UK Music Launches Equality & Diversity Charter

In an event at London’s Commonwealth Club, the UK music industry today launched a commitment to increase equality and diversity within the commercial music sector. Hosted at www.ukmusic.org/edc UK Music’s Equality & Diversity charter encourages organisations, businesses and individuals to commit to two or more actions in 2012 to help improve equality and diversity in the industry.

These can be drawn from the following headings:

•    Recruiting from a wide talent pool

•    Improving equality and diversity at senior decision making levels

•    Participating in or running activities that promote equality and diversity in the music industry.  

•    Sharing methods of increasing equality and diversity  

The founding members of UK Music have agreed to champion the initiative. Vick Bain, COO of BASCA, has spent 18 months on the working group creating the charter and researching equality and diversity in the music industry as part of her MBA dissertation.  This research will be published soon, supporting the work of the Alliance for Diversity in Music & Media and the charter.

Sarah Rodgers, Chair of BASCA, said “Music as a universal language knows no borders and celebrates talent without discrimination.  Such respect, recognition and willingness to provide opportunities needs to permeate all areas of our business without obstacle.  I am personally, and on behalf of BASCA, delighted to support the Equality and Diversity Charter for Music.”

The development of an industry-wide diversity code of practice was one of the recommendations made in Liberating Creativity, the first pan-industry music manifesto. UK Music has worked with the Alliance for Diversity in Music & Media (ADDM) on this initiative.  
Keith Harris, Director of Performer Affairs at PPL and spokesperson for the ADMM said: “From personal experience, things have improved somewhat, but there is more we can do to enable access to our business to those from different social and cultural backgrounds. The Equality and Diversity charter marks a good start in helping this industry realise its potential.”

Baroness Hussein-Ece OBE, Commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister on Equalities, who spoke at the charter’s launch, added: “I welcome the move by the music industry to show leadership on improving equality and diversity, which chimes with the Deputy Prime Minister’s Business Compact for Social Mobility. I very much hope it leads to wider participation that reflects modern society, and look forward to seeing what is achieved by this initiative.”