Music for Everyone: Lessons on Diversity and Inclusion in the Music Industry

Cinetol’s three panel talks on diversity shed light on the challenges the music industry faces in being a safe and inclusive space for everybody. The panelists shared important lessons on how to reflect, include, and commit, both inside and outside the music world.

Between May 19 and June 2 Cinetol organized three editions of Cinetol Talks: Music for Everyone to initiate discussions about diversity and inclusivity in the music industry. Each panel featured new speakers from all corners of Amsterdam’s music scene and revolved around a different area in which diversity and inclusivity can be improved: in the organization, in the audience, and in the program.

The panels originated from Cinetol’s “own search to get to work with diversity and inclusion,” says Josefien van Poppel in Music for Everyone III. Cinetol identifies itself as an alternative music venue, a springboard for new artists, and a breeding ground for creatives. Cinetol began its journey towards a more inclusive program by attempting to change up the types of music. This was not very successful, according to Van Poppel and Quico van Touw. Van Poppel: “We were faced with a closed door, so we started to look internally: what needs to happen? Do we want to broaden in terms of who we are as a program, but also: how do we want to make our organization more diverse and inclusive?”

Look inwards, reflect upon yourself, be authentic.
It seems obvious that the first step towards inclusivity starts with looking at yourself, but this step can be deceptively difficult. “Your own reference is your own world, it is logical that you operate from your own context,” says Alarcón Seguel. They continue, “But the question is, are we going to develop ourselves as people by enriching ourselves through being open to other things?”

For clubs and other music venues important questions arise about their identity and values as institutions. “Who are we? Look from your perspective; how do we want to get there, how do we really want to get there?” says Shishani Vrackx (Miss Catharsis/Shakuar). This prompts the question of authenticity: how to be honest when looking inwards, how does diversity and inclusion relate to the “DNA” of an institution, as Peter van Vucht  (Milkshake, Club NYX) puts it. Angelo Bromet (Pakhuis de Zwijger, Melkweg) says, “It’s not just the programmer, the director, only the personnel; it is also the identity you have built across the years, the location of your club or stage, its atmosphere , how they tackle diversity.” To make diversity and inclusion sustainable institutional priorities, they have to be authentic.

On an institutional level, looking inwards is easier said than done. Ivette Forster (Kwaku, Keti Koti, Reggae Lake): “The penny has to drop, you have to realize that you’re excluding people.” Looking inwards is also where to start on an individual level: know your norms and values, what you stand for, and reflect how you may be excluding others. Bring your own identity and context to the discussion, exercise awareness and respect towards people around you from a place of authenticity. Vranckx: “first reflection, then research.”

Include others: create a seat at the table.
In the first edition of Music for Everyone, Forster says, “The reason why diversity won’t come, is because it’s forced. You’re asking people with no affinity for it to do it. You have to include someone who likes doing it.” Everyone operates from their own context, their own background, their own network; diversifying with only yourself as a reference point is very difficult, if not impossible. The answer? Collaboration.

“It’s not about giving up your place, you are creating a new one: a bike becomes a tandem,” says Maurino Alarcón Seguel (Fiesta Macumbo) Again and again, the importance of including in order to be inclusive is emphasised in Cinetol Talks. Including others to help you with areas you lack knowledge in is the key to reaching new people and being successful in doing so. There is no shame in asking for help, in admitting you don’t have the answers. Unfortunately, according to Forster, “collaboration is lacking; people want to do it themselves.”

“It’s not about giving up your place, you are creating a new one: a bike becomes a tandem.”

For inclusivity and diversity to become a sustainable priority, new spaces need to be created on an institutional and permanent level. Bromet: “Sometimes you ask for so much advice, you take in so much external knowledge, that you don’t take in that person with that knowledge. You can ask a lot, but why don’t you let the person do it themselves? You recognize that they know something you don’t know, but you still want to stay seated in the chair to do that.” Making sure new music finds its place, that unfamiliar groups mix well, and that exclusionary dynamics are avoided all begin with who is sitting in the chairs at the table.

Diversity is thus not an incidental thing to do, or a box to check off, it’s a process. Manavolgu (Pink Istanbul) says, “It is difficult but it stands or falls with trust and sharing power, and with that you want to achieve something that is sustainable and that stays.” This is also extended to making questions of inclusivity and diversity perpetual additions to the way institutions operate and approach these problems, in both the music industry and outside of it. According to Helena Castro (Nachtburgemeester, Club Ethics), “it starts with how you internally handle an “incident”. Is it an “incident” or is it part of a pattern?”

Make a statement, signal who you are: commit.
Munira says in Music for Everyone II that “You can involve a lot of people at your organization, but if you want real change, you also just need to make a management statement.” Looking inwards and including others are the foundational blocks upon which change is built. However, what’s on the outside has to reflect what’s on the inside .

For a music venue, making a statement starts at the door. Castro: “you have to look at your visitors, how you communicate as an organization and a business, you have to do it at the door, in your company structure, your visual language to the outside, it’s really a lot.” Thus, it is again crucial to know who you are making the statement for, the reason you do it, and to be aware of your reach. Vucht says,  “Clubs have an educative role. You can take that role really well, you have the platform, the social media: use them. Educate people.” For a venue, there are countless ways to signal your stance, whether it’s through social media, the menu, the bathroom situation, a poster, the sorts of people you embrace and celebrate. Visibility counts. What you make visible, begins with knowing whom or what you stand for.

This said, making a statement isn’t always easy. As Angelo says in Music for Everyone III, “Something has to give.” Making it clear what you stand for also makes it clear what you don’t stand for. Sometimes, in order to include, it is necessary to exclude. In Music for Everyone II, Vranckx says, “you can’t cater to everyone. You have to be very close to yourself, see what your values and norms are, and give everything for that, and despite this, try to have a wide reach.”

“You can’t cater to everyone. You have to be very close to yourself, see what your values and norms are, and give everything for that, and despite this, try to have a wide as possible reach.”

The long haul: Realize it takes time.
In the last edition of Music for Everyone, Josefien van Poppel says, “We [Cinetol] need to take a long breath for this: we have to see how we can keep integrating this theme into our conversations and discussions so that it becomes systemic.”

The road to inclusivity and Diversity is indeed a “long breath”; it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes work: to educate oneself, to perpetuate one’s ideals, to keep trying, to persevere.

Forster says, “Music venues have an assignment: if they are subsidized by the municipality, they have the assignment to make a program for the city. Music for everyone.” Venues must be aware of the role they play in providing a diverse program for a diverse audience. Yet, it is important to remember that this is a dialectical relationship: The Gemeente of Amsterdam has a fundamental role in shaping the way diversity and inclusion are integrated into the city and its music scene.