Let’s change the industry: Women In Dance

For an industry that’s overpopulated and dominated by men, the rooftop at Spaces Vijzelstraat achieved the very opposite at the Women in Dance event, during ADE 2019. Spaces teamed up with Shesaid.so Amsterdam & Lady Bee to provide a platform where women in the dance industry could come together to showcase their sound and learn how to make their mark in the industry.

Meet the panel

A perfect panel consists of different talents and different experiences. When accumulated they deliver badass advice for people to take home and put in motion when they’re getting down. Good experiences, bad experiences and the ugly experiences. But, what do they all have in common? Productive learnings. We’re a little biased but we think we did a pretty good job in getting the perfect panel; Agency Professionals, A&R specialists, Label owners, DJs & Producers. A pretty good mix (pardon the pun) if we do say so ourselves.

• Romina Derby from Robin Banks Agency (Management & bookings of Johnny 500 and Naftaly Ramona )
• Linda Gommers from Spec Artist Management (Manager of Famke Louise)
• Stephanie Mcguire from BMG.Talpa (A&R Dutch branch, & management of Lady Bee & Nervo.
• Maartje Ketelaar (from Mixmash Records)
• Lady Bee (DJ / Producer Artist)

Of course no panel is complete without a host; Fajah Lourens. Fajah started spinning records in 2011 at festivals like House of Bad Habits and Valtifest and hitting the main clubs in Amsterdam. She also worked as producer and within no-time her own single Squat went platinum

Every October, Amsterdam welcomes the most diverse crowd to the city, all with one thing in common – a passion for music. The city delivers an astonishing programme of events and talks for industry professionals for all to enjoy. What’s often missing is an environment where those wanting to make it big can meet and connect. For that, we have Women in Dance. Already at a disadvantage because of a formerly sexist industry, the ladies that attended we’re all in it for one thing. They wanted to learn. Budding DJs and producers alike we were able to ask questions, voice their concerns and learn how to create their own story to get themselves heard.

The Panel’s Verdict

When we think back to all the stories, the experiences and learnings, it’s quite hard to pick our favourites. We noted them all down and we’ve picked our top 5. Keep these close to your heart and close to your head, because the next time you want your voice to be heard, (or your sound) these tips are a sure way of doing so!

1. Find your identity and your story & brand will follow –
   Our panel outlined how important it is to find your passion and find what type of music makes you tick. Only once you know this will you be able to stay true to yourself. Once you’ve got that, your story, your image and your brand will follow.
2. Grow your network –
   This one speaks for itself, but growing your network can be scary. If you spend 90% of the time with headphones on, going out in the open and talking to people 24/7 can be scary. Our panel told us you don’t have to do it on your own. Grab your friends!
3. Keep going; be persistent –
   Persistence can be viewed in different ways, *warning* – never feel a pest. It’s hard to guarantee how any agency will perceive your persistence but you’ve got to keep trying. No response isn’t an entirely empty response. It’s essentially saying you need to tweak something and try again.
4. Use the changing industry to your benefit –
   The music industry is evolving. Although we’re not yet seeing a 50/50 split, venues and booking agents have to make up their quota of female artists. Use this to your advantage. If you still don’t think they’re making up their quota, don’t be afraid to tell them!
5. Be yourself and make it consistent
   There’s nothing wrong with being yourself. Whether that means you want to shout your ‘brand’ from the mountains or you’d prefer your sound do all the talking – make sure it’s consistent. Ensure your Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is an extension of who you want to be and that it doesn’t offer a different image than how you want to be seen.

All in all we think you can agree it was a pretty productive day. We’re already excited to see what next year brings and to see where our Women in Dance are in one year’s time. You can catch the video here.

ADE x Spaces 2019

For the second year in a row, Spaces has been the co-working space for all related business during Amsterdam Dance Event. They’ve facilitated work places, meeting rooms and event venues for different types of brands, labels and media. Spaces is known for its events and content. During ADE, they’ve organised various events from Brain Hacking Breakfast to a special dance edition of FuckUp Nights and a female panel called Women in Dance. Interested in joining events like these? Sign up for the newsletter