Abbey Road’s free ‘Equalise’ Festival returns for fourth year – Music Business Worldwide

London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios has announced the return of its annual Abbey Road Equalise festival on Saturday March 4, to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Comprising panel talks and workshops with prominent female figures from across the music industry, tickets are free and available via ballot, while the event will also be livestreamed on Abbey Road’s YouTube channel.

The festival, says Abbey Road, was “designed to inspire and empower young women aspiring to a career in music” and notes that was “borne out of the studios’ ambition to encourage more women to consider engineering and production as a credible career path”

According to Abbey Road, “less than 5% of producers and engineers are female”.

Since launching in March 2020, Equalise has explored careers in film scoring, A&R, songwriting and getting started as an artist.

While music creation remains at the center of the event, 2023 sees the festival embrace new themes including music technology.

Highlights this year include:

• Getting Signed, exploring what managers and A&Rs are looking for, hosted by Radio X & Classic Rock’s Sunta Templeton with Olivia Edwards-Allen (manager for Cat Burns and Debbie), Babs Thornton (manager for Baby Queen), Decca’s Senior Head of A&R Rachel Holmberg, and Polydor A&R Manager Hollie Boston
• Scoring For Film, hosted by Scala Radio’s Jenny Nelson with award-winning composers Jocelyn Pook and Natalie Holt alongside Oleta Haffner (recipient of the 2022 AMPAS Jonas Gwangwa Award)
• Careers In Music, helmed by Abbey Road Institute’s Hannah Fitzgerald in conversation with BPI Chair YolanDa Brown OBE DL, LiveSource Co-Founder & Director Debbie Gayle, Metropolis Music / Live Nation’s Alexandra Ampofo, Murray Chalmers PR’s MD Sarah Henderson and ELAM’s Industry Readiness Manager Katy Hall
• Women Do Tech hosted by Abbey Road Red Board Member & Virgin Music UK President Vanessa Bosåen with Christine Osazuwa, Chief Strategy officer at Shoobs,
  DAACI’s CEO Rachel Lyske, XONE’s CIO Alica Molito and Xann Schwinn, founder of Biiah
• Music Production 101 hosted by artist, DJ & producer Jack Lintorn (AKA Klaverson) in conversation with artist & producer Kay Young (whose brilliant new single The Way You Look At Me was part-recorded at Abbey Road), artist & DJ Club Fitness, Abbey Road senior runner Sarah Meyz with more names TBC
• The Craft of Songwriting hosted by Radio X & Classic Rock’s Sunta Templeton with Porridge Radio’s Dana Margolin, solo artist Lau.ra and Lime Garden’s Chloe Howard.

The full schedule for Abbey Road Equalise can be viewed, here.

“Inspiring and empowering future generations of music and production talent is an ongoing commitment at Abbey Road, with our Equalise and Amplify programmes well established within the calendar.”

Mark Robertson, Abbey Road Studios

Mark Robertson, Head of Brand & Communications, Abbey Road Studios, said: “Inspiring and empowering future generations of music and production talent is an ongoing commitment at Abbey Road, with our Equalise and Amplify programmes well established within the calendar.

“Getting more women into a wide variety of roles within the music industry remains vitally important so it’s hugely rewarding to witness the value of these sessions, from the audience’s hunger for insights and advice to forging new connections and friendships with those on a similar path.”Music Business Worldwide