Reid Speed on the State of Women in Dance Music

The gender disparity faced by female artists and DJs in the EDM industry has become quite the hot-button issue lately, discussed widely throughout mainstream and underground media. But for all the attention and talk given to the issue, surprisingly little action has been taken to level the playing field. There are plenty of women contributing to the dance music economy who get their fair shake—from bloggers to agents to top PR people, who all do their part to keep the wheels greased and the operation running smoothly. These often self-described “power bitches” do not seem to face the same stigmatization that artists and DJs face, and are in fact often well respected for their take-no-prisoners attitude and uncompromising vision. However, when it comes to being a successful artist or a respected, A-list touring DJ, it seems women are still being judged by different standards than their male counterparts. 

For starters, women are fully expected to be physically “hot” in ways that male DJs are not. This is evidenced by the few successful female DJ/producers who have “made it” in the public’s eye. Most are very good looking and fit, while some are even professional models. Meanwhile, male DJs everywhere are rolling un-showered off tour buses and still being fetishized. Many in this new breed of successful females eschew conventionally sexy dress at shows in favor of alternative, harder-edged looks, but the famous ones nearly always display above-average fitness (or thinness) and above-average prettiness.

Yet, should they dare flaunt their own sexuality in a way that makes them feel good, it’s perceived as crass—as if somehow the male gazer doesn’t appreciate sex if it’s not on his terms. Calvin Harris does a Calvin Klein underwear ad, and nobody bats an eyelash about his credibility; but Nina Kraviz doing an interview in a bathtub sparked a backlash of hatred. This double standard is at the heart of the dilemma, for its roots lie in deeply ingrained cultural mores. 

“By not lying down and allowing myself to be taken advantage of, I was ostracized, relegated to junior agents, had pay withheld, kept off prime lineups, and had lies told behind my back to keep me from playing marquee venues or to keep other artists from wanting to work with me.”

Another massive hurdle faced by female artists is that a deep passion for our art can often reveal both major strengths and weaknesses. When a man is passionate, dedicated and unyielding in his vision, he is often labeled a creative genius. However, when a woman feels and acts in similar ways to defend her vision, no shortage of labels are used to describe her: “difficult,” “emotionally unstable,” or the ever-so-popular “diva/bitch” brand. The double standard rears its ugly head again!

It’s as though we are expected to be unfeeling robots who play by some male-instituted rules. We need to churn out content (mediocre is okay, as long as we look hot and have good associations) and look glamorous in photo shoots (but not too glamorous, or else we are vapid, slutty or faking it); but we are not allowed to express passion outside of the songs (even then, it’s widely accepted only when actual singing is involved) or fight for our art and image to be represented as we feel fit. Once we push just a little too hard against the machine—once we dare question something that doesn’t make sense or serve our goal—suddenly, we have snapped and become “toxic” or too “hard to work with.”

I’ve faced multiple instances where those who had signed on to help me quickly turned on me once I had become a little too successful and a little less complacent with things that were totally wrong. I am outspoken, so I was labeled abrasive, crass and difficult. And by not lying down and allowing myself to be taken advantage of, I was ostracized, relegated to junior agents, had pay withheld, kept off prime lineups, and had lies told behind my back to keep me from playing marquee venues or to keep other artists from wanting to work with me—all at times when I had chart-topping songs out, was landing major licensing deals, being courted by TV, and routinely featured in major blogs/magazines. If you have a manager who does this dirty work for you, you can bypass this hurdle, but independent female artists who don’t have that luxury and have to speak for themselves are branded the shrew and cast out.

“The corporatization of what was once a fringe community—where outsiders sought refuge from a homogenized, mainstream monoculture—has robbed our scene of its credibility and injected what was once a DIY economy with massive amounts of brand-name cash.”

The good-old-boy mentality has kept many of the most talented females out of the spotlight and relegated them to opening sets, side rooms and subpar promoters. We can’t seem to find the crucial balance between caring deeply for what we do and shutting the hell up and looking cute. Or never complaining when the clueless stage manager kicks us offstage because they have a “no girlfriends onstage” policy (yet girls wearing next to nothing are allowed access to freely twerk). Or not stressing when the guy on before us goes 15 minutes over his allotted time because he doesn’t realize the person tapping him is not just another DJ groupie waiting for a selfie. And yes, all those things have happened to me.

For those who don’t play by the rules of the circle-jerk this testosterone-fueled industry has laid out, the price is often the artist’s career. For every highly successful female artist or DJ, there are countless others tossed by the wayside who didn’t want to play by the rules, despite having the talent, the drive, the passion, and the skills to move people and tickets.

At the end of the day, the real issues run deeper. The corporatization of what was once a fringe community—where outsiders sought refuge from a homogenized, mainstream monoculture—has robbed our scene of its credibility and injected what was once a DIY economy with massive amounts of brand-name cash. This entices all types of non-artistic people to get into the music business for reasons other than the music itself. People see festival crowds, and they want that fame; they want in on the lifestyle. And when the average consumer doesn’t know or care about the producer credits on the latest EDM hit, what we are left with is closer to theatre than a spiritual communion.

Most fans don’t care if an artist can or has actually produced the songs for which he or she is famous. They don’t care if the artist can’t sing or doesn’t really know how to DJ, even if they’re paying top dollar to watch these very acts “perform.” They are quick to “Like” based off hype but have little interest in digging deeper, and are equally as quick to turn on an act, should he or she deviate from what is expected of them. This has sparked the rise of “DJs as pop stars,” and with this, reinforcement of centuries-old gender and sexuality stereotypes.

A scene once founded by outcasts as a place for all people to revel in unity has become just another reality TV show playing out on the world’s stages. Until the day comes when we are willing to overturn pop culture stereotypes of gender, sexuality, and even success—until the day we come to accept female power on female terms, queer power on queer terms, underdogs succeeding on the strength of their skills and not on a hype machine—we will continue to wonder why there are so few women in male-dominated industries. Are they really not there? Or are the masses just not ready or willing to hear them?

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