Content note: This statement references sexual violence and harassment in the music industry. We recognise that these topics can be difficult or distressing for some readers. If you are affected by these issues, support services and resources are available. We have compiled a list of support services which you can access via this insights page.
On 22 January 2026, the University of Glasgow, in partnership with the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, published the report ‘Women Musicians’ Experiences of Sexual Violence and Harassment in Scottish Folk Music’. We recognise and thank the women who contributed to this research and shared their experiences. Their contributions provide important insight into the realities many musicians face and demand serious attention from across our sector.
The findings of this report are unacceptable. The scale and consistency of harm documented in it demand serious and sustained action. Everyone working in Scotland’s music industry deserves to feel safe, respected and supported in their workplace.
The report found that 81% of respondents disclosed personally experiencing some form of sexual violence or harassment while participating in the Scottish folk music scene. We know that this report is not an isolated account of a single scene, but part of a broader pattern of violence against women and gender-diverse people across the Scottish music industry.
Evidence from across the UK has consistently highlighted the scale of these issues. The House of Commons ‘Misogyny in Music: On Repeat’ (2024–25) report1 identified persistent problems including sexual harassment, power imbalances and a lack of accountability. Research from the Musicians’ Union2, the Incorporated Society of Musicians3 and the BIT Collective4 have also documented the disproportionate inequalities, financial challenges and discrimination faced by women musicians across the sector.
The report also highlights structural factors that allow violence and harassment to persist. Much of the music workforce operates on a freelance basis, often in informal working environments where clear reporting mechanisms and accountability structures may be absent. Power imbalances, limited routes for reporting concerns and a lack of consistent safeguarding practices create conditions where harmful behaviour goes unchecked. Addressing these issues requires sector-wide attention and collective responsibility.
The SMIA recognises that our public response to this report should have come sooner. While we began reviewing the findings internally when the report was published, and discussing the recommendations at both staff and board level, this work should have been accompanied by timely public acknowledgement of the report and the experiences it documents. We recognise that this delay undermines trust in the seriousness of our commitment to a fairer Scottish music industry, and we take responsibility for it.
Since the report was published, we have been working to understand what the findings and recommendations mean for our organisation and for the role we need to play across Scotland’s music sector. This includes embedding the report’s recommendations across our organisational practice and sector development work.
Steps already underway include strengthening and standardising codes of conduct across all SMIA projects and events, introducing clearer community agreements and reporting routes within SMIA-led spaces, and refining safeguarding and risk-assessment processes to ensure they are proactive rather than reactive. We will continue to signpost support organisations while advocating for stronger accountability mechanisms across the sector. The SMIA Company Board is working with the organisation’s leadership to ensure that the report’s recommendations are reflected in governance, strategy and organisational practice.
We know that this work did not begin with the publication of the report. We also recognise the leadership of organisations and collectives that have long been working to address gender inequality and safety within Scotland’s music sector, including the BIT Collective, Hen Hoose and others. We do not intend to position ourselves at the forefront of conversations we have not led. Instead, we will use our platform with intention and work to follow and amplify this leadership, ensuring that any institutional weight we may carry sits squarely behind the work that is already underway. This requires us to listen carefully, to learn, to approach our role with humility and accountability, and finally, to act. We have been consulting with the BIT Collective to ensure our approach is informed by sector expertise and existing work around safeguarding people against harassment and gender-based violence. We will continue to develop our approach and will participate in the upcoming BIT Collective Strategy Meeting (9 March, online) and the Hen Hoose Town Hall Meeting (25 March, online) as part of wider efforts to work collaboratively across the sector. We are committed to working alongside those leading the charge for positive change in this space, and to playing our part in driving sector-wide action.
As part of our sector development work, the SMIA will integrate discussions around safety, equity, power and professional conduct into the programme of the SMIA Summit 2026 in a way that prioritises accountability and creates space for open dialogue, learning and sector-wide action across Scotland’s music industry.
Alongside this statement, we have published an insights page that provides information on support services related to sexual violence and harassment in the music industry. Conversations around sexual violence can be difficult and distressing, and we encourage anyone affected to seek support from specialist organisations.
Addressing sexual violence, harassment, power imbalances and discrimination in music requires sustained action across the entire industry. These issues cannot be acknowledged only at symbolic moments, and lasting change requires sustained commitment and collective responsibility across the sector.
We call on organisations, employers, educators, funders, venues, festivals and industry bodies across Scotland’s music sector to engage with the findings of this report and take meaningful steps to ensure that Scotland’s music industry is safe, supportive and equitable for everyone.
Robert Kilpatrick
CEO and Creative Director
Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA)
Endnotes
1UK Parliament
‘Misogyny in music: on repeat’ (2025)
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cmselect/cmwomeq/573/report.html#heading-0
The Women and Equalities Committee’s follow-up report on misogyny in the UK music industry found that discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse remain widespread, legal protections for freelancers are inadequate, and calls for stronger equality law, a ban on NDAs that silence survivors, and support for an independent industry-wide standards body to improve safety and accountability.
2 Musicians’ Union‘Sexual Harassment in the Music Industry Report’ (2019)
https://musiciansunion.org.uk/legal-money/workplace-rights-and-legislation/equality-rights/sexual-harassment-at-work/report-on-sexual-harassment-in-music-industry
Survey research found 48% of musicians reported experiencing sexual harassment at work, with 85% not reporting the incidents, highlighting barriers to reporting within freelance creative industries.
See also: Musicians’ Census
‘UK Musicians’ Census’ (2023)
https://www.musicianscensus.com
The first large-scale census of UK musicians, analysing demographics, income, discrimination and working conditions across the sector. Data shows 51% of women reported gender discrimination and around one-third reported sexual harassment while working as musicians.
3 The Independent Society of Musicians / ISM
‘Dignity at Work 2: Discrimination in the music sector’ (2022)
https://www.ism.org/news/new-ism-report-finds-harassment-and-discrimination-rife-in-the-music-sector/
Survey of musicians showing 66% of respondents experienced discrimination, 78% reported discrimination was committed against women, and 58% of discrimination was identified as sexual harassment, highlighting systemic issues across the UK music sector.
4 The BIT Collective
‘Safeguarding Young People in Traditional Music’ (2025)
https://www.thebitcollective.co.uk/reports
Report findings indicate that harassment, particularly sexual harassment in alcohol-centred and informal settings, is widely prevalent within Scottish traditional music, with participants highlighting power imbalances, blurred boundaries and a culture of silence that discourages reporting and enables harmful behaviour to persist.