THE SILENCE AROUND POWER IN MUSIC

Have you ever wondered why more women in music don’t speak up about sexual harassment and assault?

There’s a side of the music industry I’ve never written about, but I think it’s time to shine a light on it.

This post discusses workplace harassment and sexual misconduct in a professional context.

If this topic is difficult or triggering for you, please feel free to skip it or come back to it when you’re ready.

The side where being a woman in music means constantly calculating risk.

• Like when a much older, married senior exec made an unsolicited pass at me in the back of a taxi. I was embarrassed and didn’t tell anyone when I went back to work the next day.

• Or when, on a work trip abroad, a colleague told me I should lock my hotel door because he was feeling horny and “might come knocking." I went to bed feeling anxious, and anything but safe.

• Or when I was sexually harassed by a client who made it clear that if I wanted to keep his business, I had to put up with it. I reported it to my boss several times. He laughed it off. Only when the client's behaviour became so uncomfortable - and I refused point-blank to work with him - was I finally reassigned. But we kept the client.

These weren’t rare moments.

They were pretty routine.

Working in music often means being out late at gigs, in dimly lit studios, or in pubs and clubs.

Even inside an office under bright lights, respect isn’t guaranteed. Safety isn’t a given. And silence becomes a survival strategy.

Now, as an Executive Coach for Women in Music, I Hear These Echoes All The Time.

Clients say:

"I feel like I'm being judged more for how I look, than what I bring to the table."

"Why hasn't there been a Me Too moment in music yet? It's way overdue!"

"I’ve seen other women come forward about sexual harassment and lost their jobs for it, and forced to sign NDAs."

This isn’t old news.

This is now.

And the Numbers back it up

Last year, TuneCore found 3 in 5 women in music experience sexual harassment and 1 in 5 experience sexual assault.

Over 70% of women who experience sexual harassment and assault do not report it.

Of women who reported experiencing sexual assault, 56% said their claims were ignored or dismissed, 38% felt blacklisted afterwards, and 12% said they were terminated afterwards.

A 2024 UK Parliament report found that 66% of women in music faced discrimination and 58% said they’d experienced sexual harassment.

These Aren't Isolated Incidents.

This is about a culture.

A culture that protects the wrong people and makes women feel like silence is the price of success.

We whisper these stories to our friends.

We quietly warn the next generation of women.

And we wait. For change that’s still too slow, in an industry that asks for our silence more than our truth.

Right now, women’s rights are under attack and are being rolled back.

As a woman, I’m deeply concerned about what the future holds.

This isn’t just unsettling; it’s truly terrifying.

Already we have fewer choices.

But we do still have our voices.

And we shouldn’t have to raise them alone.

So let’s call it out.

Let’s back each other.

Let’s demand an industry that doesn’t just listen, but changes.

Because silence should never be the cost of success.

I’m sharing this not to shock, but to spotlight the lived realities many women in music still face.

If you’re interested in learning more, I was recently sent a powerful report by a fellow woman in music. Published in 2024, it makes for some sobering reading.

Make The Music Industry Safe Report - Read here

If you’ve been impacted by sexual assault, you're not alone.

RAINN in the USA is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organisation.

In the UK there's Survivor's Trust and the information can be found here.

I now work as an executive coach for women in music.

Many of my clients are in their 30's, stepping into leadership in an industry that still doesn’t make it easy. And they’re doing it while carrying experiences like the ones I’ve shared here.

If that’s you, please know I see you. And I’m standing with you.

If you feel called to share your own experience, I’d be honoured to hear it.

And if this resonated, consider passing it on please; because when we stop staying silent, we help other women feel less alone.