Curious PR | Moving The Needle

Moving The Needle

8th March 2021 marked International Women’s Day, which commemorates the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women around the world. This was the ideal time to highlight the serious issues that women face in the music industry, and our team launched a new educational support group called ‘Moving The Needle’ to the global, national and trade press.

MTN was founded by an influential group of women who’ve reached the top in the industry, who have come together to help address the major gender and diversity imbalances within the music industry. Proof can be found in the 2020 UK Music Diversity Report which finds only a third of senior management roles held by women, of which, just 2% are held by black women (African or Afro-Caribbean). Furthermore, women earn just 73% of what men get paid, and they leave in droves after the age of 45.

The launch was publicised widely, including by global news platform, BBC World News, via an interview with Karen Emanuel, co-founder of MTN, where she explained the challenges women face in the industry. BBC World Service radio also interviewed Karen, and articles about the new group appeared in important trade press titles such as Music Week, CMU, Music Ally, Record Of The Day and TPI. Articles were also included by Attack Magazine, Tileyard, Goldman Sachs and The Successful Founder (as part of its 'Inspirational Female Founders' Spotlight.)

Karen on BBC World TV - MTN launch 2021.

Since the announcement, support for MTN has come in from music organisations including UKTI, the BPI, AIM (Association of Independent Music), the MMF (Music Managers Forum), Abbey Road Studios, Global Touring Office - and others.

MTN’s vision is to resolve these issues one by one, and create a brighter path for young women entering the industry - now and in the future. As impressive women in their own right, together, they are encouraging women of all ethnicities, backgrounds and personalities to enter the wide range of careers available in the UK music industry. MTN supports women in all music industry niches to reach their full potential, thanks to a leadership programme consisting of mentoring and training via workshops, panels and debates, with a focus on building vital career skills, such as how to network and negotiate.

‘Change the Record!’

On International Women's Day 2022, we hosted our first MTN event: ‘Change The Record!’ at The Ministry SE1, celebrating a return to physical events and the 1st Birthday of MTN: a perfect opportunity to showcase women driving equality in the industry, with live performances from female artists, Izzi De-Rosa, Rosa Cecilia, Sophie Frear and others, plus inspirational talks from the MTN 'dream team'.

Women’s Mental and Physical Health in the Music Industry

In October 2022, we organised a 2nd event for MTN, sponsored by client Key Production. This focused on how better to support women’s mental and physical health for World Mental Health Day, World Menopause Day and ADHD Awareness Month. The menopause panel was moderated by Magic Radio presenter, Emma B, who unpicked the subject with trusted, impartial advice from Jo McEwan and Ann Stephens of PositivePause, including tips on handling symptoms plus best practice for employers. This led to an invitation from BBC News to speak live on World Menopause Day to a global audience over 100m.