IYES
We are Josh and Melis and we are in a band together called IYES. We've been making music together for two years now and we're based in Brighton.
What changes have you seen in the music industry in regards to women?
The place of women in the music industry is fragile. Despite the recent feminist wave and women speaking up has caused up a stir in the press and overall public awareness, the percentage of women having a powerful role in the industry is minuscule compared to men. We feel that there is a lot of stigma attached as well, such as that women can't make it as artists unless they sell their body or unless they are extremely talented AND attractive. Josh from Crack in The Road blog has recently written a thought provoking article on the issue of women being hugely misrepresented when it comes to big festival lineups because promoters/booking agents prefer having a safe bet on artist who they believe will sell tickets. We agree with this. There are many talented female musicians who just don't get the recognition because they are not being given the opportunities to promote themselves, and therefore they don't get the (main) slots. so it's a vicious circle.
Is there anything you would still like to change?
There's lots of things that need to be changed. All of the different misconceptions about women not being able to do the same job as men, especially if there's any technical elements to it (sound engineer, lights, tour managers, etc) are wrong, and women deserve to be given a chance to prove they are just as capable. As artists, we believe good music doesn't have a gender nor any other classification. It's important that people don't look away and realize the issue is still there.