For Artists + Performers

If you’ve got a team of people who work with you as an artist, be proactive about getting diversity onto your own team.

• Hire for diversity, create a culture for inclusivity. If you’re having trouble finding people in your usual circles, make a conscious effort to look outside of them. Cast the net wide.

• Put a Crew Inclusivity Rider into your contract that highlights your desire for a touring or show crew with broad representation.

Your Inclusion Rider can be as stringent or as light-touch as you want; it can range from questions about diverse programming to ultimatums and quotas. It’s up to you to decide where you land and how you implement on a case-by-case basis.

• Discuss with your team and/or bandmates what version or form you want your Inclusion Rider to take.

• Consider an Inclusion Rider that also covers production and technical crew; encourage promoters to think about who’s working on and behind the stage.

• Talk to your agent and management about how you want them to enforce the Inclusion Rider or approach conversations with buyers and promoters about it.

• Talk to your peers; see who else is thinking about one or using one and find out their experience. You might be surprised.

Often the response from promoters, when asked to get some diversity on a bill, is to say “there isn’t anyone.”

The majority of the time, this simply isn’t true. But it’s a result of under-represented groups being historically excluded from scenes and music spaces, and consistently being overlooked by gatekeepers.

This is usually not intentional on the part of a promoter; you just can’t see what you’re not looking for. And if you have suggestions about support you’d like to see, that can be a very helpful tactic.

• Seek out acts that you like and who fit your live shows so you can suggest them for support.

• Put a call out on your socials, make it publically known you want to know about new and diverse talent.

• Do some good old fashioned internet digging. You can start with an artist database. 

• It may require some wading through mixes but this is anecdotally one of the most effective ways to get better representation on shows that you’re invoved in.

• Look for opportunities to mentor and encourage emerging artists. This could be of your own accord, or as part of an existing program.

• Offer to help with artist development initiatives, for example as a teacher, speaker, or ambassador.

• Support crew development initiatives however you can – talk to your team about offering internship placements for aspiring crew.

Thinking about who your audience is, and who you want your audience to be, may also encourage you to put in place a Venue Safety Rider.

Safety riders require or encourage certain measures be in place at any venue you play, for example gender-neutral bathrooms, response plans for sexual harassment, harm reduction measures, etc.

A Safety Rider can help make your shows comfortable, welcoming spaces for more diverse audiences and encourage new fans to participate and engage with your music.

Artists of all tiers can use their riders as a tool to prompt conversation about diversity, inclusivity, and representation… even if you’re just starting out. 

Obviously the less established you are, the less leverage you have in a relationship with a promoter or venue. However using a light-touch version of an Inclusion or Safety clause can contribute to the growing awareness of the live industry’s diversity problem. 

Conversely, a balanced lineup and an inclusive venue may be non-negotiable for you from the get-go, in which case you can use the Inclusion Rider contract language to weed out who you want to work for and with. 

Riders are, in most cases, subject to a varying level of negotiation between promoter and act/agent. This applies to hospitality, backline, LX, you name it. It’s up to you as an artist to decide how you want to implement your Inclusion Rider and how much flex you may have on a case-by-case basis, or if it’s a hard line in the sand.