DJ Mag: diversity & equality report Q1 2021
Our quarterly update following our pledge last year, addressing how we can tackle racism and diversity issues within the electronic music industry as a publication
DJ Mag has started working closely with Xilhu Ayebaitari, the AZ Mag grantee. We have been offering support and mentorship in this initial period by using our industry connections to secure vital equipment for the project, and connect her with relevant industry voices for feedback and advice. The grantee’s project will launch in May 2021. You can read more about the AZ Mag x DJ Mag grantee here.
We are also developing our relationship with AZ Mag by delivering two writers workshops, one in April and a second in May. The workshops are designed to support aspiring music journalists from the QTIBPOC community. You can learn more about this project here.
DJ Mag has come on board as a media partner for Sable Radio’s ReSound project. We will offer editorial support across print and digital, and partner on a DJ Mag x Sable Radio workshop with the chosen ReSound grantees. We will also amplify any relevant projects that come out of the ReSound grant scheme.
We have set up an email, [email protected], for anyone that would like to discuss working with us re: community support initiatives.
Our Q4 Diversity & Equality report was published across our digital channels in December 2020. Representatives from each element of the business continue to meet monthly, as our Diversity and Equality working group, to discuss the short- and long-term aims of our pledge. Since the announcement of our Pledge we continue to give free print & digital advertising to causes that support Black and non-Black POC community projects currently to the value of £40,000. This commitment to free advertising will be an ongoing part of the business, including our digital campaigns.
We continue to use our print and digital platforms to push forward our focus on D&I with our January Best of British cover, featuring all the winners of our 2020 Best of British awards and a selection of nominees, who represent a diverse range of artists across the electronic music community.
The editorial team is in the final stages of updating our style guide, it has been an ongoing process of which our editorial tone and language has been continually adjusted to better reflect the changing contemporary terminologies within Black and LGBTQ+ music, including genre and subgenre names.
In the first quarter of 2021, we continued to showcase a diverse range of artists through our digital music content strands, hosting a wide variety of mixes and premieres from Black, POC and LGBTQ+ artists on our Soundcloud channel, along with corresponding features, interviews and articles on DJmag.com. We will continue to represent artists, DJs, and labels from these communities into the next quarter and beyond.
Our video team continues to create our DJ Mag Originals content through the pandemic, with series including How I DJ, How I Made, The Story Of and Meet the MC all launching in recent months. Each series features a diverse range of artists. Series Playlists can be viewed at the links below:
As with our previous updates, with the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and government-led social distancing measures not easing, it has been difficult for DJ Mag to create meaningful change in the live events part of the business. As with the previous quarters, we continue to focus on our digital broadcasts. The recent UK lockdown has forced us to close our office, and therefore we have been hosting sets from around the world and artist’s homes.
We showcased a diverse range of artists across the 34 DJ sets streamed on our channels between 1st January and 22nd March. As with our editorial standards, we will continue to represent artists, DJs, and labels from the Black, POC and LGBTQ+ communities into the next quarter and beyond.
