A Statement from the AMA-UK board  -   Safeguarding the Americana Music Community in the UK

Like so many, we at the Americana Music Association UK have been listening to the voices of women in recent weeks and have been engaged with our membership in exploring how we, as a representative body and an organiser of events, can provide a welcoming, safe and secure environment at all times for our members, partners, friends and music fans. With everything that we do, we are mindful of our role and responsibility and we want to explain what we are already doing in this regard and what more we hope to do to drive forward positive change.

We will continue to:

• Grow and strengthen our partnership with Safe Gigs for Women, ensuring we are informed and educated on how we can make our events as safe as possible for women and those who feel at risk.
• Ensure a 50:50 gender balance across all of our events, from the performers on stage to the volunteers behind the scenes, and continue to work with PRS Foundation as a partner on their Keychange initiative.
• Educate ourselves and our members by exploring this important theme through our annual events programme.
• Strive to ensure female artists are heard, respected and supported both on stage and off.

In addition, we commit to:

• Working with our venue partners across all of our events to introduce a “safe word” to facilitate easy reporting and immediate support.
• Working with our partners at Hackney Council to review safety measures implemented during our annual AmericanaFest UK, particularly when moving from one venue to another to attend showcases.
• Working with our events partners to create a safe space at our events where inappropriate conduct can be confidentially reported. 

The Americana Music Association UK is committed to creating positive experiences and opportunities to champion and celebrate music and talent from within our community. We will continue to strive to make the genre, as well as our events and activities, as accessible and inclusive as possible within a safe and open environment. We thank our members and partners for their feedback and input in guiding our steps and we will continue to listen and evolve in the months and years ahead.

The Americana Music Association UK