Music / Women in the Nighttime Economy Event
Meet the founder working to redress gender imbalance in the music industry
There is a glaring gender imbalance in the music industry, with just 2.6 per cent of producer roles held by women, according to a recent report.
The study, Inclusion in the Recording Studio?, revealed that less than one per cent of these positions are filled by women of colour while women and non binary people make up less than five per cent of the sector overall.
It is this stark reality that Laura Lewis Paul is working to address through Saffron, a music tech initiative that is taking an intersectional approach to redressing the gender imbalance in the industry.
is needed now More than ever
“It’s really important for us to champion women, non binary and trans artists, producers, DJs and engineers in the nighttime economy to be able to change the space,” explains Laura.
“I think if all those people feel welcome and feel like they are a part of that space it makes it a space where people can hold each other accountable, support each other and look out for each other. If it’s dominated by one community then that feels like other communities are not able to thrive in that space or feel like they have that sense of belonging.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbPiN4mI3xR/
Saffron was founded by Laura in 2015 and runs music production, sound engineering and DJ courses, starting at a beginner level and then works to support participants with links and opportunities into the industry.
Laura is featuring as a panellist on the upcoming Bristol24/7 Presents event: Celebrating Women in the Nighttime Economy, taking place at Lost Horizon on March 31 in partnership with Bristol Nights.
The founder of Saffron and co-founder of Beyond the Mix will take part in a discussion with Carly Heath, Bristol’s nighttime economy advisor, Emma Harvey, the CEO of Trinity, and Ola Poroslo, the founder and director of Phat Bristol and Crotch.
The aim is to celebrate women and non binary people within Bristol’s night life scene and tackle some of the challenges faced.
………………………………
This event is a hybrid event
Register now to secure a free ticket to the event at Lost Horizon: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol247-presents-celebrating-women-in-the-nighttime-economy-tickets-274830815367
or
Register to attend the live stream online via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol247-presents-celebrating-women-in-the-nighttime-economy-virtual-tickets-294452042987
………………………………
Reflecting on some of the issues in the industry, Laura says: “Where I see a big issue is it’s such an unsupported industry in terms of HR – there are not really those clear guidelines and policies in an industry that I would say probably needs it the most because there are those blurred lines.
“It’s accountability really – it can be attached to every situation that you need to hold people accountable, because if you don’t hold people accountable how will anything change?”
Register now to secure a free ticket to the event at Lost Horizon: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol247-presents-celebrating-women-in-the-nighttime-economy-tickets-274830815367
or
Register to attend the live stream online via: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bristol247-presents-celebrating-women-in-the-nighttime-economy-virtual-tickets-294452042987
Main photo: Ash Reynolds
Read more: The entrepreneur championing positive change in Bristol’s night life
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
