About diversity and gender balance in the program
Roskilde Festival’s music and art program should reflect diversity in artistic expression, gender representation, ethnicity, and nationality.
Diversity is important for increasing interpersonal understanding in our society, and art can be a tool for creating change and offering new perspectives.
A documented example of imbalance relates to the gender balance among artists. Compared to cisgender men, there are fewer cisgender women, transgender individuals, and non-binary individuals who choose a career as musicians. When the gender balance in the music industry does not mirror the composition of the population, we miss out on future talents.
For several years, we have been working to address this gender imbalance as part of our overall efforts to promote greater diversity in program planning.
We work within three main areas:
Support for emerging artists
We have a shared responsibility to drive a positive change in the supply chains of the music industry. By supporting artistic talent development and the emerging music scene, we can contribute to make changes that can impact today’s structures and help future artists gain experiences that may one day lead to a performance on Roskilde Festival’s stages.
In 2023/2024, we have supported emerging artistists and activists with DKK 2.5 million DKK (more than 268.000 EUR). 33 organizations and associations, including venues, organizers, and associations that actively work with representation and increased diversity, have received a donation.
When younger and debutant artists perform at Roskilde Festival, we can build a bridge between the emerging music scene and the festival’s main stages in the long term.
Established artists like Artigeardit, Blæst, Jada, Lamin, Mø, Tessa, and The Minds of 99 encountered their first major audience on some of Roskilde Festival’s smallest stages. The debut concert provides a boost for future tours and generates interest from abroad.
Highlighting role models
Role models can inspire us to think differently and explore new perspectives. They act as catalysts for positive change by demonstrating that they have overcome challenges that others may also face.
We consider artists like Tems and SZA as role models performing on on Orange Stage, representing important trends within music genres in various ways. Another role model is Aurora, who use music as a platform for activist statements.
Read more about this year’s artists
Dialogue and sharing of knowledge
The exchange of ideas and experiences is a means to change. We need to become wiser ourselves, and we like to share our experiences. Therefore, we participate in debates and networks throughout the year, as well as we use the festival as a platform to raise awareness about gender and equality.
The bookers and programmers of the festival are active in several formal as well as informal international networks and regularly participate in panel debates at industry festivals such as Eurosonic, ILMC, IFF, SXSW, and Spot, and collaborate with NGOs such as Another Life, Keychange, MITC, and others.
Roskilde Festival is also a meeting place for music, art, and social awareness, where we can challenge each other’s viewpoints and entrenched habits. The programme includes conversations, workshops and performances about gender, equality, and sexuality both within and beyond the music industry. Among others, you can meet multi-artist Nina Rask, the activist platform Sexualia, artist Lara Schnitger, dancer and choreographer Ruth Rebekka Hansen, feminist activist Emma Holten and the human rights organization Human Rights Watch.
RF24: See the art and activism program here
Do you use quotas in the program?
We do not use quotas based on factors such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and other intersectional criteria in our program planning. The festival’s curators and bookers continuously discuss whether these criteria are balanced in the program.
Quotas for gender balance or ethnic representation do not address structural imbalances. For instance, having a quota of 50% cisgender female artists would benefit our reputation does not necessarily benefit art and artists in the long term.
Increased diversity in program planning and the development of concrete tools to combat issues like marginalization, bias, and discrimination should occur through support for emerging artists, role models, and persistent focus on these issues through discussions and knowledge sharing among music industry stakeholders who identify trends or contribute constructively to sustainable changes.
Where can you find more information?
The association Another Life has compiled the report Representation and Discrimination in the Danish Music Industry 2022. The report maps representation, discrimination, and mental well-being in the Danish music industry.
The career and talent development project Bandakademiet (in Danish) and DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) has compiled the report Women in Music 2022 (in Danish). The report investigates the gender imbalance in the Danish music industry.
The association Autor / Composers and Songwriters maintains a knowledge bank (in Danish) that explores information about diversity, equality, and gender imbalance in the Danish music industry.
How does Roskilde Festival generally work with diversity?
We have developed an action plan (in Danish) for increased diversity and equality at Roskilde, where we will initiate a series of initiatives related to diversity, behavior, and well-being by 2025.