We’ve all seen the lineups of music festivals over the years, and if you’re like me, you scour to see how many women musicians are represented. Then Book More Women entered the conversation, purposefully drawing the curtain back to show the discrepancy they were seeing in festival lineups. Since 2018, Book More Women has used social media to make the data revealing inequity in festival lineups visible and accessible. With over 500 edited posters shared, the project has sparked industry-wide conversation.
Today, we’re seeing more festivals actively rebuild their lineups around inclusion, and it’s working, because fans have shown promoters exactly how much they’ll show up for women artists when given the chance.
Let’s start with the Chappell Roan festival effect of 2024. After the release of “Good Luck Babe,” Chappell’s appearance at festivals was breaking records left and right. Her Lollapalooza performance broke the record for the largest attendance in a single day. The festival circuit brought themed shows, fans anticipating what her costume would be for the night, as seen at Governor’s Ball, dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She proved that a woman artist could headline-level demand without a headline slot, a conversation the live industry couldn’t ignore.
Now look at All Things Go, an independent music festival based in Washington, DC, New York City, and now Toronto, renowned for its innovative approach to curation and community. Since its founding in 2011, All Things Go has showcased an impressive lineup of groundbreaking artists and is known for its uniquely curated, fan-first approach. The festival has become a cultural touchpoint for a new generation of music fans. Kristina London, Founder of Amplify Her Voice, shared in an article on Amplify Her Voice’s blog that she reached out to All Things Go’s partner, Paul Vallimarescu, when she noticed many of the acts were by women. He shared that he and his team noticed the gender divide years ago and didn’t want to contribute to the problem. All Things Go then took measures to include more women in their lineup, growing from 52% to 81% women between 2018 and today, significantly higher than the national average of 19%.
And the momentum keeps building: just in the last few weeks, Olivia Rodrigo announced a brand new festival, Daisy Chain Fields, bringing together women in music to support and uplift women and girls, with 100% of the proceeds going to non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing and advocating for women and girls. The festival will take place on August 29th in Irvine, CA, and feature some of Rodrigo’s heroes like Stevie Nicks, Chappell Roan, Mitski, Doechii, and Sarah McLachlan, to name a few.
These are just some of the strides happening in the live music space. But more work is needed. That’s where Book More Women comes back into the picture: now a newly formed 501(c)(3), the organization is moving from awareness to action, putting its data to work to advance gender equity in music through data and community.
Learn more about the organizations pushing boundaries to make the live music industry more inclusive:
The Women’s International Music Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Support our programs by donating here.
