From Japan to Argentina, Malaysia to the U.Okay., ladies artists, engineers, and producers proceed to be vastly underrepresented within the music trade. But there’s unbelievable expertise worldwide that have to be highlighted and celebrated. So in 2020 Spotify launched EQUAL, an always-on world program to drive fairness for girls in music. EQUAL represents our dedication to amplifying the voices of ladies musicians and creators domestically, regionally, and internationally.
The extra followers take heed to ladies, the extra alternatives which are created so that ladies can enter the trade. Through our suite of EQUAL playlists and advertising and marketing instruments, we offer ladies with more room on and off our platform to share their work; on the identical time, we’re giving followers the possibility to do not forget that by listening, they too are taking motion.
“EQUAL is about the power of raising voices together to drive equity in music and standing together to fight for a common goal that has no borders—it’s about acknowledging the difficulties and celebrating each other all year round,” says Bel Aztiria, Equity Global Music Programs Lead at Spotify. “It is much more than a program: EQUAL represents a mission and a community that stands together.”
Celebrating two years of EQUAL
Two years later, the work is way from finished, however we’ve so much to be happy with as we proceed on this journey. Our EQUAL artists have collectively wracked up thousands and thousands of streams and superior different ladies creators within the course of.
“On platform, in the studio, onstage, and on billboards, more women are having their voices heard, no matter where they come from and no matter at what stage of their career they are,” says Bel. “Beyond global support, EQUAL honors this as its mission with the deepest respect for each local culture. Since our inception, we have launched 40 local EQUAL programs. Thanks to these programs, we’ve been able to host the first-ever EQUAL Festival with an all-women lineup in Colombia, offer studio residencies in the U.S., and invite women to our offices in France to participate in mentorship opportunities; and we’ve seen sorority and artistry prevail every time we come together.”
Catch a few of EQUAL’s notable stats.
EQUAL Fest resumes this September in Spain
Last April, we held the first-ever EQUAL Fest in Bogotá, Colombia. Thirteen excellent ladies musicians, every representing a wide range of genres, took to the stage at El Teatro all through the month. The headliners—Goyo, Paola Jara, Lido Pimienta, Andrea Echeverri, Farina, Elsa y Elmar, Ventino, Karen Lizarazo, Juliana Velásquez, Nidia Góngora, María Cristina Plata, Bad Milk, and Las Villa—collectively represented over 3.4 million month-to-month listeners as made a press release for gender equality in music on stage.
“Being a part of the first EQUAL Fest was really an honor,” Elsa y Elmar, a singer-songwriter who creates synth-pop music with a people aptitude, wrote to For the Record. “I am a woman musician from Colombia, but most of my music is done in Mexico City. So being considered as one of the first Colombian women to inaugurate this festival made me feel proud of my journey and actually very thankful for the support that Spotify has given me.”
“As women, it can be a bit harder—if not much harder,” she famous. “So, it’s really a space for empowerment, it’s a space for acknowledging our place in the music industry, and it just feels really special. Sometimes music made from a woman’s perspective is different: It’s sentimental, it’s special, it has a different value than other music. So creating a space for that, where people know what they’re going to get, is just a very, very valuable thing.”
On September 22, we’ll deliver EQUAL again for a full-volume, all-women set of performances at EQUAL FEST held on the Wizink Center in Madrid, Spain. We’re excited to share that Argentinian Spanish singer, songwriter, and dancer Nathy Peluso will headline alongside a number of different established and growing Spanish and Latin ladies artists.
“There are so many women artists, and we are claiming our space and visibility,” says Nathy. “That’s why I’m happy to be a part of EQUAL and to continue to build fairer spaces. It’s an honor to perform at EQUAL FEST with so many incredible women.”
More have to be finished to place ladies artists entrance and middle, and with Spotify EQUAL Fest in Madrid we’re turning up the amount on ladies and reminding everybody that they are often a part of a extra equal world.
Tickets shall be obtainable quickly—so keep tuned for extra particulars.
“We’re so proud of what EQUAL has achieved in its first two years: through our editorial, marketing, and partnership capabilities, we have celebrated and uplifted the voices of thousands of women artists on and off the platform, and our ambassador program has celebrated almost 800 women artists from over 50 countries,” Bel famous.
And there’s rather more to return.
Stream our flagship EQUAL playlist beneath.