Women In Live Music

01/09/2026

📰 We’re always super keen to read about members of our lovely community! 😍 Check out this wonderful and inspiring article from ProSoundWeb, written by the amazing Becky Pell, aka RocknRoll Yogi.
Psssst… what we loved most about this article was the photo of RF Technician Lucy Mackinnon proudly holding her WILMA trophy! 🏆
***Speaking of… don’t forget that nominations for the WILMAwards 2026 open on 1 October! Stay tuned 👀

31/08/2026

WILM will be joining two panels next Sunday at the PLASA Show in London 🎟️ have you secured your free ticket yet?!
If not, you can get your ticket here 👇
https://register.visitcloud.com/survey/2mac233r7ozem?actioncode=WEB13
🗣️ The first panel will include the duo Katie Melua & Bryony October, who convinced each other that you can be both a mum and a touring professional. The question “Can Safe and Comfortable Childcare Be Part of Modern Touring?” will be discussed together with LSi magazine
🗣️ Just two hours later, WILM will host the discussion “Are We Able to Change Old Habits?”, where, among others, LD Susanne Otta, who holds an MBA in Event Management, will give a short presentation on imposter syndrome, the stress it can cause and the consequences of this.

PLASA is also the place to:
🌱 Meet the WILM community & partners (Booth K76, 1st floor)
🎵 Discover how you can get involved with the backstage industry
📍 PLASA London @ the Olympia
📅 6–8 September, every day from 10 am

25/08/2026

Dolly Parton 🩷 The woman who showed the world that you could be blonde and still be the smartest person in the room. 💃 That you could be feminine and still be the best business(wo)man in the room. And that perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself is to stay true to who you are, your goals and your dreams. ✨ May she continue to inspire us, from here to eternity 🔥

22/08/2026

📣 Help us map female crew members across Europe 🌍
Where are you based, and what field do you work in behind the scenes?
We want to build a clearer picture of where women are working and what roles they have backstage. If you’re a female crew member working in the European live music industry, please take part - Feel free to share with your network 💜

Some facts so far — based on 1,146 responses:
🎸 Only 48 female backliners out of 1,146 female crew members!
⛓️ Just 5 women working in automation…
🇬🇧 452 female crew members are based in the UK — really? And not a single one in Greece 🇬🇷
🎉 The good news? 456 of the 1,146 respondents are over 35. No ageisme here 🙌 (Or?)
But where are all the younger ones? Only 190 are aged 18–24. Really?! 🤔

❗️If you haven’t taken the survey yet, please spare 30 seconds to take part and help us build a more realistic picture of how diversity backstage is changing — for better or worse.
And please share it with your female crew colleagues! 💜


NB Don't forget we will open for the nomination for this year's WILMAwards Oct.1st - Nominate yourself or your colleagues!

WILM’s survey mapping where women working backstage are located in Europe and which roles they hold across the live music industry

19/08/2026

🌟 In just four months, it’ll be time for the WILMAwards 2026!
And what better way to count down than with a throwback to our all-time favourite vlogger and touring truck driver, Amelie Foster! 🚛

If you know Amelie, you know there’s always plenty of touring life, trucks and good vibes involved. ❤️

Roll on WILMAwards 2026! 🏆 Nomination Round starts October 1st

17/08/2026

📣Ladies & Gentlemen-please meet Ed Sheeran's Production Manager 💃🏻

After working on both the Mathematics and Loop tours, Helen Himmons shares her view on the assets and liabilities of each approach

16/08/2026

✨Please Meet The Crew Behind It All✨ When you go to a concert with one of your favorite artists or bands, there is always a crew behind making the magic happen - here it is the crew from Harry Styles 🤩

Solotech UK Group 💜

14/08/2026

What an absolute joy to meet the crew behind Amyl and The Sniffers at SYD FOR SOLEN yesterday! 🖤
We always have great experiences meeting touring crews - But yesterday was something really special!
Not only did the crew take the time to show us around and share their knowledge, but we’ve rarely come across such a diverse touring team 💥 It was genuinely inspiring to hear that the band actively makes a conscious effort to surround themselves with a diverse crew. Way to go, Amyl and The Sniffers — more of this, please! 🙌
We were also excited to discover that TM Asst, Jessica Ambrose, joined one of our WILM Walk & Talks a few years ago — and look at her now! 😍 Out on tour as a Tour Manager Assistant, and one of those passing knowledge and experience on to the next generation

A huge thank you to the crew for the brilliant and inspiring round-table conversation about misogyny, touring life, creating a good working environment and so much more — and for later giving our WILMers the opportunity to join you on stage for the changeover! ✨
A massive WILM hug to:
🖤 Jess — Tour Manager Assistant
🖤 Max — Production Manager
🖤 Lawrence — FOH
🖤 Avery — Monitors
🖤 Philip — Backline Tech
🖤 Karen — Tour Manager

And another huge thank you to Xenia Grigat, Head Promoter at smash!bang!pow! and her fantastic team for allowing us to get right into the heart of the operation.
This is exactly why we do what we do. Creating connections, sharing knowledge, opening doors and showing the next - and existing generation what a career backstage can look like.
See you next year! SYD FOR SOLEN & Amyl and The Sniffers🖤
Major Tom Ltd DiGiCo

08/08/2026

We didn't made it to the cover of the Rolling Stone Magazin - but at least we were mentioned in this great article about being a woman in a man's world 🤩

Did know there are less than 2 % women mixing FOH at your favorite show?
- and only a handful of women when it comes to the major shows?!

Big up to Beth for doing such a great job on the interview! 💪

PS Beth – the WILMAwards were created to give the women working behind the scenes the recognition they deserve :-)
Make sure to nominate yourself when nominations open on 1 October!


Read the full article here 🔗 https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/on-the-road-beth-denton-female-sound-engineer-63449/?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio

07/08/2026

Do you remember when we were at PLASA last year 👀 and got the audience at our panel to say "MENOPAUSE!" loud and proud? 📣 Well, here's an article we'd love everyone, men and women to read 📰 Because understanding menopause isn't just a women's issue; it's an industry issue!

Speaking of PLASA - will we see you there this year?

***Last year's panel topic was about Women's Health in the Touring World in association with RoadieMedic.com

Performer Sophie Tott shares her perimenopause journey, showing how it affects artists and why support and awareness really matter.