Variety: In a frank, freewheeling and intense hour-long discussion, the subject of Sexual Misconduct in the Music Industry took center stage at SXSW on March 15. The talk came on the day that panelist Andrea Domanick, west coast editor of Noisy, published a two-years-in-the-making article on the subject culled from interviews with dozens of women in the business.
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When it comes down to it, I feel like that is truly the issue we are facing: the numbness we have to each occurrence of sexual misconduct in the workplace. I see articles after articles after articles that discuss another man in power being acknowledged as being perpetrator of another case of sexual harassment, and honestly it doesn’t even phase me anymore. As a society, we are numbed to what is going on around us, and that is an even stronger reason for time to be up with this omnipresent issue. In regards to it specifically within the music industry, I think this conversation needs to be more prevalent across the board. The music industry is known for being equally- if not more- subject to sexual misconduct that other entertainment industries, yet we didn’t even blink when accusations came out about R. Kelly because of the systematic racism making it appear okay, when we should be living in a world where sexual assault should never be expected or seen as okay. I hope that this discussion opened doors within the music industry and that it can branch out to further audiences and gain the same type of backing as the movements within other entertainment industries.
The entertainment industry lends itself to people misusing and abusing work relationships so easily. Dealing with sensitive and vulnerable material can open the door for intimacy and a whole lot of people misuse intimacy. Take for example Dr. Luke. Kesha was an extremely vulnerable person and because Dr. Luke was her producer her job forced her to be in vulnerable situations with him. So much of entertainment happens behind closed doors, between two people, because that's always been the way that we have done things. Creative careers need to have conversations about what types of behaviors are allowed in the creative process we engage in and what are not. Many people view doing scandalous things as a way to expand their world view or find a new topic for their next album or book. This kind of attitude can not be tolerated. Hopefully sexual misconduct in the music industry will be exposed soon because there is no room for it in the future.
As SXSW grows in the prominence, it’s important for the festival to stay relevant by addressing hot button issues, and no issue has been bigger the past six months than sexual harassment in the workplace. It is clear that the music industry has suffered from the same scourge as the film industry, media industry, and politics, so it was important for leaders to address these issues upfront and in the public eye. I appreciate that the conversation focused a lot on fixing the cultural issues that are at play in the industry and business in general, not that any of these are appropriate excuses for the pervasive issue of sexual harassment and misconduct. The focus on drawing a line between sexual harassment and misconduct is an important conversation that needs to be had in America given the current climate we are living in. This can further help demonstrate to people who are on the outside of the industry the severity and the widespread nature of this problem.
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