Sounding Equity:
An analysis of Gender & Representation at TradFest
Emma Grove
Typical Representation at TradFest
To assess TradFest’s equitable programming strategies going forward, we must first determine what a typical TradFest looks and sounds like. Data from 2010-2022 has been collected and analysed to establish this baseline for programming going forward. These years have been chosen as the format of the festival changed significantly from this period on in terms of breadth of venue sizes, number of headline performances, total number of performers, due to a change in programmer. 2006-2009 must therefore be considered a distinct period within the festival’s history. 2021 has also been excluded from typical representation as this year featured the ‘TradFest at Home’ series: a livestreamed event in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the entire 2021 festival was virtual and subject to government restrictions regarding in-person gatherings, this year must also be excluded from average.
A typical TradFest will feature 70% men, 30% women and zero openly gender diverse artists performing. It can be difficult to identify gender diverse artists as many performers have experienced harassment and bullying in professional settings. Per Ann Marie Hanlon’s (2023) report on gender in the Irish music industry, 66% of non-binary performers shared they felt unsafe sometimes or often in recording and performance contexts. This may lead these artists to stifle their chosen gender expression, presenting instead along more normative routes. In order to programme more openly gender diverse artists, TradFest must consider its role in industry reform. The festival also must consider how traditional music can celebrate and defend individual identities and expressions, making explicit these possibilities in our messaging.
Where gender imbalance occurs beyond numbers of artists, we have analysed gender representation across four interconnected variables: performance roles, sub-genre participation, venue size, and ticket cost. The combination of these factors can indicate discrepancies in representation which lead to unequal performer outcomes.
1. Ann-Marie Hanlon. 2023. ’Why is sexism so widespread in the Irish Music Industry.’ RTE. 27 Feb. 2023. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2023/0223/1358383-ireland-music-industry-sexism-gender-report-2023/
Representation Across Performance Roles
Performance roles represent the most challenging aspect of equitable programming in traditional folk music. Bias surrounding gender and instrumental performance is deeply socially ingrained and can affect artists from the learning ages onwards. This bias often shapes an individual’s decisions on what instrument to play, what teachers are willing to introduce them to, and which professional opportunities are perceived as attainable. The chart below depicts how gender is typically represented across performance roles to determine where bias may affect the festival’s programme: 2 :
Here, we can see that TradFest’s gender imbalance reflects historically constructed gender biases within the genre. We cannot determine from this data that TradFest shows a specific bias in its programming, however we can use this data to design action strategies for talent development in these areas. In terms of immediate strategies, TradFest must first consider which roles appear most frequently across the festival. The chart below features the percent presence of instruments (excluding singers ) across the festival. The largest segments should be considered first in terms of programming women and gender diverse artists. The adjoining list (right) shows proportions of these instruments in order:
Gender Representation Across Instruments 2010-2022 (excluding 2021)
Typical performance roles at TradFest were determined based on categorizing data across roles for the period in question. Data was only included for instruments which appeared during a minimum of five festival programmes with an average of at least one performer per year.
2. It is common for performers at TradFest to play multiple roles in performance, therefore each performer has been considered in each role they play.
Some instrumental imbalances will be less complicated to address than for other instrument types. For example, acoustic guitar is the most common instrument at the festival and is used across most sub-genres programmed. TradFest also has a more developed history of programming women who play acoustic guitar as compared to other instruments. For future programming, TradFest can examine its past line ups, locating women who play acoustic guitar, and can programme them in future festivals.
This strategy can be used to programme more women in a variety of under-represented roles. It will be particularly useful in terms of instruments with the highest rate of disparity between men and women. Though small in terms of overall programming, these instruments tend to be featured on larger stages which allow for both larger audiences and higher ticket prices. The charts below depict trends in programming of severely under-balanced instrumental areas at TradFest. Each instrument below will need extra attention and research going forward. While the data displayed thus far represents typical values, it does not encapsulate all roles in all years. Through year-by-year analysis, acts have been highlighted which featured women and gender diverse performers in these roles. They should be considered as ‘jumping off’ points for future programming.
Guitar: 35% Fiddle: 16% Non-Typical: 8%
3. Singers have been excluded from consideration given women’s representation tends to be more balanced in this area. Moreover, many (though not all) artists at TradFest sing as well as play an instrument. It should still be considered as a category for incorporating more gender diverse artists going forward.
Acoustic
While not considered ‘typical’ in this report, there are three emerging areas of instrumentation which have featured majority women artists: ukulele, harmonium, and shruti box. These roles are becoming increasingly commonplace in TradFest’s programming and effort should be made to incorporate more of these instruments across the festival in future.
While TradFest must improve women’s representation across all instrumental and performance roles, those listed in the body of this report present the most disparity in representation. For a complete list of all typical instrumental programming trends 2010-2022 and 2022, see appendix I (p. 21-22).
When considering any education and/or children focused workshops, it would also be worth scheduling women and/or gender diverse facilitators, especially in relation to those instruments that are primarily played by men. In taking such an approach, women and gender diverse practitioners are not only presented on the TradFest stage, but are influential role models in the education of young people through TradFest activities.
Upright Bass Trends 2010-20,22
Mandolin Trends 2010-20,22
Electric Guitar Trends 2010-20,22
Screaming Orphans (2020)
Eleanor McEvoy (2019)
Inni-K (2019)
Laura Cortese and the dance cards (2019)
Della Mae (2020)
Electric Bass Trends 2010-20,22
Screaming Orphans (2020)
Skipinnish (2020)
Sarah Jarosz (2017)
Della Mae (2020)
Vishten (2017)
Djembe Trends 2010-20,22
Drum Kit Trends 2010-20,22
London is Calling (2013)
Beoga and the Big Band – guest musician (2015)
Lisa Canny (2017)
Kaia Kater (2018)
Sarah Jarosz (2017)
Anna Mieke (2017; 2019)
Sharron Shannon – guest musician (2013)
Lisa Lambe -guest musician (2020)
Screaming Orphans (2020)
Wallis Bird – guest musicians (2018)
Sub-genre, Venue Size, and Representation
Instrumental representation is a key factor in equitable programming strategies because it is a major indicator of sub-genre participation. Subgenre participation is then a major indicator of venue size and ticket price (this will be discussed more thoroughly on page 11). For the purposes of this report, genres are defined on two levels: genre and sub-genre, both of which should be recognized as fluid categories. Genres are based in part on the majority of instruments present, density, and quality (e.g., acoustic, electric, etc.) of sound. Sub-genre then mediates genre based on the cultural contexts of sound and musical techniques. Sub-genres within different genres should be understood as contextually linked (ex. indie folk & indie rock/pop;
alternative folk & alternative traditional; etc.) The complexity of sub-genre relationships is displayed in the map below, the connecting lines represent overlap as well as interconnection:
Red/orange/pink categories represent sub-genres in traditional Irish music, yellow categories represent sub-genres in folk music, and green categories represent sub-genres in rock and popular music. This is not a complete web of genres, and the sub-genre connections illustrated above are connected to sub-genres outside the purview of typical TradFest programming. Full definitions for sub-genres can be found in appendix II (p. 23-24)
The fluidity of sub-genres should be considered for the duration of this section, particularly regarding the following chart. Left is a simplified illustration of the typical soundscape of TradFest including most common venue sizes for each sub-genre:
Traditional Irish Music naturally accounts for a majority of TradFest’s programming. Solo/ small group and band/ensemble traditional subgenres represent a combined 52% of TradFest’s headline acts. The percentage of men and women within solo/small groups is proportional to general representation. As such, it is likely this area will become more balanced as TradFest pursues its equitable programming strategies. TradFest will have to spend much of its programming research on gender diverse artists in this sub-genre. Solo/small group performances will be essential in balancing programming going forward as the festivals tends to have more say in the exact artists performing. However, as musicians tend to play specific instruments, the festival will have to consider historically gendered roles in its programming decisions for this sub-genre.
TradFest will need to pay special attention to bands/ensembles as all men or majority men bands are much more common than balanced or women-majority bands. The standard ratio of men to women in mixed bands that TradFest has hired for multiple festivals is 4-5 men to one woman (ex. Altan, Dervish, Beoga, Ré, etc.). This translates to 31% Women to 69% men and no gender diverse artists. This can be remedied through use of supporting acts that are majority/all women and/ or gender diverse. This should also be considered in talent development strategies going forward. Moreover, when solo acts are hired and support musicians are brought in to play, these guest artists tend to be majority men. To counter this
impulse, communication of our gender balance goals must be clear and artist participation must be encouraged. The only way to produce an equitable industry is if all players – including artists - are working towards a common goal. This must also be considered in curated events at the festival: external curators must be made aware of our goals for gender balance and must program accordingly. Going forward, TradFest must make it explicitly clear that those who want to participate in TradFest must also participate in equitable practices.
While it only accounts for 4% of programming, trad-fusion should also be scrutinised more closely as this genre tends to take place on our largest stages (ex. Afro Celt Soundsystem at The Olympia; Kíla at The National Stadium; Strangeboy at The Button Factory). It is possible that unconscious bias in this area has led to higher degrees of men’s representation. Men tend to have more agency in traditional music (and the music industry more widely), therefore their innovations and additions tend to be more widely accepted and promoted. This is not to say this bias is uniquely held by TradFest. Rather, it permeates the entire institution of traditional music. TradFest, in its standing as a premier festival, can use its influence to combat this bias primarily through open, clear communication of our report’s findings and of our goals for equity. This can should also be achieved through partnerships with educational and funding institutions centred around women and gender diverse artists in tradfusion. It can also commission new works between women and gender diverse artists working within or adjacent to this sub-genre, promoting the resulting collaborations on social-media and to festival partners.
Folk being the next most common genre at 28% of programming has potential to be a key route for balancing gender representation at TradFest. The largest sub-genre of folk at our festival is singersongwriter, representing 13% of total headline acts. It is also the only area of genre programming close to reaching equal numbers of men and women performers, however more work will need to be done in researching and programming gender diverse artists. The issue is then getting folk singersongwriters on larger stages. The average folk singer-songwriter performance at TradFest takes place on mid-size stages. In the past, TradFest has incorporated folk singer-songwriters into larger, genre-varied events (TradFest Galas, opening acts, etc.) with success. This strategy should be implemented going forward with the explicit intention of programming women and gender diverse artists in this area.
A slight pitfall of folk singer-songwriter is that it does not tend to feature a breadth of instruments across gender groups. The folk-bluegrass/country sub-genre would be a promising area to help fill in the gaps as artists in this sub-genre tend to play in bands – at least two of which we have previously programmed have been all-women. The instruments women play within this sub-genre also tend to be those in which representation is less balanced. As such, in focusing programming research on this subgenre, TradFest will be able to increase women’s representation on multiple fronts: instrumentation, sub-genre participation, and - given bandformations are more likely in this sub-genre – venue size. Band size and attributes of the music (tempo, density, mood) are complementary to those
TradFest has historically programmed on larger stages. As such, folk-bluegrass/country could be instrumental in equitable programming for women. Further research will still need to be done to determine if this is a viable route towards increasing gender diverse artists participation.
Alternative-folk and folk-rock are then areas in within the folk genres that TradFest must dedicate programming research to. Despite only accounting for a collective 2% of all programming, performances in these sub-genres have exclusively taken place in large venues. Acts we have programmed within these sub-genres are also disproportionately men. As with trad-fusion, TradFest will have to consider how best to develop and scout women and gender diverse talent within these sub-genres. These sub-genres are also characterized by many instruments in which women are severely under-represented (electric bass, mandolin, electric guitar, drum kit), therefore finding more majority-women performers in these areas will also combat under-representation on multiple fronts.
Alternative-Folk and Folk-Rock are then areas in within the folk genres that TradFest must dedicate programming research to. Despite only accounting for a collective 2% of all programming, performances in these sub-genres have exclusively taken place in large venues. Acts we have programmed within these sub-genres are also disproportionately men. As with trad-fusion, TradFest will have to consider how best to develop and scout women and gender diverse talent within these sub-genres. These sub-genres are also characterized by many instruments in which women are severely under-represented (electric bass, mandolin, electric guitar, drum kit), therefore finding more majority-women performers in these areas will also combat under-representation on multiple fronts.
Rock and Pop
Similar issues also arise in the rock/pop genres given the interconnection between categories (sound, instrumentation, mood, cultural context). Despite only comprising 11% of total programming, most of the headline acts who participate in this sub-genre are men. Moreover, rock and pop are the only genres programmed at TradFest which, up to 2022, had two sub-genres which were 100% men: alternative rock and punk. These sub-genres only represent a fraction of TradFest’s typical programming and therefore do not require urgent action. However, as we continue to schedule acts in these sub-genres on our largest stages, we ought to consider how this might affect balanced representation overall.
The sub-genres listed in the body of this report only account for those which affect programming immediately. They are either the core of the festival, they take place on larger stages with higher ticket prices, or they are much more balanced than other sub-genres and allow for natural pathways towards getting more women on stages. As it stands, sub-genres considered as ‘typical’ to TradFest’s programming from 2010-2020 and 2022 all need focus in incorporating more gender diverse artists. The collective breakdown of all sub-genre representation can be found in appendix III (p.25-26).
Gender Representation, Venue Size and Ticket Cost
A typical TradFest consists of 24-25 individual headline shows the festival. These gigs take place in a variety of venue sizes and consist of an array of genres, the breakdown of which is as follows:
Within each venue size, gender representation percentages are as follows (ticket price ranges are shown below):
Women are significantly more likely to perform in small and mid-size venues at TradFest, however men are still proportionally more represented overall. Focus for future programming should be directed slightly more towards incorporating women onto larger stages. TradFest will also have to work to incorporate more gender diverse performers across all venue sizes. Incorporation should aim to occur in multiple shows across all venue sizes for meaningful representational balance to be achieved. While TradFest pre-negotiates artist fees, the price of a ticket in relation to venue size is a reliable indicator of future opportunities for performers as they tend to be correlated to payment.
5. Based on listed capacities with show time considered.
6. Extra-large venues in the scope of designing a baseline are listed as once every two years. These venues have become more common at TradFest in the past 3-4 years, therefore new baseline values for these venues will need to be generated over the coming festival cycles.
7. Prices have been organized in ranges to take into account variance amongst venue sizes. Atypical ticket prices (i.e. prices that do not appear regularly across programmes) are treated as outliers and are removed.
When women perform in venues where both capacities and ticket prices tend to be lower, ‘marketability bias’ is highlighted. This is a self-fulfilling bias in which men are unconsciously perceived as being more lucrative to a production and are therefore given a higher degree of representation. As men already have structural advantages within the industry, marketability bias serves to uphold this privilege. Equally, musicians’ rates are in part based on income generation in previous performances. The cost of a ticket –whether it directly affects artists pay for a specific event– can impact an artist’s sense of economic self-worth going forward. As such, steps must be taken to ensure women and gender diverse artists appear in shows across ticket cost brackets. A means of combating marketability bias can take the form of incorporating multiple acts in one show where the total representation is balanced. This assures the festival mitigates any potential economic fluctuations as its programming adjusts and it begins to reach new audiences. Additionally, this method gives greater exposure to each of the acts involved which increases the likelihood of better outcomes for artists overall.
Where there is no baseline data to draw from in terms of gender diversity in trad and folk, aggregating data from 2010-2020 and 2022 allows TradFest to establish a baseline on where it stands on gender balance. This data can now be used to track our progress going forward. While the complexity surrounding balancing gender representation across instrumental roles, sub-genres, venue sizes, and ticket costs have been heavily explored, we have also highlighted how our historical programming can serve as an asset going forward. Finally, this data set has highlighted areas in which partnership with other sectors and festivals must be established so that traditional and folk music can evolve into a healthier industry for all.
The next section compares this baseline data to improvements made in 2023. While 2023 alone cannot determine the strength of TradFest’s equitable programming strategies – that cannot be determined until several years of future data has been collected and compared – it can show where we have improved, and where we should focus for 2024. These incremental improvements will result in a sustainable and fair programming going forward.
2023: First Steps Towards Balance
TradFest 2023 saw major improvements towards balanced representation amongst men and women performers. It also featured a very slight increase in gender diverse artists participation. As compared to typical programming, women’s representation increased by just over 10% with the highest total number of women (84) on stage at any TradFest to date. This year also featured the most artists overall to participate at TradFest, with a total of 209 performers across all headlines shows. The second highest number of total performers to ever perform at TradFest occurred in 2020 which featured 188 individual artists which featured only 65 women artists and no gender diverse artists. This is a marked improvement overall and having more slots for artists to perform in January – a slow time of year – suggesting TradFest’s equitable programming initiative is not only better for women and gender diverse performers, but for the year-long health of the industry overall.
Below represents the breakdown of instruments excluding singers across TradFest 2023. The list adjoining shows the percentages of each in order:
The instruments which women already tend to play at TradFest (fiddle, harp, acoustic guitar, accordion, keyboard) all grew immensely compared to typical values. However, in examining the gendered breakdown of each role, there are still major discrepancies in representation.
Women comprised a majority of fiddlers, singers, dancers, and harpists in 2023 with a +7% increase of women instrumentalists overall. While the growth of these areas on TradFest’s stages are good routes towards achieving balance, they are also areas which have historically been open to or associated with women. This is not to say that TradFest shouldn’t celebrate women’s success and talent in these areas. Rather, the goal of equitable programming is to ensure balance is achieved across all instrumental roles. In examining accordion, acoustic guitar, concertina, flute, and keyboard, we still see that women and gender diverse performers make up a disproportionate minority. For 2024, TradFest will need to focus programming research on rectifying this disparity. Considering acoustic guitar is played across the widest breadth of stages, genres, and genders, it should be considered first in terms of balancing representation going forward.
In terms of instrumental categories which typically featured no women at all, we see slight increases in women’s representation in Banjo and Bouzouki. However, most instrumentalists here are still all men. The instrumental categories which are still all-men made up a combined 28% of instruments across the festival. Extra effort will be needed in these areas to achieve parity across genders. It is possible these instruments have less women and gender diverse players across the industry due to structural barriers. As such, TradFest should find inspiration in its previous programming to fill in the gaps, while also working with education, festival, and funding partners to develop talent in these areas.
TradFest 2023 saw major improvements compared to typical values across large and extra-large venues. Extra-large venues saw 50:50 representation between men and women, while large venues were not far behind at 47:53.
In both cases, all-women and majority women performances helped offset representational imbalances typical at these venues due to standard traditional band ratios (1W: 4-5 M). This strategy should be considered in future for increasing gender diverse artists participation.
Programming more all/majority women and gender diverse shows should be considered across all venue sizes in line-ups going forward. While women have tended to be better represented across our smaller stages, 2023 saw major differences. Small and mid-size venues saw the highest level of representational disparity between men and women, although our small venues did feature our first openly gender diverse performer.
Representation has increased from typical values by 2% for women artists at our mid-size venues, and 8% and 2% for women and gender diverse artists respectively at our smallest venues. Given most festival performances occur in our mid-size venues, TradFest 2024 will focus first on balancing gender representation across these stages.
We can better incorporate these artists across stages if we understand first how we programme genres on stages. Right is a chart of TradFest 2023’s soundscape overall with genre proportions within venue sizes to the right. Sub-genres are listed with the number of performances that took place within various venue sizes.
Extra Large Venues
Large Venues
Small and mid-size venues featured the widest variety of sub-genres at TradFest 2023. The most common sub-genre across these venues was traditional solo and small group performances. While typical gender representation in this category tends to fall around 30% women, solo and small group traditional music featured 52% women this year, showing explosive improvement. This improvement mostly occurred in small and large venues. Mid-size venues featured only 17% women and zero gender diverse artists performing traditional solo/small group performances. For 2024, TradFest should consider placing women performers in this sub-genre on more mid-size stages. More programming research will be needed to incorporate gender diverse artists in this subgenre overall.
The traditional band/ensemble sub-genre also saw growth in women’s representation in 2023, growing from 32% to 46% overall. This is due to the ‘Women in Trad and Folk’ event which featured 26 women performers at one of our largest stages, The National Stadium. At other shows which featured this sub-genre, however, women only represented
27% of artists. To balance representation across venue sizes in this sub-genre, TradFest 2024 ought to adopt a similar strategy in its mid-size and large venues. This should be considered but is not urgent. The primary goal of our equity strategy first involves getting more women and gender diverse artists on stage in general. As we develop a pattern of balanced programming over future festivals, we can begin to consider venue size more thoroughly.
Of our primary sub-genres, Folk and SingerSongwriter was the only category to fall in women’s representation from 45% typical values to 33%. This change is predominantly due to women artists bringing in many male artists to perform alongside them. Communication of our goals for balanced representation with artists going forward could help, particularly with artists who have completed at previous years of TradFest. However, although we can encourage artists to reinforce our goals, we cannot – and should not – attempt to control artistic output. To offset this issue in future, TradFest should consider support or opening acts which are all/majority women and gender diverse artists. It will allow women performers to maintain their artistic agency while balancing representation. This strategy also has the benefit of placing upand-coming acts on larger stages, giving them greater audience exposure.
Trad-fusion is another genre which will need closer scrutiny in 2024. This year saw only 18% women, even though the subgenre’s presence across the festival grew by 10% from typical values and took place across more stages. The largest venue featured in this sub-genre showed 22 men and 2 women and no gender-diverse artists in one performance. Smaller shows in this genre also featured more men than women, though to lesser degrees of imbalance. For future programming, research should be focused on women and genderdiverse artists in this sub-genre, with the explicit goal of placing them on larger stages first to combat stubborn inequity in this area.
Most smaller sub-genres programmed in 2023 also tended to feature disproportionate numbers of men versus women and gender-diverse performers, with 18% women, 2% gender diverse, and 80% men artists overall. While these subgenres do not constitute most of the festival, they present significant potential in balancing gender representation. Sub-genres that comprise the minority of TradFest’s programming have historically featured women in under-represented instrumental roles. For 2024, TradFest should consider these sub-genres’ impact on overall equity in our festival programme
Folk singer-songwriter
Key Takeaways Next Steps: Planning for 2024
TradFest 2023 saw considerable progress towards gender balanced representation, with women’s participation increasing by 10% from the 2010-2022 baseline. More work needs to be done growing gender-diverse artists in 2024; however, we are confident that our informed approach to equitable programming will help us achieve this goal. As 2023 saw more women participating in the festival’s main sub-genres, programming research for 2024 will focus on ensuring women in traditional solo/small groups, traditional bands, and folk Singer-Songwriter sub-genres across all venue sizes. Planning for 2024 will also consider how sub-genres which are less prevalent across the festival can aid in developing women and gender-diverse artists’ representation across performance roles and will programme accordingly.
Equitable programming is a much more sophisticated task than simply finding under-represented artists and putting them onstage. Inequality across the music industry functions in complex ways to maintain the status quo. While they may not act intentionally, many actors in the industry serve to enforce the current inequality. These actions affect performers from the learning age – the kinds of instruments they learn to play and the connections they make, both of which have lasting career impacts. Live music and festivals, as the most visible element of the music industry, have the potential to help expose and untangle inequalities. Through data collection, TradFest has highlighted areas of severe gender disparity. It has shown how the constellation of instrumental performance, sub-genre participation, and venue assignment disparately affect men, women, and gender-diverse artists’ outcomes.
By scrutinising the data collected, TradFest can locate where partnerships with other sectors are necessary for talent development. It has also been able to highlight where women already excel in the industry and has offered routes towards investing in those areas. More work will need to be done in researching how TradFest can better feature gender-diverse artists within the festival; however, we are confident that this informed approach to programming support this effort. Diversity and inclusion can only occur if the festival actively considers how biases might play out and conscious steps are taken to mitigate its effect over time. Strides will continue to be made in 2024 to reaffirm TradFest’s commitment to equitable future programming.
• What should 2024 look like in terms of gender and representation? What steps should we take to accomplish these goals?
o Which Strategies worked in 2023? How can we use them or 2024?
o What level of reasonable commitment can TradFest make year-by-year to build towards balance?
o What role will artists and curators have in accomplishing this goal? What reasonable expectations can we have of external stakeholders like artists and curators and how do we ensure their commitment to EDI reflects our own values?
o What situations may arise that could conflict with our goals for programming? (i.e., bands drop out, unexpected guest performers, last minute additions to the schedule, etc.) How do we mitigate the possible effects of these situations?
• What messaging is needed to communicate our goals with partners? Audiences? Artists? What level of commitment to our goals is necessary for each of these stakeholders to be involved in TradFest’s EDI work?
• What steps can we take in programming to boost exposure for artists in non-normative roles at the festival? What about outside of the festival?
• How can we better integrate inclusivity into our PR and messaging? What specific training is needed to ensure this messaging reaches wider audiences?
• Who works in talent development in our industry? (Educational programs, agencies, record labels, etc.) How can we develop partnerships with them? What can we offer them in terms of our research and how can we get them on board with our diversity goals?
• How can we engage policy makers and media organizations in our goals?
• Which policy makers/media organizations should we reach out to first and why?
• What organizations which represent minority groups/ communities do we have partnerships with? Which groups do we need to engage with more thoroughly and which organizations represent them?
Appendix 1: Trends in programming 2010-20, 22
Roles that need less active attention:
Roles that need focus:
Appendix II: Sub-genre Definitions
NOTE: Genres are inherently fluid and interweaving categories. The definitions in this appendix should not be taken as perfect, finite, or fixed. They should be used as a means of distinguishing musical styles which are often registered pre-consciously by the listener. Sub-genres which are only linked with certain genres are listed below primary definitions. Sub-genres which link between genres are listed separately. Genres and sub-genres can be powerful tools in reshaping audience biases. If an event is listed as a certain genre, potential audience members will take this into consideration when deciding to purchase a ticket.
Genres
Traditional Irish Music:
This genre is primarily defined by instrumentation and melodic functions. Instruments which commonly define this genre consist of accordion, bodhran, bouzouki, concertina, fiddle, flute, harp, uillean pipes, and tin whistle. Banjo, keyboard, and acoustic guitar are also featured within this genre; however, they cannot be used on their own for taxonomy. They must be taken in concert with melodic functions which, in trad, consist of historical or historically informed tunes, Irish or Irish diaspora-informed subject matter, etc.
Traditional solo/small group: 1-4 performers, sparse instrumentation, and an emphasis on traditional airs. This sub-genre lends itself to more intimate settings as it mimics how traditional music would have been passed down in the home.
Traditional band: 4+ performers, usually featuring acoustic guitar, banjo, accordion, bodhran, fiddle and occasionally drum kit and keyboard. This sub-genre of traditional music was established in the mid 20th century via acts like The Chieftains, The Dubliners, etc. This genre consists mostly of upbeat and danceable tunes, and therefore tends to be set in larger venues.
Trad. fusion: music which has roots in traditional and neo-traditional Irish music which is also informed by musical traditions from around the world. It has many of the same instruments and mood as traditional bands, however it often includes non-western instruments as well.
Folk Music:
For the purposes of this report, ‘folk’ encapsulates a wide array of traditions. For the most part, folk music as it is referenced in this document describes music inspired by (or part of) the ‘folk music revival’ of the mid-20th century. This was a popular music movement informed by Anglo-American and British folk music traditions, characterised by acoustic accompaniment. European folk traditions are also included in this category. Not all folk music referenced in this report only consists of acoustic instruments. Sub-genres which mediate the folk music genre can feature electric instruments (ex. folk-rock). In these instances, folk music is primarily identified through folk or folk-informed tonality. Common instruments in this genre are fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and banjo.
Singer-songwriter: this sub-genre refers to folk music which is written, composed, and performed by the same artist. It often (though not always) involves the artists being self-accompanied, usually on piano or guitar, tending towards sparse sound and smaller venues.
Rock and Popular Music:
These genres refer to all other modern music present at TradFest which do not feature the characteristics of traditional Irish and folk music. They are more likely to use instruments like electric guitar and bass and are more likely to feature drum kits.
Sub-genres
Sub-genres in this section should be understood as mediating categories. At TradFest, sub-genres in this section are not performed independently. Rather, they affect the tonality, mood, and instrumentation, and cultural contexts around found in genres. This is why there are multiple ‘alternatives’ ‘indies’ and ‘classicals’ in the genre map - alternative folk is different yet related to alternative rock because they are different genres, yet they are mediated in similar ways.
Alternative: this also refers to music which defies genre conventions. Alternative or ‘alt’ music tends to be characterised by harsher sounds, denser textures, and more melodic dissonance than its indie counterparts. It is also more likely to feature louder instruments like electric guitar, electric bass, and drum kits. There is multiple ‘alternatives’ in the genre map as this term acts to qualify a larger genre, rather than acting as an independent genre on its own.
Indie: Indie - short for ‘independent’ - music historically referred to bands who were not signed by major record labels who wrote, recorded, and released their own music. As the term is used today, it mostly functions as a prefix to other genres (ex. ‘indie folk;’ ‘indie pop;’ etc.). The term ‘indie’ in its modern connotations describes music which falls outside of normal expectations for the genre. It is distinct from ‘alternative’ music in that it often features more acoustic instruments and tends towards more accessible pop tonality. However, like ‘alternative,’ ‘indie’ serves to qualify a particular subgenre within the scope of a larger genre, hence why there are multiple ‘indies’ in the genre map.
Classical: this refers to sub-genres which make use of classical compositional techniques and instrumentation. For the purposes of this report, ‘classical’ primarily relates to western classical traditions. However, some groups which play in this sub-genre draw inspiration, instrumentation, and melodies from other classical traditions as well (ex. Dhol Foundation).
Bluegrass/Country: like contemporary folk music, bluegrass and country music are genres which are heavily inspired by Anglo-American traditional music. Music in this sub-genre usually consists of a combination of 5-string banjo, upright bass, mandolin, dobro, acoustic guitar, and/or steel guitar.
Appendix III: Typical Gender Representation
Across All Sub-genres
Sub-genres are presented in order of how often they are featured ion the festival. Red categories are traditional music sub-genres, yellow are folk sub-genres, and green are rock and popular sub-genres.
Traditional music sub-genres Folk sub-genres Rock & popular sub-genres
NOTE: European folk reaches close to balanced representation between men and women because of the European Music Night in 2013. Were it not for this event, the percent of women in this sub-genre would be 18% women, 82% men, and 0% gender diverse artists.
