Inclusion Initiative: ‘Diversify the Stage’
- Creator: Noelle Scaggs (Fitz and The Tantrums)
- Started in: 2020
- Keywords: gender equality, anti-racism, intersectionality, LGBTQIA+, diversity, underrepresented groups, pledge
Diversify The Stage (DTS) was founded in 2020 by Noelle Scaggs, co-lead singer of the alt-pop band Fitz and The Tantrums, after she, as a black woman, had encountered very few other women of colour on stage or behind the scenes. This inspired Scaggs to develop a plan to break down the homogeneity of the concert world: diversify it by providing historically marginalized and underrepresented communities greater access to equal opportunities in the live music, events and touring industries.
Diversify The Stage has two main goals: 1) build an online directory that helps people in the live music industry to find a broad group of candidates for each position, and 2) introduce young people to the industry through mentoring programmes, in order to create new talent and recruit professionals from underrepresented groups.
In its mission statement, Diversify The Stage says: “We recognize that Black, Indigenous, Latino/Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander people, as well as women of all backgrounds and identities, gender non-conforming and non-binary people, LGBTQIA2+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or intersex, asexual, two-spirit and all sexual identifications), people with disabilities and all overlapping identities between these groups have been marginalized and are drastically underrepresented in our industry.”
To address this, Diversify The Stage has launched the DTS Inclusion Initiative, which everyone in the music industry – artists, promoters, agents, venues, radio stations, management teams, etc. – can pledge to. Several leading organizations such as UTA, WME, CAA, Wasserman, ICM, Live Nation, C3 Presents, AEG Presents and others have already joined the initiative.
It provides guidelines and recommendations for establishing standard practices in the areas of inclusion, diversity, equity and access at all levels of live entertainment and production. Furthermore, the initiative provides supporting tools and recommends various resources for finding qualified personnel, human resources and mental health services, sexual harassment prevention and bystander training, as well as recommendations for assessing venue access for people with disabilities and more.
By joining the initiative and taking this pledge, you agree to hold yourselves accountable to consider these measures during recruitment, talent bookings, on-boarding, retention, promotion, rewards, benefits programs, succession planning, and off-boarding procedures.