Scotland’s first Safety Certification Scheme for the music industry has been launched by the Hen Hoose Collective, following research indicating that many female musicians have experienced sexual violence or harassment.
Funded by Creative Scotland, the scheme aims to bring venues, festivals, promoters, studios and music organisations together in a new nationwide drive to create safer working and live music environments for women and non-binary people.
It will provide free specialist training and establish identifiable safety contacts at participating venues, record labels, events and studios, giving artists, workers and audiences a clear person to approach if they experience or witness an issue.
The scheme, which already has the backing of a number of high profile venues and studios, was developed following consultation by Hen Hoose with its community and organisations working across Scotland.
It also comes in response to research from the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research at the University of Glasgow which found that 81% of women musicians who participated in its survey disclosed personally experiencing some form of sexual violence or harassment while working or participating in the Scottish folk music scene.
Hen Hoose founder Tamara Schlesinger said: “Being safe at work or at a gig is a right, not a privilege. This change is long overdue.
“Across society, and within our own industry, we continue to face harassment and abuse, and there isn’t enough support for those experiencing it. We felt a responsibility to use our position to do something about it.
“This pilot will work across live venues, recording studios and rehearsal rooms to build safer spaces and change attitudes throughout Scotland’s music industry. We’re delighted to have such committed partners with us as we begin this vital work.”
The initial pilot brings together organisations from across Scotland’s music sector, including Celtic Connections, Unique Events ((co-producers of Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay), The Queen’s Hall, Berkeley 2, Lost Maps, 432 Presents, Pop Mutations, Chem19, Stereo, Mono, The Old Hairdressers, The Glad Cafe, Tolbooth in Stirling and Aberdeen Performing Arts alongside delivery partners The FLAPS Project and The Bit Collective.
Organisations completing the scheme’s free training will commit to making a trained safety contact clearly identifiable and accessible. At live events, audiences, artists and workers will be informed where they can be found and contacted, with the trained contact present and visibly identified at the event.
Once trained, participating organisations will appear in a searchable public directory, allowing artists, music workers and audiences to identify venues, studios, events and organisations that have committed to the scheme and have trained support in place.
Lesley Shaw, Celtic Connections festival manager, said: “As Scotland’s leading folk, roots and world music festival, Celtic Connections welcomes the creation of the first-ever safety certification scheme for Scotland’s music industry by the Hen Hoose Collective.
“We wholeheartedly endorse Hen Hoose Collective’s efforts to make our country the safest place in the UK to work in music and we strongly believe this project marks an important step towards making Scotland’s music scene safer for all.”
Tara McLoughlin, artistic director and venue manager at Tolbooth Stirling, said: “Hen Hoose have been doing wonderful work advancing gender equality and inclusivity in music, and the new Safety Certification Scheme will further that work.
“The research-based approach, giving effective voice to women and non-binary people in music, will allow us to learn and take practical realistic steps to ensure our places of creation and connection are safe and welcoming spaces for all.”
Holli Scott, events manager at The BiT Collective, said: “This scheme represents an important step towards improving safety and accountability within Scotland’s music industry.
“It is vital that promoting safety in the industry is viewed as a collective responsibility, and I’m really looking forward to working alongside other organisations to contribute to this positive change.”
The longer-term ambition is for the scheme’s approach to become standard practice across Scotland’s music industry, expanding beyond the initial partners to create a visible network of safer places to work, perform, rehearse, record and experience live music.
