UPCOMING EVENTS

cactus city
CHARTER OF
GOOD PRACTICE

THE PLEDGES

Your
Workplace
Shouldn't
be the
Wild West

1

Greet everyone in the room

It may seem inconceivable that such a basic action of greeting everyone in the room could be a whole pledge, but unfortunately, this is a bigger issue than it may seem.

2

Unsolicited Advice on Music

If you have an opinion or suggestion on the music being made, ask if it's wanted. Sometimes unwanted advice can be intimidating, disrespectful, or just unwanted. Women have reported feeling intimidated by producers' comments whilst in the studio, leaving them unhappy with the end product.

3

check your bias

For example, something like encouraging women to be "sexy" may be inappropriate. Women also have told us when entering the audio industry they’ve been pushed to perform, rather than pursue engineering, production or other audio roles.

7

LATE NIGHT
SESSIONS

Will there be Alcohol? At late night sessions are people expected to catch the last train home, or take a night bus? There's lots of things you need to consider when hosting in your studio. Create a list of trusted public transport companies that people can use to get home and designate an indoor space where people can wait for taxis.

8

REPORTING PROCEDURES

Depending on the size of your organisation it may be worthwhile developing your own procedures for reporting inappropriate behaviour in a confidential way. For smaller organisations without the capacity to create procedures, you may wish to refer to other organisations found in our resources pages on cactuscity.org/resources

9

SHOW YOUR
PLEDGE

It is important to let everyone know that you are taking steps to ensure your space is as safe and inclusive as possible. You can do this by showing your pledge online and displaying posters in your spaces. This helps people navigate our safe spaces and where to go to speak to someone if they need to.

4

Personal space

Often studio suites can be quite small. Be wary of invading someone's personal space. If you’re not sure about squeezing into a spot next to someone to adjust settings or a microphone/equipment, just ask.

5

INAPPROPRIATE comments

Unfortunately, there are far too many instances and examples that we have come across of sexist and derogatory language being used in studios, even including in educational environments. This can be unwelcoming, uncomfortable and even triggering for some people.

6

CHAPERONE REQUESTS

Chaperones should be welcomed if a request has been made to bring one. Do not show hostility towards a request for or suggestion of a chaperone. If you feel you don't have space to accommodate such requests you might wish to refer the artist to a studio that is able to.

10

stay up to date

Laws can change. Pledges are updated. We are always looking to support the current industry and we will keep working to adapt to the changes that happen. Everyone needs to work with us to ensure their spaces are up to date!

Ensure you and your team are aware of any changes in not only our pledges but also the law. We will be providing you further information on all of our pledges throughout the year, updating you of any changes we hear about but we need you to do that with us and be a part of the change!