“Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” is a collaborative playlist that has a straightforward goal: for women and non-binary musicians of the Midwest to be properly recognized and represented in artistic spaces. Serving as a resource for folks to use for both discovering new music and to make regional connections, “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” primarily focuses on Americana, country, bluegrass, singer-songwriter and folk artists but all genres are welcome to be added.
Kat Wodtke is songwriter and guitarist of folk/alt country band Long Mama. They created the “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” playlist after recurring frustration seeing few non-men artists on regional event lineups last year. “We started playing more festivals, and as a non-binary music artist, I definitely noticed it right away,” they recall. “As lineups would be announced, I saw that it was mostly cis white men.on stage – many of whom are extremely talented and brilliant songwriters who are deserving – but there’s clear disparities there, particularly racial and gender ones.”
Around the same time, Wodtke discovered the “Book More Women” Instagram account, a volunteer-run project that conducts research on and addresses gender disparities of large-scale music festival lineups. “They also take a look at where artists fall in the lineup, and there’s a tendency for projects with women, trans and non-binary members to be lower down,” Wodtke notes. “That typically means you’re also getting paid less. As we continue to push for gender equity in terms of not only inclusion but also compensation, it’s important that people of underrepresented genders have opportunities at all levels.”
Making Welcome
There are many women and non-binary artists that Wodtke would love to see on such lineups. “That would make more people feel welcome at these events,” they continue. “I look back at how I came into the music industry late and felt for so long like music was this cool kids club that I could never belong to, and I wonder if had I seen more artists like me from a young age playing big stages, I’d have thought it as a viable path for me sooner.”
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Starting with adding songs of The People Brothers Band, Caley Conway, Humbird and more, Wodtke officially launched “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” in November.
The playlist is a community effort. Artists are invited to add a song from their band or project if they have at least one woman or non-binary member. Wodtke asks that non-musicians listen to and save “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” rather than add to it. “When it comes to gender, it’s important not to assume,” they clarify. “Artists should be able to identify and add themselves.”
The goal, as the playlist’s title suggests, is for women and non-binary performers to have more opportunities. Wodtke reckons, “Sometimes the excuse I hear from promoters and festivals is that these artists and bands aren’t pitching for these things – and in some cases that might be true – but then my question would be if their booking email and deadline is transparent and can easily be found. You shouldn’t have to know the right person just to get booked.”
Wodtke reflects on having this resource, “It’s been very self-educational for me because I often play a lot of shows with my friends’ projects and have a short list of bands that I’m used to working with, even though there’s so much more going on even within my own genres.”
Positive Feedback
Many folks have given the playlist positive feedback, including bands across the Midwest who now want to work with and support each other on tour. “Whatever power we have to kick the door open a little bit makes this worth it,” Wodtke said. “This isn’t a new idea; there’s definitely festivals around the region who have heard this concern over the years and have improved with more diversity on their lineups. Long Mama has gotten some cool opportunities, but other deserving projects should be invited into those spaces as well.”
Wodtke appreciates that more folks are taking ownership of the playlist’s goal; someone has even recreated “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” on TIDAL. Their hope is that lineups get announced in 2024 and beyond with proper racial and gender representation as well as with plenty of genres.
“I work in a library, and we talk a lot about the importance of children being able to see themselves reflected in children’s books,” Kat Wodtke concludes. “Stages should be taking the same approach and get as many different folks represented up there as they can. It really helps people feel like they belong.”
Check out the “Book More Women & Non-Binary Artists” Spotify playlist here.
