a festival against the invisibility of women in the music industry

Jeanne Added, Dream Wife, Minuit Machine and Fallen Lillies are on the bill at the More Women On Stage festival on June 8 and 9 in Paris. A program that wants to highlight female talents.

“More Women On Stage”translate “We want more women on stage”. Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9 is being held in Paris, at Petit Bain, the festival created by the feminist association of the same name. More Women On Stage intends to campaign against the invisibility of women in the music industry because although things are progressing in this environment, parity remains far from being achieved on stage and behind the scenes.

It was Lola, bassist of the group Pogo Car Crash Control, who founded the association More Women On Stage two years ago. “If there is something that we experience as a musician, it is the solitude behind the scenes, behind the dressing rooms, where it is often very masculine and I told myself that as as a musician, seeing a little sticker that reminds me that I’m not alone would do me good.” This sticker is the logo she created after holding it up one day on stage: “More Women On Stage” against a guitar background, written in white, now available as a t-shirt.

The festival, third edition this weekend, is the visible face of actions carried out all year round by this association. This ranges from awareness-raising to workshops and masterclasses so that women, particularly in technical music professions, finally feel more legitimate.

“Women have access to less training, less information on all these professions. We also make life a bit difficult for them. There are a majority of men who are a bit old-fashioned. We are faced with it every day in all our jobs”

Manon, member of the association

at franceinfo

On the festival’s bill, almost 100% women, music, speech, and workshops including the one led by Artie, guitarist of the Psychotic Monks. “As soon as you are a woman, a trans woman, in the music world you are isolated. As soon as we arrive in a slightly more professional sphere there are almost no more, we quickly find ourselves alone, all the spaces you have to cross are oppressive and what I want to offer is a space of care”, she explains.

Certainly the subject has been talked about for years at festivals and concert halls, but today, the posters still only include 13% women, according to figures from the National Music Center.

“There is a movement but we’re not there yet. There are a lot of festivals where we program girls or queers to get our guarantee. It’s not at all won yet.”

Artie, guitarist of the Psychotic Monks

at franceinfo

“It’s not enough to give us a stand and tell us ‘that’s great, you’re going to sell your t-shirts’, that doesn’t interest us,” warns Lola.