The Scottish Music EDIA Manifesto and Action Framework has been developed to support long-term, collective action on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility across Scotland’s music industry.
As part of its publication, Robert Kilpatrick, our CEO and Creative Director, has written the following preface to provide context for why this work matters, how the Manifesto and Action Framework were developed, and the responsibility we all share in shaping a fairer, more inclusive music sector.
The work does not claim to offer a fixed solution. Instead, it sets out shared principles, commitments and practical actions that individuals and organisations can use to support meaningful change within their own work, communities and spheres of influence.
Scottish Music EDIA Manifesto Preface
Scotland’s cultural identity is shared. It belongs to – and is influenced by – everyone who calls Scotland home.
I’m writing this preface a week ahead of the Scottish Music EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility) Manifesto being published. Mid-June in Scotland often tends to be bleaker than most of us would hope, but this year the bad weather is a fitting backdrop for the discomfort, disgust and disillusion that many of us have felt, particularly over the last week.
On most days I feel proud of Scotland, and proud to be Scottish. I see us as an outward-looking, progressive, welcoming and compassionate country, and I know that many of us like to think of Scotland – and Scottish society – in this way. But earlier this week, a crowd gathered at the top of Buchanan Street in Glasgow, looming over the city and forming the darkest cloud of the summer. They poured onto the streets, many wearing balaclavas, and ignited appalling scenes of racist, anti-migrant violence and intimidation.
What looked like a dystopian nightmare was instead footage of my home city. Somewhere so close and familiar looked and felt so distant. Seeing the Scotland flag used and weaponised to promote discrimination and division brought a deep sense of shame for many of us.
In the days that have since followed, I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of Scottish exceptionalism – the belief that, in contrast to others, we are a more liberal and egalitarian country. Many of us – particularly those involved in music and culture – would like to think this is the case, and many of us (myself included) would say that it is these values that underpin the modern definition of ‘Scottishness’. But there’s more than one version of Scotland, and to not hold the mirror up at the unflattering angles prevents us from seeing ourselves fully. It prevents us from recognising – and being honest about – the work that still needs to be done, both collectively and individually. It prevents us from becoming the country and society we already often pride ourselves on being.
This Manifesto has been in development since 2024 and aims to drive equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) across Scotland’s music industry. Our culture is our collective story, and as a sector, we have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be part of shaping it.
This work isn’t new. Across Scotland, individuals, organisations and communities have been challenging inequality and working to widen access for many years – often without recognition or support. The Scottish Music EDIA Manifesto seeks to build on that work – joining the dots and providing a co-designed, shared direction for what comes next. To be publishing it now feels not only fitting, but essential. We implore you to engage in it, and to become a signatory and passionate champion at a time where that collective visibility and active allyship really matters.
Whether you’re an individual or organisation, a record label or educator, based in the central belt or in the Highlands – this is for you and for all of us. This Manifesto has been shaped through discussion, challenge and reflection. That process has drawn on sector-wide research, paid consultation and the lived experience and insights of all who contributed to it. It’s required us to question assumptions, sit with critique and discomfort, and to be honest about where both the SMIA as an organisation and Scotland’s music industry as a whole needs to do better.
We know we have a long way to go, and in publishing this Manifesto, we commit to doing this work long-term. We’re not coming at this from a moral high ground, and we don’t intend to appropriate work that’s been done for so long by others – mainly by people who are the most marginalised. Instead, we recognise our unique position as a trade body and membership organisation, and both the influence and power that we hold due to this. We commit to being active allies, and this is about us stepping up to that plate.
As part of our ongoing work to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry, we want to centre EDIA as the foundation for all industry development initiatives. We’re committed to an attitude of humility and respect, and we want to learn and be better. We know that, at times, it will not be easy. We know that we will have to hold uncomfortable truths. But we know it is work that we need to do, and we invite everyone working across Scotland’s music industry to do it with us.
What emerged from the development of this Manifesto is not a fixed solution but a set of principles which provide a values-led foundation for how we, as a sector, should make decisions, how we behave and how we treat one another; particularly in moments of change and uncertainty. If we can truly adopt and embrace what’s set out in this document, I’m confident we’ll be better for it – as individuals, as an industry and as an invaluable part of Scottish culture and society.
I’ve learned so much from everyone who’s contributed to this work. I’m incredibly grateful for what’s been developed collectively, and I look forward to us learning more together as a sector in the weeks, months and years ahead.
Robert Kilpatrick
CEO and Creative Director
Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA)
About the Scottish Music EDIA Manifesto
The Scottish Music EDIA Manifesto and Action Framework are a shared commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility across Scotland’s music industry.
Developed through research, consultation and collaboration, the Manifesto sets out the values and principles that underpin this work, while the Action Framework provides practical guidance, examples and tools to support meaningful, proportionate action.
Together, they are designed to support ongoing reflection, learning and long-term progress across Scotland’s music sector.