Minor Keys: Gender, Inequality and Work in Electronic Music
Six years in the making, the research findings from the In the Key project will be published in an engaging, accessible and thought-provoking, book to be published by Bristol University Press in autumn 2025. A must-read for anyone interested in electronic music, the sociology of the contemporary club scene or diversity issues for workers in the creative industries, the book asks: ‘What’s it like to work in the male-dominated world of electronic music?’ and ‘How do women and gender-expansive music producers and DJs thrive despite clubland’s so-called ‘bro culture’?’ This book combines Professor Samantha Parsley‘s personal journey into DJing and music production (as Dovetail) with insights from a six- year immersive research project and interviews with 63 global artists to explore the challenges women and gender-expansive artists face in the industry. Its starting point is the enduring and chronic under-representation of women and gender expansive artists in electronic music as music producers and DJs, and the book unfolds through an intersectional appreciative inquiry lens whereby the power and agency of marginalised groups is celebrated alongside evidence of the harsh realities and considerable challenges they also face. This is done by tackling common seven myths around gender, technology and cultural production head on, and introducing the concept of ‘ameliorative work’, to recognise the continual and considerable additional work that minoritized genders need to do on top of their creative work in order to succeed. The book culminates in three manifestos for change highlighting what everyone can do to reduce inequality and make the electronic music industry a fairer and more egalitarian place for all.
Over the coming weeks, key content from each of the chapters will be shared as blog posts and across In the Key’s social media content on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Links to the amazing organizations and resources discussed in the book will be listed here soon – although many of these already feature on the ‘Resources‘ page on this site.