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3 0 SXS W O R L D | M A R C H 2 0 1 7 M U S I C | SXSW.COM In the meantime, women need more positive role models. There's no denying the importance of industry pioneers such as Jody Gerson, the CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, and Julie Greenwald, Atlantic Chair and COO, but these are intimidating fig- ures at the zenith of their careers. Regular access to female mentors is needed to help foster a sense of community instead of competi- tion. Long says that's the most valuable advice she can offer: "Find someone you can latch onto who has around 15 years experience and get in touch. Meet up with them for coffee. You don't have to do this on your own." Change is coming, says Long, who believes that the talk about equality could finally become a reality. But women need to be taken seriously at all levels of the industry—rising A&R stars such as Jonke and 4AD's Jane Abernathy (who signed Grimes and tUnE- yArDs) should be championed. Equality also has to extend to the studio and live environment, and the derogatory image of women as groupies who just want to meet bands should be banished. If women feel respected in these environments, they are more likely to pursue careers such as A&R and production that have traditionally been the preserve of, what Jonke calls, "old guard label dudes." All too often, women are happy to use their contacts to lay the groundwork for the A&R reps without seeking recognition. "There is a network of women there who do a lot of the work but just don't get the final credit," says Long. "I've been involved with a few [artists] over the years, but my name won't be in the history books because I didn't have the title. Perhaps that is something women need to do differently—we need to write ourselves into the deal like men do. If you don't ask, you don't get." The "Women in A&R: Navigating the Stereotypes" session will be held on Friday, March 17 at 12:30pm and is part of the Music Industry progrmaming track. See schedule.sxsw.com for more information on SXSW Music Conference sessions. D oes the music industry still have a problem with misogyny? Anyone tuning into this year's Grammy Awards could be forgiven for thinking the answer was "no." The night seemed to belong to the sisterhood, with Adele pledging her love for Beyoncé and breaking her award in two in a bid to share it with her idol. Not to be outdone, a pregnant Queen Bey stalked the stage in golden goddess mode, her baby bump clearly on display. But behind the scenes, it's a different story. The problem is particularly pronounced in fiercely competitive parts of the business, such as A&R, where women are underrepre- sented. Take the Billboard Power 100 for example—in 2016, of the 142 industry figures listed, only 13 were women. In Britain, a recent survey by UK Music found that women occupy only 30% of senior exec- utive roles, despite making up more than half of entry-level positions. The stereotypes that persist about the qualities required to be a successful A&R executive reveal the root of the problem. The job comes with the huge responsibility of nurturing new artists, and the promise of even greater financial rewards if those artists score a hit. Traditionally, women have fallen into the trap of thinking they need to exhibit macho behaviour to succeed. "If you're fighting for an artist or a song, you need to be almost overly confident about it so that people will listen," says Molly Jonke, Atlas Publishing's director of A&R. "You need be aggressive, otherwise you won't last in this industry." Paulette Long, who has worked in the music industry for 30 years and co-chaired the UK Music taskforce, says that in her experience, nine times out of 10 the A&R people she works with are men. She has only ever met three black or Asian women doing that job. "It was men who originally set up the labels and publishing companies. A culture was born where bosses could employ people just like themselves and it continues today," she observes. "It's about who they like, who they know, and who they trust to get the job done." The challenge of how to juggle having children with a career is an issue many modern women wrestle with, but it is more pronounced in a profession where your evenings are spent at gigs or socialising with bands. The UK Music report—which surveyed 3,000 individ- uals working in music—highlighted the drop-off that occurs once women reach prime childbearing age. From comprising 54.5% of the workforce when aged 25 to 34, women only make up 33% between the ages of 45 and 64. The divide is especially stark between 35 and 44, with a drop-off of 309 women compared with just 80 men. Jonke admits to feeling stressed about the sacrifices that mother- hood could entail. "The reality is that once you leave the business, it is virtually impossible to get back in," she says. "Here in the U.S., there is no real [government] support, and day care is extremely expensive. People have to make hard choices, and it is still usually women that quit." So, what can be done to combat this so-called "motherhood gap"? Innovations are happening, but they are still relatively piecemeal. There are reports of forward-thinking companies promoting flexible working—Soundcloud, for example, has introduced breastfeeding rooms in their offices. But, unlike the tech sector which is young and nimble, the music industry's structures are enforced by aging male executives who often resist change. Molly Jonke Meet the Women Breaking A&R's Glass Ceiling By serena kuTchinsky