UPCOMING EVENTS

cactus city
CHARTER OF
GOOD PRACTICE

THE PLEDGES

Your
Workplace
Shouldn't
be the
Wild West

1

Greet everyone in the room

This may sound very simple, but things can go wrong right from the start of a session. Women have regularly told us they are not being greeted when they enter the studio, they are ignored whilst men are spoken to.

2

Unsolicited Advice on Music

If you have an opinion or suggestion on the music being made, ask if it's wanted. Sometimes unwanted advice can be intimidating, disrespectful, or just unwanted. Women have reported feeling intimidated by producers' comments whilst in the studio, leaving them unhappy with the end product.

3

check your bias

For example, something like encouraging women to be "sexy" may be inappropriate. Women also have told us when entering the audio industry they’ve been pushed to perform, rather than pursue engineering, production or other audio roles.

7

display a poster

Display a poster to let studio visitors know you've signed up to the charter. We have different designs to choose from so you have the choice of which one works best for your studio. You will receive a poster in your welcome pack.

8

CHAPERONE REQUESTS

Chaperones should be welcomed if a request has been made to bring one. Do not show hostility towards a request for or suggestion of a chaperone. If you feel you don't have space to accommodate such requests you might wish to refer the artist to a studio that is able to.

9

online resources

Depending on the size of your organisation it may be worthwhile developing your own procedures for reporting inappropriate behaviour in a confidential way. For smaller organisations without the capacity to create procedures, you may wish to refer to other organisations found in our resources pages on cactuscity.org/resources

4

Personal space

Often studio suites can be quite small. Be wary of invading someone's personal space. If you’re not sure about squeezing into a spot next to someone to adjust settings or a microphone/equipment, just ask.

5

INAPPROPRIATE comments

Unfortunately, there are far too many instances and examples that we have come across of sexist and derogatory language being used in studios, even including in educational environments. This can be unwelcoming, uncomfortable and even triggering for some people.

6

online resources

If you have a website you can provide a link to cactuscity.org/resources which provides details of a number of different organisations that are dedicated to making changes in the industry for women.

10

Be aware and informed

Will there be Alcohol? Are people expected to catch the last train home, or take a night bus? If there’s going to be alcohol on site, make people aware that they are welcome to drink responsibly and not to pressure others who choose not to. Create a list of trusted public transport companies that people can use to get home and maybe designate an indoor space where people can wait for taxis.