Earlier today, WildSpice Magazine sat down with HARD Events co-founder Gary Richards to discuss the lack of female DJs at festivals. According to the article, only 8% of HARD Events performers from 2008-2013 have been female. When asked why so few women appear behind the DJ booth, Richards responded,
“I try my hardest to mix it up… I dunno why it ends up being more male-driven. But I think hopefully it changes. I would love to have 60 female DJs that are all awesome. To me, I always think everything’s better with girls…there’s tons of cool female artists, I wish there were more.”
The promoter then revealed an exciting plan to hold an all-female music festival sometime next year!
“I’ve been asked this question so many times that I feel like we need to develop it more. You know develop a brand or something…to give girls more of a chance. I have a concept for a show that’s all girl performers… It’s not a 70,000-person event. But I do see more females coming up and I’m definitely gonna do it 2014.”
According to Richards, the event will more likely take place at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Although it will take serious work, the promoter is more concerned with scheduling conflicts than ticket sales.
“I’m not worried about selling the tickets, it’s just getting them all at the same time…The problem is around here, these dudes they want me working on another festival with 70,000 people. This is just something really cool to do. I just do cool shit ‘cos i like to do it. Everybody wants me spending my time on something that’s gonna make money…To me it’s not even a money thing…The key to it is I’ve got to be able get them all in the same place at one time. The thing is I can’t pay them as much. See when it’s the festival you’re doing 60- 70,000 people, you can pay people more money. But this show will probably be at the Palladium, so if I want to get five or six girls from around the world, you know it’s gonna be tough to make it work.”
Read the full article here. What do you think about the concept of an all-female music festival? Share your thoughts below!
It’s certainly an interesting way to promote females in the field, although I’d really like to hear who he is thinking of for the full lineup. To pull off something like this in the U.S. he’d need Krewella, but would Rain Man be allowed to perform that night? It just doesn’t seem feasible to get Live Nation on board with this unless it is a guaranteed sellout and I’m not sure it’s going to be entirely possible in 2014. Festival goers are already planning which ones they’ll be attending next year so the date would need to announced pretty quickly to stand a chance next to Electric Zoo, EDC, and TomorrowWorld.
The idea of having an all female DJ festival is interesting. I like the idea that people are paying more attention to how EDM is basically a boys club, but I think by creating an all girls festival its almost like segregating female DJs from male DJs. Instead, I just think that they need to start hiring more female DJs for the festivals we already know and love. They should just think about making a goal to add one female act to each stage at a festival. Then the female and male ratio can move towards equality together.
The idea of having an all female DJ festival is interesting. I like the idea that people are paying more attention to how EDM is basically a boys club, but I think by creating an all girls festival its almost like segregating female DJs from male DJs. Instead, I just think that they need to start hiring more female DJs for the festivals we already know and love. They should just think about making a goal to add one female act to each stage at a festival. Then the female and male ratio can move towards equality together.
Totes going!
DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF YOUR ON DRUGS?
cool idea, but why don’t they just start booking more female djs at regular festivals…
HARD Feminism! Ok now that that dumb joke out of the way. Great idea! it is something different and it giving all of the spotlight on the women of Dance music scene.
I love it… and I’d Absolutely love to be a part of it! 🙂
-djkaytee
I’m gonna go just to see Rain Man in Krewella!
“these dudes they want me working on another festival with 70000 people…..Everyone wants me spending my time on something thats going to make money” This right here is the problem with ‘EDM’, DJ culture and american festivals
I ended up writing an op-ed about this. Check it out if you want.
https://www.facebook.com/djnonsequitur/posts/10151745938801814