Within the music industry, gender gaps are quite recurrent. Faced with this scenario, the record label “Atacama Records” presents “Hijas del Ritmo”, a training program and promotion of musical projects led by women and dissidents.
The independent company founded in 2017 by sisters Verónica and Magdalena Barriga, three years ago launched a training plan, with the purpose of balancing access to professionalization in the musical world, where the lack of female presence is a constant situation.
According to the latest study by Ruidosa Fest, which analyzes since 2016 the 66 most relevant music festivals in Latin America, the participation of women, as soloists or bands, does not exceed 10% in the continent.
Faced with the invisibility of women in this industry, different problems proliferate. Discrimination, being constantly criticized or evaluated, the lack of labor protection and the lack of technical improvement and tools to self-manage projects, are some of the main difficulties exposed by Verónica Barriga, in conversation with El Mostrador Braga.
The questioning of the capacities of women, with respect to those of men, the eroticization and sexualization of their person in decision-making situations, looking at them as someone not professional, are bad practices that not only singers face, but also producers, instrumentalists, directors, among others, explains Barriga.
“But, on the other hand, we must also put in the spotlight that there are certain minimum things for professionalization. The gap is not only these situations of violence, but there is also a lack of knowledge about how to professionalize a career, because many women distance themselves from this space by seeing only men in a very competitive and violent environment, “he says.
According to the latest report on “Women artists in the field of music barriers and gaps in the Chilean artistic sector”, prepared by the Cultural Observatory of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (MINCAP), women apply to a lesser extent than men for competitive funds and receive a total amount allocated substantially less.
For example, in 2019, of the total funding provided by the Music Fund, only 16% was awarded to female applicants, while men obtained 53% of these funds and legal personalities 31%, reveals in its study the MINCAP.
In this context, the founders of “Atacama Records” begin to develop training to help those women and dissidents who decide to become professional. “We felt that it was important for other musicians to have that network support, not to go alone along the way, knowing that there are many issues that must be relieved to correct gaps, pains and wounds,” says the founder of Atacama Records.
These workshops are divided by different thematic areas and within the tools they deliver is psycho-emotional accompaniment, creative project management, brand strategy, digital strategy and media strategy.
Combating the gender gap in the music industry
The different bad practices that are developed in these spaces have generated that different organizations denounce them and work for a much more equitable environment, as is the case of the Atacama Records label with “Hijas del Ritmo”.
Along the same lines, together with the Network of Organizations in Music: Women and Associated Dissidents (ROMMDA), they are developing the “Purple Commitment” project, with the aim of eliminating and reducing gender gaps in the Chilean music industry.
However, Verónica Barriga emphasizes that these actions must be transversal.
“For our part, we must talk about these issues, relieve them and understand that every time there is violence within a space, we must express and denounce it. We have to build networks, but we also have to make a self-evaluation, how our practices are and what kind of dynamics we are generating in our groups, whether mixed or only women, “he says.
The implementation of gender quotas in competitive funds and in festival line-ups are of the utmost importance, as it is the minimum floor to combat the large gender gap present in the industry, says Barriga.
“At first, yes, it may be a bit obligatory, but then it’s going to be something normal, because there are going to be more women and dissidents naturally participating within the industry. And above all, I think of the new generations, who will see new music and will have them as references to have greater visibility, “he says.
It is necessary to generate actions and instances to combat violence and gender gaps in the world of music. It is important that the different industries work towards a much more egalitarian environment throughout the year, so that we see music in all the streets and in different spaces, Verónica concludes.
Currently, “Hijas del Ritmo” is composed of six bands: Yinyer, Camila Vaccaro, Armadillo Cactus, Geonautas and Mareo!. Each of these with its singularities and addressing different genres and musical fusions, going from synthpop, folk noise and “tropical indie” to Afro-Latin and electropop.
For more information, guidance and contact details, you should go to the Atacama Records website.
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