Bad Gals Run The Stage: Inequality in the Music Industry | Natalie Nicholas | TEDxPorthtowan Women

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DJ, festival founder, and rave culture advocate, Natalie Nicholas, traces the history of women in DJ culture from its origins in the Black and queer communities of Chicago, New York, and Detroit and asks why so many of those women's contributions have been quietly, systematically erased. She brings that history into the present day, examining the structural barriers including unconscious bias, unpaid domestic labour, the very real cost of online visibility, and how that keeps women off festival stages and out of the rooms where decisions get made. But this talk goes deeper than line-ups and systemic oppression. It reaches back to ancient times when priestesses who played the frame drum not as entertainment, but as spiritual technology. It draws on research into the ritual power of music and collective gathering and presents the idea of the DJ not just as performer but as shaman, guiding the energy of a space, generating awe, connection, and transformation. Natalie Nicholas is a DJ, event producer, and music advocate based in Cornwall. Performing as DJ Natz, she is the founder of Freestyler Events, the grassroots event brand behind the annual Kernowtopia festival. She is also the founding director of Amplify, an organisation that uses electronic music to inspire and engage young people. Her work sits at the intersection of music, community, and advocacy, with a particular focus on creating visibility and opportunity for women and gender-diverse artists in spaces not traditionally built for them. In this talk, she draws on her own experience behind the decks, in the classroom, and on the festival field to examine the structural forces that keep women out of electronic music and to make the case for why that needs to change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx