Today, gender equality activist and researcher Grace Goodwin launches GENIE, an online database connecting over 300 projects across 25 countries supporting gender equality in music.
The database features projects ranging from producer courses, radio shows, to festivals and much more. GENIE is a springboard for collaboration across borders, and a way to find like-minded people in your own country, all while working towards the common goal of gender equality in music.
We sat down with Grace to find out more about the project, why she built this amazing new resource and how people can get involved.
What did you set out to achieve with GENIE, and did this change along the way?
GENIE originally started out as a way for me to meet and engage with other people in the music industry who were interested in gender equality. I had no intention of creating something that would eventually be put out into the world! I just wanted to address my own curiosities about the scope of gender equity work in the European music industry. However, after so many people had given up their time to talk to me and seemed interested in what else might be out there I decided to commit to creating some form of online resource. Originally it was just going to be a downloadable spreadsheet of the project but once SoundCloud became involved as the lead supporter I was able to invest the money in branding and web design.
Tell us about your journey to making GENIE. What was the driving force behind it?
GENIE was developed during my time travelling to major music festivals and conferences across Europe with the European Music Business Task Force, which is a group of 12 industry professionals from across Europe, funded by the Music Cities Network. At these festivals I was meeting project leaders and researchers who were focused on gender equality in music. I was very inspired by their work. After speaking to project leaders it became obvious that there was not much dialogue across borders. So my rationale behind GENIE was that if I put all of this information in one place then there are no excuses to not collaborate, share best practice and get involved.
Who is GENIE designed for?
GENIE is designed for people wanting to get involved in projects in their own country, maybe learning a new skill or finding like minded people. It is also designed for project leaders to find other projects and communities who they can collaborate with. There are also the broader uses of the database to show weaknesses in countries; what type of resources are they lacking, and could that inspire someone to set up their own project?
What are your hopes for the future of gender equality within the music industry, and how do you see GENIE contributing to that vision?
I think this is a massive question. We are definitely in a better place now, with more women engaging with music and industry. I think the amount of projects on GENIE speaks to that. However, there is still a significant amount of progress to be made. We are proud to be women working in the music industry but that should not be our defining title; I can't speak for everyone but I know a lot of women I have worked with want to be known as producers, DJ, label managers etc without the word ‘woman’ in front. I think GENIE contributes to the normalisation of women across multiple disciplines in the music industry and shows how much space women are taking up.
What’s the response been from the industry to gender-focused initiatives within the music industry?
I think the industry is relatively open to gender equity initiatives. The biggest issue is the sustainability of these projects; often they receive government funding or private investment but once the money runs out then the project is finished despite the positive impact it has on the wider industry. A lot of the project leaders I know spend a lot of their free time and mental energy trying to find funding to support or sustain their work. I think it should be on bigger music companies to invest in these projects as it benefits them in the long run when new talent emerges.
What role do you think technology and online platforms play in advancing gender equality in music?
I was relatively new to delivering a project in a digital space as all of the work I have done around gender equity has been project focused and place based. However, just in the early stages of GENIE i can see a massive benefit to online platforms as the reach is massive, and there is a real sense of community. GENIE is now going to be peer led so people can upload their own projects to the database, this would only be possible in a digital space.
Looking back on your journey so far, what have been the most rewarding aspects of developing GENIE?
I think that I only took the time to sit back and really appreciate it last week when I finally signed off the website. Seeing the sheer amount of projects and women working in the industry, taking up space. I’ve started sharing GENIE amongst my networks and the response has been amazing with so many people saying how useful it will be for their work and community building. For me, if only one person finds a new project to engage or collaborate with then it has been worth it!
Who should get in touch to get listed in the GENIE directory, and how?
Anyone who is running a project or has been part of a project! If we don't have it on the website then you can submit a project through the homepage on the GENIE website.
GENIE wants YOUR project. Are you working on a project that is supporting gender equality in music? Are we missing a project that you have taken part in? Then submit a project at GENIEdatabase.com to open doors for future collaboration, networking and funding. You can also keep up to date with GENIE on Instagram.
