podcasts. Watch queer films and tv shows, make those around you feel included rather than othered. Make them feel proud.

“My sexuality, gender, or my pronouns, amongst many other things, don’t affect my capability to do a good job, but rather offer an alternative angle”

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Comment

How to Become an Effective Ally Lotje Horvers, an award-winning tour manager whose clients include Fever Ray, Robyn, Röyksopp, M83, and ionnalee; and a committee member of the Tour Production Group, shares her tips for allyship in the workplace.

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uring the last year, while working from home, I attended numerous online talks with a wide range of incredibly inspirational guest speakers, and I have followed debates during online webinars and conferences. I have been amazed at the volume of organisations and initiatives out there working on bettering the live industry.

In an effort to augment their impact, I have gathered all of their websites, podcasts and articles into a Google doc resources list. But for a more compact read, I would like to share a piece I wrote on practical tips for industry folks who want to be an ally – a person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional and positive efforts – but are not sure what they can do: LANGUAGE: Words matter. Take a critical look at your everyday language. How inclusive is it? For example, instead of ‘sound guy’ use ‘sound engineer.’ More on inclusive language here.

ASSESS: What is your company culture? Ask queer, non-white, and female staff how they feel about the culture. Do they feel respected? Do they feel they are seen as equals? Do they feel they get the same opportunities and compensation? Is language seen as inclusive? Do complaints get taken seriously and are there repercussions for offenders?

ACKNOWLEDGE: Recognise the challenges queer people and also women, Black, indigenous, and people of colour are facing in the industry on a daily basis and throughout their careers.

Believe them when they tell you of traumatising experiences.

SPEAK UP: Call others out on inappropriate behaviour and unacceptable language. Not because minorities can’t speak for themselves, but because they shouldn’t always be required to. This also goes for when they aren’t in the room. Call your employer out when they are not creating equal opportunity for all genders. When you receive praise or an award or get asked to speak at an event or panel, do a little research on the diversity of the organisation and the event, and make a stand if there is a lack of it. Share the spotlight and invite a minority colleague along.

KEEP UP: Take an interest in the subject and keep up with new initiatives such as Diversify the Stage and 3T Project. Volunteer as a mentor.

ACT: Implement a zero-tolerance policy for micro-aggressions, inappropriate behaviour and unacceptable language. Announce it, repeat it, enforce it. Yes, this should be standard, but somehow it’s not.

FACILITATE: Request a diverse crew from vendors and local crew suppliers. If they don’t have any non-straight, white, cismen on their books, perhaps this will send them a clear signal that they should. Add a diversity-and-inclusion clause to your touring rider. When hiring crew for your tour, look outside your direct network, collect diverse resumes and offer equal opportunity for career progress. Offer shadowing opportunities and internships.

NORMALISE: Don’t only invite queer people to the table/on a panel/on your podcast to discuss gender balance/diversity, but instead treat them as you would any other guests and speakers.

“Call others out on inappropriate behaviour and unacceptable language. Not because minorities can’t speak for themselves, but because they shouldn’t always be required to”

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PRODUCTION NOTES

Rewriting the Rules of Engagement Having transitioned in the live music industry, tour manager Laura Nagtegaal (she, her, hers) shares her unique perspective of the industry’s ongoing sexism problem.

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nce upon a time, there was a girl who felt terribly guilty about not being grateful for her male body, so she censored herself and subconsciously found herself the manliest job around; working in the live music industry. That woman is me.

Back in 1995, I rolled into live music, and by 2002 I went full-time. Most tours I did were as guitar tech, tour manager, or a combination of the two.

By the time I was nine or ten, I first “knew” that the doctor delivering me had made a mistake (assuming that what’s between my legs defines me), and soon after I began repressing myself and my feelings; replacing them with lethargy and robot-like behaviour.

It was only in 2016 that I could accept myself for who I am, and from then on, all sorts of “self” feelings grew stronger (esteem, worth, confidence, care) and all of that culminating in self-love. As of Valentine’s Day 2017, I closed the book on my previous persona, and by the time Easter 2019 rolled around, I was done with the medical side of transitioning.

Both on and behind the stage, my transition went smoothly at first; all my regular bands accepted Laura with open arms. The two warmest responses came from my colleague and fiancée: “Today you’re my boyfriend, tomorrow my wife,” and from a few friends: “No, you didn’t become a woman, you were always one!”

When all those bands swapped the stage for the studio simultaneously and I had to find new ones, I noticed how – as a transgender woman – sexism, trans/homophobia, and toxic masculinity seemed to seriously jeopardise my career. I went from being hired before I’d even finish saying “yes” to suddenly being asked for a resume and not getting hired.

I got subjected to the same kind of sexism women are subjected to... my skills, experience, and opinion were decimated.

I did not build a more than 25-year career with smoke and mirrors. I have proven and valuable skills, I just happen to be a woman – a transgender woman.

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I should hope that on the reverse end of that, with the same bigoted and archaic way of thinking, trans men end up on the good side of things. Cisgender men and women swapping signatures in the office experience exactly that: male to female – downgrade; female to male – upgrade. And no, transgender people don’t cost the employer more money, health care, availability, time, and loyalty.

While our names and what is or isn’t in our underwear may have changed, our skills did not.

If anything, you’ll be dealing with a mentally stronger and more self-empowered and actualised person; therefore you’ll be dealing with a more desirable person to have on your crew.

It is surprising how conservative and reluctant our supposedly progressive industry still is with regards to anyone who is not a white cishet male. What I, as a trans person, experience, is way broader than just my being trans: I am “no longer” a white cishet male.

Still, knowing that I had the courage to look in the mirror, all pretense stripped, and accept myself for who I am, absolutely obliterates the negative sides. And as a bonus, I actually like looking in the mirror nowadays.

And today, I have boundaries, respect them, and communicate them. Take it or leave it. In the times before, I’d bend over backwards.

Things are definitely getting better in the live music industry, but we still have a long way to go. Twenty years ago, if a woman was on tour, she’d most likely be doing merchandise or wardrobe. More and more tours I am on, women are in leadership and fader-pushing positions – and tours are better because of it.

The silver lining to Covid-19 pressing pause on us is that we can, and do, (re)write the rules of engagement. We had better follow our own advice, though. We need to hire for skill, professionalism and kindness, rather than for convenience and status quo (ie white cishet males). And we, the marginalised, need to want to be visible. “Visibility will, inevitably, lead to awareness. Through awareness, the path to acceptance can be found, and followed.”

28-30 SEPTEMBER 2021 600 Festivals | 300 Booking Agents | 1 Global Festival Hub Delegate passes now available For early marketing opportunities, contact Steve Woollett steve@iq-mag.net | +44 7469 872 279

LOUD & PROUD

To highlight some of the acts that are awaiting festival and headline show bookings, a number of ’s partner agencies have submitted details of LGBTIQ+ artists on their rosters. In addition to the talent showcased in the following pages, we have also compiled tracks for a special Pride Playlist, which includes submissions from ATC Live, CAA, ICM Partners, FMLY, Hometown Talent, ITB, Mother Artists, Paradigm, Primary Talent, Progressive Artists, UTA and WME.

BIG FREEDIA K AGENTS

(US)

Zoe Williamson & Christian Bernhardt, UTA

nown as the larger-than-life ambassador of New Orleans bounce music, Big Freedia is a nationally recognised hiphop artist, performer and TV personality. In addition to releasing her own critically acclaimed EPs – 3rd Ward Bounce (2018) and Louder (2020) – Big Freedia has appeared on several high-profile projects, including her cover of Judas on Lady Gaga’s Born this Way The Tenth Anniversary album (June 2021).

She also appeared on Beyoncé’s Grammy award-winning Formation and on Drake’s Nice For What, always bringing her distinctive voice and signature catchphrases to her work.

In 2011, her ascension in the music industry was chronicled on the highly rated reality show, Big Freedia Bounces Back.

She was the official host for the 2019 Met Gala IG live-stream red carpet event, and a host on 2021’s Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve TV show. Known by her fans as the “Queen Diva,” Big Freedia is a loud-and-proud advocate for racial and gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Big Freedia’s highly anticipated EP Big Diva Energy will be released in July 2021.

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Loud & Proud

JERRY PAPER J AGENT

(US)

Joren Heuvels, Hometown Talent

erry Paper is Lucas Nathan. Jerry Paper is instant coffee, bullshit jobs, weekly therapy sessions, crises of conscience, corporate mascots, 5-MeO-DMT trips, jokers down on their luck, surveillance, a jacked dad high on meth at a child’s party, apologies, trash cans, cacti, and the magic of words.

From its initial days as a DIY solo synth project in the early 2010s to its current incarnation as a five-piece band, Jerry Paper has always been the earthly conduit for the wild and uncanny imagination of its creative mastermind. Lucas began performing under the alias Jerry Paper in 2012, releasing their latest album Abracadabra via Stones Throw Records in 2020.

JOHN GRANT W AGENT

Rob Challice, Paradigm

(US)

hen 2017’s BBC Proms season at London’s Royal Albert Hall presented the Songs of Scott Walker (1967-70), bringing to life some of the most glorious, rousing and poignant songs of their era, it was almost a given that John Grant would be one of the select chosen interpreters. He was a perfect fit, possessing a similarly glorious dulcet baritone to Walker and an equal command of melody, depth and power, with lyrics that scoped out across love, pathos, tragedy and resilience with poetic candour.

Grant has collaborated in film, with songs chosen for Andrew Haigh’s film drama Weekend, HBO TV series Looking, and Daisy Asquith’s Queerama, which documented a century of LGBT+ pride and persecution. His own repertoire includes three outstanding solo albums to date, starting with 2010’s Queen Of Denmark (MOJO magazine’s Album of the Year) and 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts – which helped earn him Attitude Magazine’s Man of the Year award in 2013. 2015’s Grey Tickles, Black Pressure was a top five album in the UK, showing how Grant continues to broaden his audience.

Live, he is simply a great entertainer, whether playing as a duo, or with a full band, or a band plus orchestra, such as the Royal Northern Sinfonia or the BBC Philharmonic.

If this wasn’t enough, Grant might win awards for best singing multilinguist; alongside his mother tongue he speaks fluent German, Spanish, Russian, and now the incredibly difficult language of Iceland, which led to him providing the English translations for Icelandic superstar Ásgeir’s album In The Silence.

Grant toured with Elbow in Autumn 2017 and released his acclaimed fourth album, Love Is Magic, in October 2018. His incredible journey continues ever-upwards.

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GIRLI I AGENT

(UK)

Rob McGee, FMLY

f you describe something as ‘girly,’ it’s not necessarily the strongest,” says 22-year-old Milly Toomey. “It’s kind of derogatory. I wanted to take that back and be, like, why? I wanted to make pink punk again and reclaim the word ‘girl.'”

That feminist impulse has driven the defiant, brash, electro-pop music Milly has made under the name GIRLI since she was a teenager, earning her plaudits from The Guardian, NME, and i-D, for hit singles like Hot Mess and 2019 debut album Odd One Out, which was described as “gutsy” by The Guardian, and "unapologetic and audacious" by Clash.

Newly confident in her identity as a bisexual woman and an artist on an independent label, she’s releasing EP Ex Talk as a reintroduction to GIRLI. She's grown a lot since she first emerged at 17, not least because of how she's thrown herself into the online LGBTQ community, but also in her embrace of different sounds and styles, pushing the boundaries of what girly actually is.

“This EP is me not being afraid to make new things. Before I think I was always trapped by thinking is this GIRLI enough? Well, what is girly? I’m kind of starting from scratch, and I don't need to be boxed in.”

RINA SAWAYAMA R

© GregLinJiajie

AGENT

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Sally Dunstone, Primary Talent

(UK)

eleasing her critically acclaimed debut album, SAWAYAMA, in the height of a global pandemic was a brave decision for Rina, however her leap of faith paid off in leaps and bounds. The album has amassed over 100 million streams since release and ranked in more than 50 album of the year lists for 2020, including New York Times (#2), The Guardian (#3), Dazed (#2), Rough Trade (#3), Rolling Stone (#6), Vogue (#14), NME (#7) and a prominent feature in the BBC’s Albums of the Year, while her place as a true popstar was cemented at the end of 2020 when she made her TV debut performing single XS on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The pace hasn’t reduced in 2021. In April, Sawayama released a special rendition of Chosen Family with Elton John.

The powerful ballad explores the concept of a chosen family through a queer lens – highlighting the many members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been ostracised by their family, friends or community after coming out, but who find love and comfort in their new ‘chosen’ family.

Sawayama has already secured support slots with Years & Years and Charli XCX, while her own six-date headline tour of the UK kicks off in November, and already includes two sold-out London dates.

Loud & Proud

TAYLA PARX G AGENT

Ari Bernstein, ICM Partners

(US)

rammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and boundary breaker Tayla Parx reimagines genre, gender, feminism, popular music, and the very definition of an artist. From the onset of her career, Parx has consistently shifted perspectives on stage as a performer, behind-the-scenes as a songwriter, and on-screen as an actress in television, films and video games.

In 2019, Parx was the first female songwriter to have three simultaneous top 10 songs – Ariana Grande's 7 Rings and thank u, next; and Panic! At The Disco’s High Hopes – in the Billboard Hot 100 since 2014. Parx notably penned a total of six tracks on Grande's blockbuster album Positions, including 34+35 and pov. Not to mention co-writing the double-platinum track Love Lies for Khalid and Normani; Anderson .Paak's Tints; Dan and Shay’s Glad you Exist; Dua Lipa’s If it Ain’t Me; and four cuts from Janelle Monáe’s album Dirty Computer.

Following her breakout TaylaMade mixtape and the success of her smash Runaway (feat. Khalid), her 2019 debut album, We Need to Talk was powered by anthems such as I Want You, Me vs. Us, and Rebound. As her profile rose, she served up an unforgettable live show, night after night, on tour with the likes of Lizzo and Anderson .Paak.

Her second full-length album, Coping Mechanisms, touches on the importance of self-care. “The main topic of the album is finding yourself again,” she says. “On each project, you can hear me discover myself at different ages. On TaylaMade, I was in my early twenties. Now, I’m in my mid-twenties. This is the journey I’m going through now and how I coped with the story I told on We Need to Talk.”

RINA MUSHONGA R AGENT

Rob Gibbs, Progressive Artists

(IN)

ina Mushonga has a rich cultural background and a history of moving around. She was born in India and grew up in Zimbabwe, London and Amsterdam. It’s from this impermanent nature that Mushonga has crafted her unique, genre-defying musical approach and buzzing eclecticism.

The pop innovator weaves a glittering constellation of warped synths, Afropop rhythms and addictive, soul-lifting vocal harmonies. Her sophomore album In A Galaxy was written and recorded in London and explores themes of transformation and identity. Full of reflections on the cosmos and our place in it, Mushonga describes the album as sounding like “Paul Simon in a sweaty, African dancehall club.”

The album received stellar reviews from the likes of Pitchfork and The Independent, while the NME pegged Mushonga’s performance at The Great Escape 2019 as one of their festival highlights. For her part, Mushonga says, “I hope people find what I do refreshing and maybe even hear something new and be moved; maybe to dance, maybe to cry.”

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KING PRINCESS K AGENCY

WME

(US)

ing Princess is a singer, songwriter, and music producer.

She rose to fame in 2018 with her singles 1950 and Talia, before her debut album Cheap Queen was released in 2019.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, as Mikaela Mullaney Straus, she is the daughter of recording engineer Oliver H. Straus Jr. and Agnes ‘Aggie’ Mullaney. Her parents divorced while she was young and she spent much of her childhood following her father to work at his recording studio, Mission Sound. There she learned several instruments, including bass, guitar, piano, and drums, as well as music production techniques and insight into the music industry. Legend has it that she was first offered a record deal at the age of 11.

After high school, she moved to Los Angeles to study at the USC Thornton School of Music. However, after a year, she dropped out in favour of her music career. Early songs like Send Pix and Sunburn, before breakthrough queer love anthem 1950 became her first release for Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records label. Her debut album was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart, while last year she followed up with singles, Ohio and Only Time Makes It Human.

"I use ‘she’ as my preferred pronoun,” she says. “In my experience, ‘she’ encompasses my gender and my sexuality, which are very different. I identify as a genderqueer person, and simultaneously as a gay woman and I'm okay with those being at odds with each other sometimes.”

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT B AGENT

Phyllis Belezos, ITB

(UK)

right Light Bright Light (aka Rod Thomas) is an award-winning independent artist who is the only unsigned artist ever to have performed on Graham Norton's BBC One TV show. He has recorded and toured with Sir Elton John, Erasure and Scissor Sisters, and opened for Cher. His 2020 #1 UK dance album Fun City was written to amplify and uplift the LGBTQ+ community and featured 12 LGBTQ+ guests including Andy Bell of Erasure.

Through his live career, he has opened for heritage LGBTQ+ acts, given opening slots on his tours to upcoming LGBTQ+ artists and DJs, and used live shows to raise money – and crucially, awareness – for local independent LGBTQ+ charities in the cities he plays. He has had three Top 20 UK Independent Chart albums with no label backing, been supported by BBC Radio 2 across three album campaigns, and is now scoring an LGBTQ+ film before live shows come back into full effect.

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TODRICK HALL W AGENT

Emma Banks, CAA

(US)

e all respond to crises in different ways, but when lockdown hit, Todrick Hall knew right away what he needed to do. Which, of course, was to buy a full-size, pink, blue and yellow, 80s Ms. Pac-Man arcade machine and install it in his house. But there was something else he needed to do too. On a Monday in April, he decided to record a lockdown-themed EP, by Tuesday night he was recording the first songs, by Friday the whole thing was finished, and four days later the Quarantine Queen EP was streaming worldwide. “People tell me they see it as work ethic,” he says, “but I see it as passion. I wake up and the only thing I want to do is create.”

Upon leaving American Idol in 2009 (after reaching the semi-finals), he put his Broadway career on pause and moved to Los Angeles, reasoning he could raise his profile high enough to return to Broadway and land bigger roles. “Moving to LA was the only way I knew how to be able to come back to Broadway as a star.”

His own MTV show, Todrick, ran for precisely one season, but touring, or albums like Straight Outta Oz, Forbidden or Haus Parties, or a scene-stealing Drag Race appearance kept him in the limelight and it’s no coincidence that Todrick has become one of the planet’s most inspiring LBGTQ+ role models. “It took me such a long time to say, as a kid from Texas: ‘I’m a proud gay man, I’m African-American: this is me,’” he says.

“The only time in my life I feel completely understood is when I’m performing. When I’m making people smile and laugh, it’s my food, my energy, my fuel, my drug, my everything.”

And the next few years? His current goals involve a kids TV show, a Netflix extravaganza, and his own Broadway production.

ANJIMILE A AGENT

(US)

Colin Keenan & Stuart Kennedy, ATC Live

njimile Chithambo, known mononymously as Anjimile, is a queer and trans song maker, born and raised in Dallas but now based in Boston, Massachusetts. When it comes to composition, Anjimile draws upon everything he’s learned, from the African pop beloved by his parents, to his time in a youth choir, to later influence from Sufjan Stevens and 80s music.

Inspired by faith, addiction, and his own transition, each song on Anjimile’s debut album Giver Taker tells a small story, which together encompass a larger voyage of self-discovery.

The album was awarded one of the best 50 albums of 2020 by National Public radio in the United States.

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LGBTIQ+ LIST 2021_Feature

LIST 2021

The wait is finally over: Magazine’s first annual LGBTIQ+ List launches here and now.

The LGBTIQ+ List 2021 celebrates the outstanding LGBTIQ+ professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business. This year’s top 20, as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee, have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for a more diverse and inclusive industry – one that we can all be proud of. Drumroll please…

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STEVEN BRAINES

Pronouns: him/he/his Co-founder, HE.SHE.THEY. Based: London, UK brainzo@theweirdandthewonderful. com Linkedin.com/in/stevenbraines/ Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

In terms of HE.SHE.THEY., being the first events brand to ever be taken on

by William Morris this month is insane. Last year, nearly 2 million people tuned into our Global Pride Stream with Beatport, and in 2022 we’ll hopefully be diversifying dance floors in 20-30 countries.

We’re talking to buyers from China to Brazil and we’re still 100% independently owned by Sophia Kearney and I, which feels like a result in itself.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

One of the ways I had to act was that I wanted to be the best manager and best promoter, not just the best queer one. It’s a different mindset and one that gets me over the imposter syndrome, most of the time, and away from glass ceilings. If you treat a difference as a USP rather than a weakness you will go further as others will view the difference in that way too.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

I literally had people tell me to be “less gay” or to “tone it down because the client is a man’s man.” So, all kinds of nonsense. I don’t pander to bigots; they simply do not get to work with me or my clients and, to be honest, you can be successful and bypass them. Our clients work in 40+ countries, selling out shows and winning awards, so we’re living proof.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

People should celebrate difference rather than thinking of anything that deviates from cis, straight, white and male as some kind of problem to be overcome or feared. Our line-ups with HE.SHE.THEY. are inclusive and intersectionally diverse. It’s really easy because talent and ability is spread diversely, too, and if you book based on talent, diverse line-ups naturally occur.

A cause you support.

The closest to my heart is A Doll Like Me who make dolls of kids with limb differences and other differences so that they can play with a doll that looks like them and they don’t feel othered.

Click here for A Doll Like Me’s Gofundme page.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

The reason more cis, straight, white men play festivals and get signed to record labels is very much related to the fact that the majority of A&R’s, agents and programmers are also cis, straight, white and male. The gatekeepers need to be more diverse to allow talent supported to become more diverse, and, in turn, the audience would broaden too. We found that first-hand with our HE.SHE.THEY. events and label releases.

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SEAN HILL

Pronouns: him/he/his Director of tour marketing, UTA Based: London, UK Uk.linkedin.com/in/hillsean Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Managing and leading the promotional strategy for the Swedish House Mafia reunion in 2013 was an incredible moment in my career. It was a combination of ground-breaking experiential marketing, creative partnerships, visual artistry and a jaw-dropping live headline performance.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Persevere and never give up. I have had many rejections on my journey but you can’t lose focus of what it is you want to achieve.

I believe anyone can accomplish anything they want if they are determined.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

For me, it’s just the simple ignorant comments or stereotypes.

“That’s so gay” or “I’m surprised you’re into that.” I think those remarks stem from insensitivity, ignorance or a lack of personal experience with the LGBTQIA+ community.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Give more people a chance and widen the recruitment pool. Look in new places.

A cause you support.

AKT, a charity for LGBTQIA+ youth who are homeless or living in a hostile environment.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

More women and individuals from under-represented communities in powerful roles.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

Innovation! Let’s not go back to our old ways. It’s time to shake things up. I feel the pandemic has taught us a lot and we need to learn from that. I love that we are now using digital and mobile to improve the customer experience at events. People of all ages are coming online to purchase mobile tickets, which reduces the impact on the environment, decreases queuing times and makes everything available to you at the click of a button… even a drink during the interval at your favourite show!

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ZOE WILLIAMSON

Pronouns: she/her/hers Agent, UTA Based: Brooklyn, New York, US zoe.williamson@unitedtalent.com Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Working on and announcing Arlo Parks’ North America headline tour for this fall was a huge highlight. Seeing how much love there is in the US validated the incredible work that Arlo has poured into her music and into building an authentic and organic relationship with her fans.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Ignore the people trying to tell you to act or behave a certain way to succeed. If we’re going to make a shift in the industry, I would encourage any young queer and/or trans professionals to help break the mould of the traditional perception of “leaders.” We are the new leaders, and so anything we do is what leadership looks like.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

I’m sometimes put in situations where I’m asked to work with someone for the sole reason that they’re in the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s disappointing because at times it can feel as though I’m being paired with someone because of my identity, not because of my hard work or skillset.

Industry professionals often misgender and misunderstand sexuality, and we have to take time and energy to educate, which can be exhausting and daunting. I’m all about patience, but it’s hard to work in an industry that has been saying for years it’s going to do the work, yet year after year that work falls on us to do.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

During the pandemic, I am proud to have been a part of the launch of Justice Now, a task force within UTA’s music department that aims to reverse systemic racism in the industry through four pillars of education, mentorship, empowerment and fearless imagination.

I feel lucky to work at a company that celebrates and embraces the LGBTQIA+ community, but I want to see more of my community in the industry. I want us calling the shots; not just having a seat at the table but having a say in the decision making.

Causes you support.

For The Gworls: Instagram.com/forthegworls/ The Okra Project: Instagram.com/theokraproject/ Marsha P. Johnson Institute: Instagram.com/mpjinstitute/ The Center: Instagram.com/lgbtcenternyc/ Trevor Project: Instagram.com/trevorproject/ How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

We need to create a space for industry professionals within the LGBTQIA+ community to not feel targeted, isolated, neglected, and unsafe.

Accountability means nothing without consequences. Basically, if we don’t start telling people “You are not above consequences for your actions” and actually walking the walk on that, I don’t see this industry changing at the rate it needs to.

WILL LARNACH-JONES

Pronouns: him/he/his Managing director and head of bookings, Iceland Airwaves Based: London, UK / Reykjavík, Iceland will@icelandairwaves.is Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

I felt quite fearless with The Presets and the campaign around their 2008 album Apocalypso. It was a zeitgeist moment for the band in Australia, and some other markets. I was galvanised in my belief in the band’s music and its potential, and my conviction could not be broken.

We cracked commercial radio when no one said we would, and the album entered the charts at #1, hit triple platinum, sold more than 150,000 tickets in Australia across two tours, did all the major festivals around the world, ARIA Album of the Year, J Awards album of the Year, APRA Songwriter of the Year and so on.

I walked over fire and ice with that band. It was luck, timing and amazingly talented guys to work with, and while it was a real rollercoaster, it’s a time I now look back on with real pride.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Your life journey as a queer person has equipped you with more problem solving, truth seeking, empathy and lateral thinking than many other people. You see cultural connections and musical threads where others may not. Trust and follow your instincts and passions.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

More visibility of queer and under-represented professionals at an executive level. I really struggled to find queer mentors and individuals to look up to as I fumbled my way through my early years in the industry.

A cause you support.

I’ve invested a lot of energy in working with PRS’s Keychange programme over the past four years, striving for better representation of the gender spectrum in the music industry. I’m pleased that with the campaign in Iceland, the number of signatories has grown hugely in the last six months. Again, as a festival we like to show, not tell. We are always pushing ourselves to be more representational, and with so much talent out there, it’s not hard.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Without bullies and dinosaurs. The generation of execs who have led out of fear, favouritism and deplorable morals is coming to the end of the road. I remember sitting in meetings with phones thrown against walls, promoters calling me to tell me “you are nothing,” having strips torn off me about an artist’s physical appearance. I won’t tolerate any of this shit anymore, and I think the rest of the industry is finally seeing that you can be good at your job and still be a kind person.

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RAVEN TWIGG

Pronouns: she/her/they Promoter assistant, Metropolis Music / founder, Women Connect UK Based: London, UK raven@metropolismusic.com Linkedin.com/in/raventwigg Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

I’ve never felt any challenges with Metropolis Music, personally. We’re a very diverse and inclusive team and I’m very grateful for that. I have been told in other work environments that I ‘don’t look gay.’ I’m not sure what gay looks like, and it took me a long time to even identify with that word.

Once colleagues become aware of your sexuality, some folx will look at you differently and can never ‘unsee’ your queerness. I’ve also had my sexuality and relationship discussed like office gossip, and that set me back significantly as I struggled with understanding why others found it such a big deal, and felt extremely othered and vulnerable.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Seek out queer, trans and non-binary talent, whether that’s on an artist front or for your employment opportunities. We need to give marginalised groups a foot through the door where we can. To change the discourse of seeing the same white, cis-gendered male, indie bands littered all over festival line-ups, it starts with us. By becoming more inclusive with our Spotify streaming habits, the demands shift and marginalised groups are given a platform.

Causes you support.

London Friend. They’re an LGBTQ+ voluntary counselling service and they helped me masses over the past year in terms of “coming out” to my family and friends, accepting myself and being in a samesex relationship. It’s safe to say that without them and my counsellor, specifically, I wouldn’t be writing this so publicly for you today.

Women Connect. I have to plug our collective, of course. We are a femxle-forward collective creating safer, all-inclusive spaces, good fortune and equal opportunities for women, non-binary people and gender-fluid folx working in the creative industries and beyond.

The collective was birthed from a place of passion and the undeniable need for women in the creative industry to come together organically. We’re entirely self-funded and we aim to create a safe environment for our community.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Hopefully, very busy! The pandemic has affected our industry like no other. With the opportunity to grow and educate ourselves whilst working from home (I appreciate this isn’t the case for everyone), we’ve had more time to focus on ourselves and I truly think the industry will bounce back a stronger and kinder place.

I can already see the differences when communicating with agents and venues, we all understand the difficulties each of our areas of the industry has bore witness to and it feels so much more united.

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NADU PLACCA

Pronouns: she/her Global event & experience architect, The Zoo XYZ Based: UK nadu@thezoo.xyz Linkedin.com/in/nadu-placca-bb2b6b32/ Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Setting up The Zoo XYZ and being able to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the forefront of my career, enabling me to meet more amazing people and pass on skills and awareness to more communities across the world.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Proudly be you. This industry hosts an array of talent, characters and personas that stand confidently on our event shoulders. It’s equally important that these people are also recognised behind the scenes.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

My international work experience can be the most challenging, especially when working in countries that criminalise and fail to acknowledge basic human rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. I navigate these countries delicately, as whilst proudly loving who I love, these are still developing countries from a human rights perspective, so I use my status and power within the industry to support a more diverse event team wherever I can.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Consciously, actively and openly encourage and support more people that do not look like you into your spaces. For organisations across the industry, from the top down to grassroots-up. Everyone has a part to play.

Causes you support.

A few causes that have recently crossed my radar are: The Oasis Project & LGBT Rights Ghana. Any cause supporting the LGBTQIA+ community on the African continent deserves a platform to be amplified.

The Zoo XYZ is also raising awareness on Black event professionals; supporting all intersections of being Black in this industry through our BEEHive programme that supports Black Event Experience, and the Association of Black Event Professionals aimed at being the voice of this community across the UK event industry and beyond.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

I would like to see more women and members of my community get involved in production and other aspects of the industry that are typically held by cis white males.

We have seen how the use of technology and social media has helped the industry expand and enhance its audience on a wider scale, yet this diversity needs to be adapted to the work forces behind the scenes for the real growth of the industry.

This forced pause has been time to reflect, and I hope organisations are moving away from theoretical ways of supporting other communities and are actively embarking on change. Real change.

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MAXIE GEDGE

Pronouns: she/her Keychange project manager, PRS Foundation Based: London, UK maxie@keyhange.eu Linkedin.com/in/maxie-gravy/ Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

When I got promoted into this Keychange role, it felt like a really big step that brought all of my life experiences together for a bigger purpose.

It was so rad to host a queer dance party on the terrace of the Southbank Centre pre-pandemic with Dream Wife, Romy XX, Lil’ C and more – it was hot and packed, and everyone was dancing all day. It’s a memory I’ve cherished during this event drought.

With Keychange, taking part in Women’s Hour and travelling to Tokyo to speak about PRS Foundation were both bucket-list moments. I’m very lucky that my day-to-day work is focused on supporting under-represented voices in the music industry, so seeing them triumph is the best thing.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Find your community. I’ve been very lucky that through good times and bad, my wife, band, friends, family and colleagues have been a safe space for expression, inspiration and motivation.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person.

My vibe is transmasculine, which is quite attached to my queer identity (For me, not for everyone!). So the unconscious bias or immediate assumptions people make are often super obvious. I’ve learned to be good at dealing with awkward moments, but the constant ‘coming out’ is challenging.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

There should be better processes and stricter rules for both representation and inclusion, so that there are more LGBTQIA+ (and traditionally under-represented) people in all areas of the industry, as well as processes in place to make those environments safe.

Causes you support.

There are lots of amazing organisations combatting abuse and harrasment in the music industry right now, like the Musicians’ Union, Safe in Sound, and the work of SwiM. Pride in Music, the LGBTQIA+ work that Come Play With Me do, plus other positive action initiatives like Power Up and Girls I Rate, are all awesome. Heart n Soul are a really important and inspiring talent development organisation too.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

I hope there’s a move towards innovation and sustainability. Creating a collaborative ecosystem is essential, so every part of the music industry is valued and supported – and where that support is based on impact not income.

MARK FLETCHER

Pronouns: he/him CEO, Manchester Pride Ltd Based: Manchester, UK Linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-a1890689/ Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

In 2018, I introduced the black and brown stripes to the rainbow element of the visual identity at Manchester Pride drawing focus to the marginalisation and levels of racism experienced by LGBTQ+ people of colour. This sparked a global conversation that has highlighted the issues and led to the use of Daniel Quasars’ Progress Pride Flag to represent LGBTQ+ communities, recognising and calling out the added layers of discrimination faced by queer people of colour and trans people.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?

Always strive to be yourself, your whole self, with no apology.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Over the years, it’s become clear that some agents don’t quite understand the modern Pride movement, how important it is and what it actually means for their artists. My team and I have had to persist despite being shut down and having doors closed in our face.

More recently, seemingly spurred by the desire of artists to support our cause, we’re finding that our persistence has inspired change. Many are beginning to recognise the important social meaning behind a pride celebration and understanding the difference between our events and commercial music festivals. We’ve seen a positive change in more agents and management teams wanting to educate themselves on LGBTQ+ issues in order to better support the pride movement and their artists.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Support queer artists and take steps to recognise the issues faced by LGBTQ+ people today.

A cause you support.

The Keychange movement– Keychange.eu/.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Right now, I’d really need a crystal ball to answer this question fully.

What I can say is that the world has changed, the industry is fractured and it will take a lot of work to get the industry back to the level that we were used to and famed for within the UK. How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

I’d like to think that the world was awakened during the pandemic.

The industry was not a level playing field. I’d like to see a conscious effort made to encourage greater inclusions across the board and higher levels of respect for differences.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

The pandemic should be a reason to create an industry that works for everyone, not an excuse to lean on the old, exploitative, and discriminatory structures. We are losing talent and voices every day and we need to urgently work together to fix this broken system.

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MADDIE ARNOLD

Pronouns: she/her Associate promoter, Live Nation Based: London, UK maddie.arnold@livenation.co.uk Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

When I began promoting my own shows and building my own roster. Nothing can compare to the excitement of a gig, the spontaneity, the emotion, the sweat – they’ve been a massive part of my life since I was a kid. After a few years in different roles within the industry, I knew I had to work my way to this point, and now I am selling tickets, discovering new artists and building their careers. It’s a great feeling, daily.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Finding out who you are and what you want in life is a journey... get lost in the process, make mistakes, learn from them, try new things, don’t settle, keep persevering when you feel like giving up, surround yourself with positive people, and don’t forget to have fun along the way.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Apart from the occasional awkward silence when I tell someone new my sexuality, I am lucky enough to say my experience has been great. All the people I work with are hardworking, diverse, inclusive and kind people, and I have only ever been given support by my colleagues and managers who challenge me to do better and grow within my role.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Keep going. Diversity and inclusion is becoming a massive part in working life and the music industry knows this, but there is still work to be done. We need more LGBTQ role models in the industry, whether that’s artists or the workers behind the scenes, it’s important for the younger generation to have people to look up to.

A cause you support.

Mental health. As someone who has suffered on and off for years and lost close ones, this subject is very close to my heart and we all need to speak up more about it. Congratulations to all for getting through this past year!

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Very exciting. Lockdown was awful for several reasons, but I have also discovered a lot of new artists during this time who have a great future ahead of them. The streaming got us through lockdown, but nothing will ever replace the experience of a live gig. The demand is there, people want to get back in a sweaty room and scream along to their favourite songs, and I think 2022 is going to be an insane year for us all.

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LAUREN KIRKPATRICK

Pronouns: she/her Promoter assistant, DF Concerts Based: Glasgow, Scotland lauren.kirkpatrick@dfconcerts.co.uk Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Having a helping hand in TRNSMT and achieving the Silver Award for accessibility with Attitude is Everything is a top highlight for me. A lot of hard work went into that project and seeing it from the start to completion was an extremely proud moment. When we first started TRNSMT Festival in 2017, our accessible platform allowed for 100 people, and then, in 2019, we had the capacity for 300 people. I couldn’t believe the size of the platform when I stood on it for the first time. It was almost as big as the main stage!

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Never let your sexuality be a barrier to your success. I’m a 24-yearold lesbian working in a department with five straight men, which was quite intimidating at first. It took me some time before realising that my situation wasn’t something to be apprehensive about but, instead, something to thrive from. Nobody else will go out and get opportunities for you so you need to do what is right for you every single time.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

We need more straight allies to be vocal about diversity within the industry. It’s not only down to the LGBTQI+ community to try and evoke change. When a company supports its employees regardless of their sexuality and gender, it’ll empower people and set a standard across the industry, which will, hopefully, pave the way for mass change.

A cause you support.

Equality Network. They aim to achieve equality and improve the human rights of the LGBTQI+ community in Scotland. They work towards providing opportunities for people to become engaged in making Scotland a place for everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or gender. They want people to live free from hatred, prejudice and discrimination.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Hopefully more gigs than ever before! We can’t wait to get back to doing what we do best – bringing live music into people’s lives. In Scotland, our last live music event was in March 2020, so we are all so excited to get back into a venue as soon as possible.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

In my opinion, music is the most powerful form of art and its way of communicating a message can be unparalleled. Having role models in the music business who promote positive messages about diversity and success will make people feel like having a career in music is absolutely achievable no matter what anyone may say.

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LAURA NAGTEGAAL

Pronouns: she/her Guitar technician & tour manager, MsGyver Based: The Netherlands hq@msgyver.com Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Prior to my transition, I would get hired before I’d even finish saying yes. Never, during those 15 years, did I need to send a resume or even prove that I was worthy. After having struggled most of 2019 to get hired at all, I had finally managed to be accepted and respected as Laura. And as a result, my calendar was filling up again in the exact same way I had been used to for all those years.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Be yourself. Do not be afraid to speak up and be seen as your true self. Will it be awkward and frightening? Yes, you can bet on it. Do your job to the best of your abilities and accept only criticism on your possibly underperforming. Do not accept criticism on who you are. Ever. They have no right!

And, in the meantime, we – the ones currently in the industry – are working hard to (re)write the rules of engagement, while continually working on paving the path for you, so your path will be smoother.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Today, as a woman (who happens to be transgender), I am on the receiving end of sexism. Not so much on the unsolicited sexual advances but all the more on the job equity.

My employability literally went down the drain when I changed my name and pronouns and what’s in my underwear. My skills stayed the same. Still, it took me a year of trying to get hired again.

Twenty-five years of experience in the industry vanished, as if they never existed. Not even my resume was able to turn that tide.

Like other marginalised people, whether by being queer, nonwhite, or any other way, I now need to work twice as hard for the same ‘recognition’, and a mistake counts twice as heavily. It’s a steep and rocky hill to climb now, whereas my path as a mostly white male was as close to a smooth and level highway as can be.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

We need to stop hiring based on who we know or what tour we were on.

And certainly stop hiring based on our likeness to cishet white men.

Do a good job and/or act like a human: get hired again. Do a poor job and/or act in a deplorable manner: lose your spot.

JOANNE CROXFORD

Pronouns: she/her/hers Wellness + diversity specialist / live touring / tour assistant Based: London, UK Linkedin.com/in/joannecroxford Twitter: @joanne_does_It Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Volunteering with Girls Rock London and bringing the learnings around gender diversity and anti-racism in my recent work at the Tour Production Group (TPG) has been huge.

We recently had a production manager in the TPG give us the feedback that as a result of the space that production manager Keely Myers and I have co-facilitated, they feel comfortable to talk to their artists and clients about diversity in their crews, and that’s possibly one of the greatest achievements in my career to date.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

There is a massive lack of queer talent in our industry and bringing other queer people with you is a chance to make real change happen.

Be sure to identify active allies who are committed to getting more queer representation hired and feeling welcome in your work environment.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Having to come out every time I meet someone new at work, or the side-eyes that I receive when people realise my partner is indeed a woman. I have noticed that doors close for me and opportunities have been taken away because I didn’t welcome, nor encourage, the male gaze.

Being sexualised as a heavily tattooed queer woman is tiring! And let’s not even get started on the challenges I have experienced when working alongside members of the trans community in this industry – trying to justify how a colleague decides to live their life to a room full of cis men is literally one of the most frustrating things I have had to do. Followed by having to continually correct people when they misgender someone. This kind of toxic masculinity is really unpleasant and certainly makes for a seriously unhappy workforce.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Not assuming it is the responsibility for those from marginalised groups to teach others how to correct the problem around inclusivity. We all need to dig deep and take a very good look at the culture we have in our industry.

What does the future of the industry look like?

Many of the new and younger artists and crew that I have been working with during this time are talking about introducing things like inclusion riders into their list of demands for live shows – as well as introducing Safe Space Agreements backstage where people can work with no worry of harassment. This is the future, and I am so excited to be a part of it!

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JAMES MURPHY

Pronouns: he/him/his Chief operating officer North America, See Tickets Based: Los Angeles, US jim@seetickets.us Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Convincing Clear Channel Radio, a very conservative, Texas-based media company, to engage with the LGBTQ community in the late 90s/early 00s. That engagement included supporting local event producers and community-based organisations, culminating in providing more than $2million (€1.7m) in direct support to the local community over a ten-year period.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Always be your authentic self in all aspects of your life. Take measured professional risks in advocating for our community. Being true to yourself will allow you to openly enlist allies and advocates inside your company. Connecting how your business operates in the broader community directly improves lives, including the lives of the business’s employees.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Finding the right mix of inclusion and “business success” is oftentimes seen as unrelated objectives. My view is that success and a fair and inclusive work environment are connected, as that type of environment creates the best atmosphere for employees to thrive and deliver. Similarly, convincing partners that a diverse event production and ticketing team will lead to better cultural sensitivities and better service results are equally as connected.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Realising that diversity in your workforce and better service results are connected. When your customer base sees or hears a person “like them” at an event or on the phone they immediately feel heard.

Alternatively, that diverse workforce is more empathetic and your customer will feel that empathy…

A cause you support.

I’ve been actively involved in two local LGBTQ organisations over the past 20 years – APLA Health and Wellness, and The Trevor Project. Both organisations are committed to the health and wellness of our community’s youth. As a past board chair and treasurer, respectively, I was able to influence substantive community change and direct much-needed local resources to both charities. Their amazing work continues.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

Safety first, through the deployment of smart and effective technology. I’m hopeful that the industry will focus on local programming and artists as well as local partnerships – for instance, partnering with neighborhood restaurants that may have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic. In addition, the industry should act to reward those that have been vaccinated/tested with benefits that reward productive behaviour with early access to shows, etc.

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GUY HOWES

Pronouns: he/him Music partnerships executive, CAA Based: London, UK guy.howes@caa.com Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

Being promoted to executive at CAA in 2019 was huge for me, having worked my way up through the agency business for ten years. I’m lucky enough to work across the international roster and the incredible artists that CAA represents, and amongst a supportive team in London and internationally.

In 2019 – along with a group of LGBTQI+ professionals from across the industry – I helped to set up Pride in Music, a network to bring members of the community together from across the industry.

Being able to meet and work with people to try to bring LGBTQI+ people together has been really rewarding.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Finding your peers and surrounding yourself with people who share your experience and can support you has been key to me. As well as finding your voice and being yourself as much as you can be in your work. At the start of my career, at times I found it easier to try to blend in. But LGBTQI+ voices being heard and representation through this can only make the industry better for everyone.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Continuing to champion more diverse voices and listening to those in less represented groups across the industry. The more we can do to encourage and support LGBTQI+ and diverse professionals across the board, the better equipped we are to do good business. For example, CAA encourage us to have our pronouns on our emails sign-off.

These changes can make a big difference in how people feel included in the workplace.

A cause you support.

The charity Choose Love do incredible work with refugees and the crisis being faced by so many across Europe and the world. Particularly during the pandemic, the continuing work of charities such as this has been so important for the displaced and marginalised.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

I work in one of the best partnership teams in the business and we’ve been busy during the pandemic supporting our artists by diversifying the opportunities we have been giving them, such as podcasts, virtual performances, brand partnerships, sync, brand ambassadorships and even NFT’s. Everyone has become increasingly open to different opportunities, which is going to lead to new areas for growth and ultimately a more innovative and resilient business.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

It’s been great to see how people have pulled together throughout the pandemic to support each other across the industry. This can only see us come back stronger as we come out the other side.

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DOUG SMITH

Pronouns: he/him/his SVP field operations UK & Ireland, Ticketmaster Based: London & Manchester, UK doug.smith@ticketmaster.co.uk What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

The sad truth is that so many LGBTQ+ professionals go back into the closet when they begin their first job. My advice is to find a place to work where you can bring your whole true authentic self. Being exactly who you are at work, day in, day out, is fundamental to a happy life and the key to fulfilling your potential.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Recognise that diversity and inclusion is important all year round, not just for one month. Leaders need to talk to their LGBTQI+ employees, regularly. Give them a voice, look at setting up an employee resource group and be an active supporter of it. Being an inclusive employer and an ally isn’t something you can simply tick off your list during Pride month, it’s an ongoing and evolving commitment.

Causes you support.

It’s an absolute scandal that anyone is homeless in our society. I support two charities who both provide support to young homeless people – Centre Point and Albert Kennedy Trust. The latter provides support to LGBTQ+ young people who are facing homelessness or are living in a hostile environment.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Busy! Very, very busy! The pent-up demand from artists wanting to play and fans wanting to make real-life connections again is colossal.

We’re gearing up for a huge outdoor season and then straight into an intense onsale season, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

CHRIS IBBS

Pronouns: he/him Agent, Creative Artists Agency Based: London, UK chris.ibbs@caa.com Tell us about a personal triumph in your career?

I feel really honoured to work with a number of incredible clients on my roster that identify as LGBTIQ+, and helping them to amplify their voices and achieve their goals is incredibly rewarding. Selling out Brixton Academy with Sink The Pink was a highlight, and working with Jodie Harsh, who is having real mainstream success since signing with Warner Music, has been fantastic.

Another recent stand out has been signing Charli XCX with the team here at CAA. She is a really special and innovative artist and has a huge year ahead of her.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Be yourself. I feel you do your best work and achieve most when being your authentic self. I really feel that my career has benefited from me owning my passion for pop music and queer culture.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

I’m happy to say that I’ve yet to experience any challenges directly because of my sexuality. I’m extremely lucky to work for a company that celebrates diversity and queer people and, in addition, the people that I work with in the wider industry on a day-to-day basis have always showed me the same respect that they do every other agent.

I’ve always been treated with the utmost respect and I hope that’s based on the merit of me being a good agent – who just happens to be gay. I know, sadly, this isn’t the case for everyone.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

We all have a duty and must continue to make the industry as diverse and inclusive as possible. It’s important that everyone feels they’re represented and everyone feels like they have a place at the table. I still think the industry has a lot of work to do there.

A cause you support.

I’m a huge advocate for trans rights. I feel it’s greatly unfair that trans people still don’t have some of the most basic rights that many people take for granted – and that includes other members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

I feel we have really come together as an industry through the pandemic and supported each other through the worst period of time in our sector’s history. I hope that spirit of helping each other continues as we get back to live. It’s going to be a long road to recovery and we’re all going to need each other’s support more than ever.

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RACH MILLHAUSER

Pronouns: they/them Coordinator, Wasserman Music Based: New York, US rmillhauser@teamwass.com Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

I spent many years leaving a lot of myself at the door when I walked into the office or a show. While far from easy, deciding to walk 100% of myself through the door has been a profound relief and quite rewarding – both professionally and personally. Now I feel a strong sense of responsibility to use my voice to push for more opportunities for trans and gender nonconforming people, both onstage and backstage.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

Be yourself. No career opportunity is worth compromising your identity for. One of my favourite words of wisdom came from Lenore Kinder – “There’s going to be very few people that hold the door open for you in this business, so you just gotta swing the fucker open and walk through.”

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Going to shows and meeting people face-to-face for the first time can be a wildcard scenario: sometimes I’m not quite what they imagined on the other end of that email address. While some moments have stung, I move right along and let my work speak for itself.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

We still have a long way to go when it comes to truly including and uplifting marginalised communities. How many queer people of colour work at your company? The answer is usually not great.

Causes you support.

Trans Lifeline and The Okra Project. Personally, I’m committed to donating to trans people who need financial assistance with healthcare via crowdfunding websites and cash apps. The financial barriers the trans community faces when it comes to healthcare is astonishing.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Promoter versus agent mentality has to go out the window. Currently, in the US, the floodgates have opened but in a patchwork way, making it trickier to route a several-week tour months in advance.

We’re responding to differing local regulations in real-time, putting shows on-sale with much shorter windows and facing avails that are few and far between. At the same time, live music has never felt more precious and meaningful.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

Sustainable touring and climate change need to be at the forefront.

No one needs to be an expert to make an impact. Carbon offsetting has never been made easier and there are many exciting new ways to approach concessions, catering, merch, fuel and so much more.

Shout out to REVERB for leading the charge on this!

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AUSTIN SARICH

Pronouns: he/him Director – touring, Live Nation Based: Los Angeles, US Linkedin.com/in/austin-sarich-193a2265 Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

It was a true privilege to be a part of Oprah’s 2020 Vision Touring Team. It was meaningful to me to help successfully grow a project that aimed to inspire people through personal growth and self-discovery.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?

Your sexual orientation will always be a part of your identity, however, it doesn’t have to be what defines you. Let your work, passion, and drive be your great impact on the industry, regardless of your sexual orientation.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Working in a male-dominated industry, I would often find myself internalising that my sexual orientation would put me at a disadvantage when I first began navigating the relationships I was making.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

Leading through empathy – knowing everyone has their own personal and professional challenges, which could help unify us as a whole.

A cause you support.

Today, I’m Brave, which is an organisation that focuses on empowering underserved youth to be brave and unlock their best potential.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

An industry filled with gratitude and prosperity. After a year of uncertainty, I confidently believe we are all grateful to have live events back, with fans who have more of an appetite than ever to see their favourite acts live in concert.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

I would hope that post-pandemic we can all operate efficiently with patience, kindness, and appreciation for each other and the hard work we commit to.

UPDATING THE LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE COVID PANDEMIC AND THE ROADMAP TO REOPENING

Experts from the fields of science, health & safety, tech, and the wider business present the latest advances relating to the industry’s recovery.

Thursday 8 July:

13.00 BST: COVID-19: The Midsummer View

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Feature_LGBTIQ+ LIST 2021

DANIEL BROWN

Pronouns: he/him Event Producer/Programmer, Birmingham Pride, Nightingale Club, Hare & Hounds, Hooker Club, Disco P*ssy, Glittersh*t Based: Birmingham, UK Linkedin.com/in/daniel-brown676ab3187/ Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

A personal triumph for my career was becoming the programmer for Birmingham Pride in 2018. Seeing your plans and ideas that you created in your mind in real life: there’s nothing like it.

Being able to make Birmingham Pride one of the most diverse lineups in Europe is the goal for me and I think we are getting there, seeing all these amazing queer artists being their true authentic selves and seeing the reaction of the crowd, in awe that they finally have people that represent them on stage.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

If you see a gap that needs filling, don’t wait for someone to fill it. Get your friends together and create that space that you need, you will be so surprised how many people feel the same as you. But also keep at it! The amount of parties and events I have created that have had 20 people attend – if you take it personally, it can knock your confidence. But your next event could be your best, always remember that.

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

Being taken seriously, especially in heteronormative environments.

Many people stereotype the sort of work you can produce or want to produce just because you are queer. I’ve spoken with events and venues in the past, who, when I mentioned collaborating, basically laughed in my face. But it lit a fire under my arse to make sure I will prove them wrong!

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

More grass-root nights taking front and centre! I think people now will be so much more excited to see local talent! A more community-based vibe is what I want to see post-pandemic!

Name some causes you support.

Emerge, in Birmingham, is a youth group for 13-19-year olds who are trans or questioning their gender, identify as trans and/or non-binary. Young people are offered the unique opportunity to support and be supported by their peers. They provide a safe space for conversation, learning and support.

Rainbow Migration (Rainbowmigration.org.uk) supports LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system. It provides practical and emotional support for those seeking asylum to help improve their confidence and self-esteem and reduce isolation. It also provides legal advice and information to LGBTQI+ people who want to live in the UK with their partners.

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RAUHA KYYRÖ

Pronouns: she/her/hers Head Promoter, Fullsteam Agency Based: Finland rauha@fullsteam.fi Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.

I definitely can’t take the credit for any of the production work required to make it happen, but in 2018 we built a 60-metre stage and a 30-truck production for the most popular Finnish artist, Cheek, on top of a lido located basically in a deep pit at the bottom of a ski-jumping stadium, and let’s just say that it was not uncomplicated. But the artist got what he wanted, and we sold out 60,000 tickets.

What advice could you give for young queer professionals?

When you notice a problem in your workplace, whether it is racism, discrimination or inequality of any kind, cis/heteronormativity, assumed monogamy, or anything that you are not comfortable with, speak up and ask for change. And if they don’t want to listen to you, start your own company – or come work for us!

Tell us about a professional challenge you often come across as a queer person in the industry.

I think people often have challenges with what they don’t understand. For example, they might judge you for your life choices and therefore not treat you with respect or give you what you deserve even if what you are doing has nothing to do with your work. When someone takes the risk to be open about their gender identity, sexuality or number of partners, etc., in an environment with so many fucked-up norms, it is usually not a phase.

What one thing could the industry do to be more inclusive?

To start with, we could easily stop using binary and cisnormative language in all our communication. Hearing “Ladies and Gentlemen” these days makes me almost as sick as “Dear Sirs.” And what’s the deal with binary toilets still around at festivals and venues? Just make all the toilets unisex, that’s the easiest thing you can do to be more inclusive to trans people, and it helps with queues too!

A cause you support.

Questioning norms.

What does the near future of the industry look like?

Busy.

How could the industry build back better, post-pandemic?

In my experience, people in the live music industry have been nicer, more understanding and patient during the pandemic. Let’s keep that up. Nobody should have to be intimidated because of a gig.

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PRIDE & PREJUDICE 38

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Pride & Prejudice_Feature

As liberal nations across the globe bask in the rainbow glow of Pride month, conservative governments are still forcing queer people into the shadows. But in the face of adversity and oppression, the live music scenes in nations like Palestine, Poland and Turkey have proved to be the antithesis of the human rights wars waging outside of them. Here, promoters, festivals, and queer artists from these countries tell Lisa Henderson what compels them to risk their lives to perform, why live music is the most powerful activism tool of all, and how they overcome challenges that professionals in liberal countries couldn’t even imagine.

P © Marcin Michon

Polish festival Pol’and’Rock prides itself on creating a refuge for queer people

alestinian artist Bashar Murad is used to risking his life to perform. As a queer Arab and a resident of occupied East Jerusalem, Murad has learned to live with oppression and the threat of violence, both onstage and on his doorstep. Neither, however, has deterred him from openly addressing loaded issues such as the Israeli Occupation and LGBTIQ+ rights in the Middle East. “But the more vocal I become about these issues, the greater the danger is,” he tells IQ. In 2019, Murad took one of his most daring steps when he performed in a wedding dress at an event in Ramallah, a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank of Israel. While the West Bank’s biggest draw for promoters is that it’s the only place where Palestinians from both sides of the wall can meet, Murad says that the mixed demographic is also where the danger lies.

“Probably the biggest risk is if someone in the audience doesn’t like what I’m doing. Audience members could be from anywhere, from all over the country. There are different kinds of mentalities, people who are extremely open-minded but also people who are uneducated and attached to the traditions and the customs that we are taught Magazine

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Feature_Pride & Prejudice in this quite patriarchal society,” he says.

Murad explains that each city in Palestine has different variations of laws relating to queer people. Jerusalem, where he lives, is under Israeli law but the West Bank is under Israeli military law as well as Palestinian civil law – all of which present varying degrees of discrimination and legal challenges for queer people. To make matters more complicated, Murad says, some of the laws aren’t representative of the reality on the ground.

This minefield of laws across Palestine means Murad is forced to make a risk assessment before booking a gig. While agents and promoters in liberal nations may book shows based on venue capacities, fees and convenience, Murad has to weigh up how dangerous each city is, the makeup of the audience, and how provocative his show should be.

However, Murad has found refuge within the realms of the music industry, “the safe place,” having built relationships and established trust with promoters and record executives.

The international showcase at which Murad performed in the wedding dress, the Palestine Music Expo (PMX), is one such stronghold.

Though Murad would not generally view Ramallah as 100% safe for queer artists like himself, PMX is something of a haven “free of oppression, for all human beings.”

PMX co-founder Rami Younis has been something of an outspoken ally for oppressed artists and is eager to give queer artists like Murad “a free and fair platform to do the show they want.”

When IQ asks what he thought of Murad’s 2019 performance, Younis says: “I absolutely loved it. In general, we encourage our artists to be as creative and free as they can and to not be afraid to experiment. Murad’s show was a big success and a great example for that.”

Murad says he depends on support from alternative organisations like PMX, as the culture ministries are “too scared” to back queer artists like himself – though his talent has been verified by international press including CBC, The Guardian and the BBC. “They don’t show any support towards me because they’re worried about me being gay,” he says. “They fund music videos and productions for artists who have taken part in competitions like Arab Idol but forget about other artists who are carving their own paths and doing things their own way.”

Not only has PMX provided Murad with a safe space in which to deliver his most thought-provoking show, it has also given him a rare gateway to the international live music business and a world outside of conflict-ridden Palestine.

But establishing a platform like this, which has invited 150+ international music industry professionals each year since 2017, is no mean feat in a state where promoters, agents – and even

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Palestinian artist Bashar Murad puts his life in danger by performing in a wedding dress

Pride & Prejudice_Feature performance venues are few and far between.

“People must understand that we never had a chance to develop a proper industry simply because we never had the proper infrastructure,” says Younis. “Developing art industries organically in war zones is near impossible. So, what we do is push back against that and lay foundations for a proper and healthy infrastructure in the future.”

From the ground up

“I can’t believe that any queer person who is living in Poland and looking at the news doesn’t feel personally attacked,” says Kajetan Łukomski, a queer Polish artist, promoter and Keychange ambassador who goes by the name of Avtomat.

Poland is one of just a handful of countries in Europe that is yet to legalise same-sex marriage, and already bans same-sex couples from adopting children. As of June 2020, some 100 municipalities, encompassing around one-third of the Catholic country, have adopted resolutions declaring themselves "LGBT ideology-free." In

“Developing art industries organically in war zones is near impossible”

a do-it-yourself mentality a campaign speech when and promote their own he stood for re-election, shows and establish their President Andrzej Duda own performance spaces. called the promotion of Back in 2017, ŁuLGBT rights an ideology komski co-founded the "even more destructive" Warsaw-based Oramics than communism. Elsecollective, which acts as a where, the Archbishop of Rami Younis | PMX promoter, in a bid to “levKraków recently warned el the playing field for unof a neo-Marxist "rainbow der-represented groups.” plague."

“No one had really thought of that. All of the “We just don’t feel safe in our own country anymore,” says Łukomski. “I started carrying line-ups were male and there was no real push tear gas with me on the street, and every time I towards making women and queer people and go out with my boyfriend and we hold hands, we so on visible in the scene, so it had to happen as have to keep looking over our shoulder because a grassroots movement,” he says. “We’ve had to there have been occurrences of queer people get- carve out our own space in the music industry.”

Developing their own queer underground ting knifed in the street. This is why we need to scene has also been a means of protecting the work so hard to change the status quo.”

According to Łukomski, a shift in paradigm artists and fans within it because, like Murad is also needed in the mainstream music scene, in Palestine, Łukomski has to be selective about which has eschewed queer artists like himself. where he performs.

“It would be easy to go ‘I’m playing in this This segregation has forced queer artists to adopt

© Bernhard Kristinn

Murad lives in conflictridden East Jerusalem

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© Thomas L Collins III

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© Thomas L Collins III

Pride & Prejudice_Feature

“Everywhere that we perform is an opportunity to dismantle prejudice and preconceptions about LGBTQ people”

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus performing in the Middle East in 2015

© Thomas L Collins III

Craig Coogan | Boston Gay Men’s Chorus

huge prestigious club’ but then my community may be in greater danger of, say, harassment. I make it a point to play in spaces that I deem safe for my community,” he says. Łukomski says that as Oramics’ reputation has grown, they have had greater bargaining power to talk to clubs about their safe-space policies and line-up balances.

The collective has even brought workshops to smaller, less tolerant cities to show queer people how to organise their own spaces – though Łukomski says they had to organise their own security for these visits.

While the queer community in Poland may be safer existing on the fringes, their exclusion from mainstream culture creates a glass ceiling for artists, which prevents them from performing at larger capacity venues, earning bigger fees or securing representation. On a broader scale, if queer people and creatives aren’t able to assimilate with the rest of society, the oppression will likely perpetuate.

Warsaw-based promoter Follow The Step (FTS), however, are sensing some progression in the acceptance of queer people, which is allowing them to expand their portfolio of queer artists.

Next year, the company will promote its first-ever show by a queer artist – American drag star Sasha Velour at Warsaw’s Palladium (cap.

1,500) – which FTS’s Tamara Przystasz says has

© Thomas L Collins III

been a long time coming.

“We’ve been trying very hard to promote queer artists, but a lot of agents were saying Poland is not ready for it. But finally, people are much more open-minded than they were before,” says Przystasz.

“To do something for the first time, after so many hard months, was a huge risk, but we thought let’s just do it, and it’s going well already. We didn’t expect such amazing feedback,” she adds.

Przystasz says FTS are keen to use Warsaw as a litmus test before promoting queer artists in more rural cities. “We are so lucky because we are living in Warsaw and it always works differently with capital cities, but in the smaller cities, it is hard; we have to fight for their rights. Education via music; I think that is the best option for us.”

Kostrzyn-based festival Pol’and’Rock, which has been running for more than 25 years and typically attracts an audience of almost half a million people, has had a little more time to establish a portfolio of queer artists, and hopes to lead by example.

Originally inspired by Woodstock, the community-based festival deems itself an outlier in creating a refuge within the country’s conservative society.

Over the past three decades, the festival has played host to performances by queer artists such as Skunk Anansie and Polish children’s artist Majka Je owska, as well as Polish singers Ralph Kaminski and Krzysztof Zalewski – some of which have incorporated demonstrations for queer rights into their shows.

“We want to show Poland as an open place, a place where people can be themselves, which becomes more and more difficult each year,” says Olga Zawada from Pol’and’Rock.

Zawada says that the festival has encountered many challenges since the recent government came into power, including reportedly being saddled with “high-risk” status four times since 2016.

The high-risk label, according to Polish law, applies to events where acts of violence or public disorder are expected to take place, though Pol’and’Rock has never encountered anything of the sort.

Zawada believes that this is the government’s way of indirectly jeopardising the festival: “I don’t want to speculate on the government’s motivations, but we’re quite unpopular with the very conservative ruling party.”

The high-risk status means that Pol’and’Rock has been required to introduce different safety Magazine

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Feature_Pride & Prejudice measures such as a fence around the perimeter, which Zawada says tarnished the festival’s aesthetic as a free and open festival and proved to be a “massive expense.”

Does she think that the government was taking aim at the festival’s Achilles heel – its budget?

“Yes. The fence was the biggest thing in our budget and from a crowd management point-ofview it was completely pointless. But the guests respected the fences and even used them creatively, to dry their laundry and things,” she says.

Polish polymath Avtomat aka Kajetan Łukomski

© ishootmusic

Against all odds

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“Turkey is a place where two times two doesn’t make four,” says queer senior talent buyer Bu ra Davaslıgil of Istanbul-based booking agency/promoter Charmenko. “On paper, it hasn’t been illegal to be homosexual since 1858, the Ottoman Empire, but it’s still a taboo.”

Taboo is a light way of putting it. Hate speech, violence, and discrimination have already put

Pride & Prejudice_Feature

Pol’and’Rock attendees ‘wave the flag’ for various causes

© Michal ‘Goldmoon’ Kwasniewski

Turkey second to last on the advocacy group ILGA-Europe’s ranking of LGBTQ equality – no surprise considering that there is no solid law against discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Gay Pride has been banned in Istanbul for several years, on pretexts of public order.

“Even if a municipality is pro-LGBTQ rights and they want to, say, put on a festival, they wouldn’t dare to do it because of the current political climate,” says Davaslıgil.

According to Davaslıgil, the conservative party, which has been in power for the last two decades, tends to “look the other way” about queer culture, as long as it’s kept relatively quiet.

“The discrimination against queer people is not systematic. If Morrissey, Pet Shop Boys or Elton John performed, it wouldn’t be a problem; if an artist’s queerness is not too overt then it’s fine.”

The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC), however, was one artist the government could not ignore.

In 2015, the Chorus found themselves at the centre of a political storm ahead of their concert at Zorlu Performing Arts Center in Istanbul.

Conservative Islamist papers described the group as “perverts” and thousands of people signed a Change.org petition calling on Zorlu’s owners to cancel the show because it would take place on the tenth day of Ramadan.

The venue, reportedly owned by a close confidant to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdo an who, at the time, was running for re-election and campaigning to get the conservative vote, had reportedly asked the chorus to take the “Gay” out of their name but the group refused.

“We weren’t going to let prejudice win... visibility saves lives,” says Craig Coogan, executive director of the BGMC, adding that the group has had the same name since 1982.

The government withdrew their previously issued permit allowing BGMC to perform at Zorlu and no other government agency would issue one. In an admirable display of allyship, the LGBTQ student group at Bosphorus University – a privately held institution, which didn’t need a permit for performances – stepped in and offered the Chorus their outdoor space.

In order to keep the group safe, the buses were unidentifiable and the routes that each bus took to the same destinations were varied.

Members were encouraged to be cautious on social media, not posting location information in real-time. According to Coogan, the group even collaborated with the US Secret Service on security issues, and a diplomatic note was sent to the government underlining the importance of the group’s safety to US relations.

On the day of the concert, sharp-shooters were stationed around the area, drones surveyed the crowd, and audience members had to go through airport-style security to get into the concert.

The media frenzy, the political tension, and the logistical rigmarole would’ve been enough to discourage any artist from going ahead with the concert but the group found allies in the most unexpected of places.

According to Coogan, The Nederlander Organization, which manages Zorlu, were “mortified” that political considerations forced them to cancel their contract.

“In fact, to prevent an expensive lawsuit, they paid for the production costs at Bosphorus,” says Coogan. It was not difficult to find supportive professionals to work with. The issues we ran into were political, not with the professionals.”

BGMC hasn’t returned to Turkey since 2015 – the group has been busy touring elsewhere, including other anti-gay territories such as Poland, the Middle East and South Africa. But IQ wonders: could an incident like the one with the Chorus happen in 2021?

“As long as this government stays in power, yes,” says Davaslıgil. And would Charmenko

“On paper, it hasn’t been illegal to be homosexual since 1858, the Ottoman Empire, but it’s still a taboo” Buğra Davaslıgil | Charmenko

ever book BGMC, in spite of all the political and logistical issues? “I wouldn’t think twice,” he answers, underscoring the importance of allyship in the industry.

Music as an act of resistance

Queer artists like Murad, Łukomski and the BGMC put their safety on the line again and again to perform in anti-gay countries, but what’s the payoff?

“Everywhere that we perform is an opportunity to dismantle prejudice and preconceptions about LGBTQ people,” says BGMC’s Coogan.

“Live music as a social activism tool works. It did in Istanbul, as it did in so many other cities around the world. I saw the joy and transformation on the faces of thousands of locals.

“Music builds bridges, enhances communication, breaks down stereotypes and humanises the ‘other’ in powerful ways. It has the power to transcend boundaries and create connections among people from different backgrounds, languages, and beliefs, and has long been a central part of social justice movements.”

In all three stories, the live music industry has proved itself to be the antithesis of the political wars waging outside of it, thanks to real allyship from promoters and festivals like PMX, Follow The Step, Pol’and’Rock and Charmenko.

But what they want, quite simply, is for their respective countries to be recognised for the budding talent, not the conflict.

“I want people to know that Palestine isn’t just war, apartheid, and occupation; it’s also music, cinema, art; it’s life,” says PMX co-founder, Younis. “There are actual people living here with hopes, dreams, and culture. There’s talent in Palestine and it is just waiting to be discovered. We don’t want to be seen as victims but as equal people who deserve to have their culture and music represented everywhere.”

Pol’and’Rock’s Zawada has a similar message for the international live music industry: “Poland is more than politics and oppression. It’s important for us to say: ‘You know what? There is this community of people that has a different opinion. There are people who are tolerant and welcoming and accepting, and they would have your back, and everyone else’s.”

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Your Shout

What’s your favourite Pride moment?

TOP SHOUT

Here is my photo [below] from Istanbul Pride in 2014, where the attendance was over 100,000. And why is this my favourite memory from a Pride event? Well, because sadly we haven’t been able to do our Pride March since then, which I guess makes this my finest Pride moment.

I had been to other Pride marches in Istanbul before 2014, but that year was the last... for now. I am smiling because the victory, sooner or later, will be ours, so please let's not give up on having hopes for a brighter, colourful and equal future. Love is Love.

Buğra Davaslıgil | Charmenko

My favourite memory of pride is the same every year. Being with my chosen family.

Dan Brown | Birmingham Pride Just being with my daughter and feeling proud!

Sharon Richardson | K2 AGENCY Wrangling a load of free tickets to see Britney at Brighton Pride in 2018 at the eleventh hour.

Shout-out to the nice bloke from Brighton & Hove bus drivers’ parade who spared us his complimentary passes! I’m a slave 4U. Lisa Henderson | IQ Magazine

Buğra at Istanbul Pride in 2014

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Dan and his Pride family

I had an incredible experience helping out with the arrangements of the World Pride Parade 2000 in Rome, which was backed by the Vatican. After a whole year of preparation, we managed to go ahead on 8 July 2000, and people came from all over the world to attend. According to the local authorities, Rome was invaded by over 1 million people and the march was a great success.

We had a final concert with Grace Jones, Gloria Gaynor, Marc Almond and Geri Halliwell, and Geri wanted to ride a white horse on stage – not a very common request from an artist. But we finally managed to find an incredible, huge, white horse from a circus and finally Geri got on stage riding that beauty.

Fabrizio Pompeo | Radar Concerti My very first gay pride event that I part took in was very long ago in Santa Monica, California, about 25 years ago. This is when LGBT was not as mainstream in the US. However, the event was called Gay Parade in LA and it was indeed colourful with a lot of cars and excited people everywhere celebrating freedom.

I was walking with a female friend of mine and I heard one of the guys in the street asking what I was doing with a girl when I looked better than her... lol. I didn’t understand what he meant but I did take it as a compliment being beautiful as a boy or a girl or a man or a woman! Bottom line and the moral of the story is that God creates all of us beautiful, just the way we all are!

Tommy Jinho Yoon | International Creative Agency My favourite Pride moment dates to June 2016, the day of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. We were producing an event for LA Pride on Sunday, 12 June, and we had to decide whether to cancel the event because of threats made against LA Pride. We decided that cancelling would have been to surrender to hate. Instead, we decided to

Your Shout

Zoe and friends enjoying UTA’s inaugural NYC Pride in 2019 Steven and fellow protestors party at the socially distanced London Trans Pride 2021

Lisa and friends on their way to an unexpected Britney experience Jim delivers the message at LA Pride in 2016

go forward with the event and “never stop” our fight for equality in all things. This photo, taken

by DJ Casey Alva at the event, encapsulates that feeling perfectly.

Jim Murphy | See Tickets – North America Pride is a protest first and party second. People have been ostracised, jailed, and even killed so LGBTQIA+ people like me can enjoy the freedoms we have today, even though many around the world still cannot. The social-distanced London Trans Pride 2021 was exactly this. The pandemic meant there was no party so the focus was entirely on the political. It felt truly important, it felt like home.

Steven Braines | HE.SHE.THEY. I cannot pick a favourite Pride memory – there are far too many! But back in 2019, I was able to help organise UTA Proud’s first ever NYC Pride gathering at Julius’ Bar, after which we went to a rally honouring the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Protests. The entire day was such a fun, empowering and unforgettable experience.

Zoe Williamson | UTA Magazine

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