Top Industry Bodies Commit to Diversity with 'Seat at the Table Inclusion Pledge'

A number of high-profile UK music industry organizations have signed the ‘Seat at the Table Inclusion Pledge', a new sector-wide commitment to achieving gender-balanced leadership by 2030.

Background:

• The pledge follows the April release of the ‘Seat at the Table: LIVE Edition 2025’ report from Women in CTRL, which was commissioned by LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment).

• The pledge seeks to improve gender and intersectional ethnic diversity in senior leadership across the UK live music industry.

• All 15 LIVE member organizations have signed the pledge, setting their own measurable goals and committing to annual progress check-ins and sector-wide learning.

• Those organizations are:

• Association of British Orchestras

• Association for Electronic Music

• Association of Independent Festivals

• Association of Independent Promoters

• British Association of Concert Halls

• Concert Promoters Association

• Featured Artists Coalition

• Music Managers Forum

• Music Venue Trust

• Musicians Union

• National Arenas Association

• Production Services Association

• Professional Lighting and Sound Association

• Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers

• The Entertainment Agents Association

• Industry allies such as ATC Live and Ginger Owl have also signed.

• Organizations including The Royal Albert Hall, AEG and The O2 have signed on as industry champions of the pledge, contributing case studies and resources.

2030 inclusion targets:

• The pledge aligns with LIVE’s 2030 inclusion targets of 50% women and non-binary representation and 16% women from global majority backgrounds in leadership roles.

Other areas of action:

• Signatories have also committed to:

• Developing inclusive recruitment and leadership pipelines.

• Establishing mentoring schemes.

• Updating policies and hiring practices.

• Committing to greater diversity across programming, rosters, and line-ups.

What they said:

• Gaby Cartwright, Head of Partnerships at LIVE: “This is the first time the live music industry has come together in this way, and the first time it has collectively committed to measurable inclusion targets. We want to position the Seat at the Table Inclusion pledge as a proactive, collective shift from data to delivery. The report and the pledge are the foundation, but the real story is about who is taking action and how the sector is evolving together. The organizations who have signed the pledge as well as our industry champions will be key to helping to shape what inclusion looks like in practice across the live music ecosystem.”

• Nadia Khan, Founder of Women in CTRL: “This new initiative moves beyond data to support long-term change through collective accountability, shared learning, and recognition of best practice. The launch of the Seat at the Table Inclusion pledge in tandem with the industry champion program marks a new phase of action and aims to build long-term capacity, especially by supporting smaller organizations who may not yet have formal ED&I structures in place. This is not a static commitment, it has been set up to be a living framework designed to grow with the sector and evolve alongside ongoing conversations around leadership, culture, and representation.”