PRS for Music looks to encourage female composers

PRS for Music Foundation launched a new campaign on March 10th aimed at increasing the number of working female composers.
The body hopes that the initiative, which was launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, will raise awareness of the gender gap that currently exists in the industry.
It is also hoped that the campaign will help to boost the profiles of women composers.
Recent research has highlighted the gender divide that currently exists in the industry, with just 4.1 per cent of works performed at the 2010 BBC Proms were composed by women.
In addition, the PRS for Music membership is currently only 14 per cent women.
PRS for Music Foundation, who are behind the initiative, is inviting musical bodies across the UK to propose the commission of work by a female composer. Financial support of £5,000 will be made available for new compositions of any musical genre.
Sally Taylor, the chair of trustees at the body, said: “We have created this call because we want to raise awareness about the funding we offer to music creators and encourage more women to come forward for this support.
“By promoting role models for future generations, we hope that we will be encouraging more women to think about making a living as a music creator.”
Prospective artists have been told that there are deadlines for this opportunity on May 13th and August 8th 2011.
Emily Hall, whose song Cycle written for Mara Carlyle will be premiered during the Women of the World Festival, said: “The Women Make Music call will be a great way of drawing attention to the support that is available from PRS for Music Foundation and I hope it inspires other women to think about applying.”