Reeperbahn Festival International is a titan in Europe, as it is Europe’s premiere music festival, providing the largest platform for pop culture. Not only that, but it also looks at how music and the premiere artists can be allied with music business interests and civil society engagement.
Looking at the festival, which had its showcase here in New York earlier this month, we had a chat via email with Evelyn Sieber, Project Lead Reeperbahn Festival International about their strides for gender equality, why it’s an important cause for the festival, how they selected who played at the New York edition of the festival, and what the future holds for future incarnations.
Find our complete discussion which we have shared below.
Will: Why is gender equality an important cause to Reeperbahn Festival?
Evelyn: First of all, striving for gender equality strengthens women and gender minority artists in the music business. Gender equality is an important cause for us and part of our identity. But there are also very selfish and pragmatic reasons for ensuring equal rights in music: Music as a whole would improve. Because women and men are born with the same musical talent in this world. If that doesn’t get through to the top, in the economy, to the recipients, then something is artificially kept under wraps. Reeperbahn Festival leads the global gender equality movement Keychange since 2019 in close coordination with the PRS Foundation (UK) and Musikcentrum Öst (SE).
W: What are some of the key takeaways from the Keychange podium discussion?
E: Despite the high level of advocacy around women in music, little progress has been made as years pass by – even if it’s “understood” that there’s an issue, the industry needs to act more on it.
There has not been much change in the percentages of underrepresentation of women artists, songwriters, and producers in the industry, and hard-pressing topics such as sexual harassment still remains as a top challenge.
More women in management positions can lead the change from within.
Diversity brings an array of perspectives to the workplace, which fosters innovation and drives quality.
Existing efforts that are supporting women across music require ongoing support and investment.
That’s why it’s so important for us to push Keychange forward and make it even stronger from now on, together with our colleagues in the US music industry.
W: What went into choosing the European artists for the music showcase and why did you think the American audience would like them?
E: Our booking team is constantly exchanging ideas with band representatives and since we are presenting acts in NYC since 2016, of course those acts with a US strategy get mentioned as well. This is what is the underlying element – we are not just here to enjoy beautiful concerts, but the band representatives are actively integrated in our on-site activities and are having meetings that their US career should hopefully benefit from. And then it’s a matter of finding a good mix for the evening e.g. mixing a beautiful act like Billie Marten with an already existing NYC fan-base with ÄTNA, a brilliant German-based band, who are completely new in the US.
W: What is coming up next for Reeperbahn Festival?
Our next highlight will be the Reeperbahn Festival 2022, which will take place from September 21 to 24 in Hamburg.
As a pioneer of innovation, creativity and diversity, the U.S, music business has always been an inspiration for Reeperbahn Festival and its drive to make a difference. That is why we are honored to welcome the USA as our partner country of this year’s Reeperbahn Festival.
With the support of the German Foreign Office Reeperbahn Festival International Spin Offs in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York, Reeperbahn Festival has already established a strong network with the major centers of the U.S. music and creative industries in recent years.
With Focus Country USA, Reeperbahn Festival is set to become one of the most important European hub for the U.S. music industry. Together we want to kick off an even more intensive long-term expansion of our intercontinental connections to promote diversity in arts and culture with a unique program of live shows by American artists, receptions, panels and networking sessions.
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