Forty-five international festivals have pledged to combat gender inequality by implementing a 50/50 gender split on their respective lineups, conference panels, and more by 2022. The initiative comes as a part of a new program from the UK’s PRS Foundation called Keychange, which was founded to help women transform the music industry. The festivals joining the pledge include Canada’s BreakOut West and North by North East; New York’s Winter Jazzfest and A2IM Indie Week; and the BBC Proms, Kendal Calling, Sŵn, and Liverpool Sound City in the UK, among others.

Keychange’s founding festival partners have already agreed to a gender balance commitment; they include Canada’s MUTEK, Iceland Airwaves, Sweden’s Way Out West, Estonia’s Tallinn Music Week, and England’s the Great Escape. PRS Foundation CEO Vanessa Reed said in a press release, “Our focus on gender equality in 2018 aligns with the centenary for some women being given the vote in the UK. 100 years on, the push for gender parity across society continues and with increased public awareness of inequalities across the creative industries we have an opportunity to respond and commit to tangible change in music.”

Read “Are Music Festival Lineups Getting Worse?” on the Pitch.