How has age shaped your experience in the music industry?
I feel that there are less opportunities out there for people aged 30+. I have seen a lot of opportunities for students and young people, such as DF Academy or other student volunteering opportunities. I have noticed there’s not really anything like that for people aged 30+ who want to enter the music industry, It’s almost like the gate is closed. Especially if you are not a student, they expect you to have some sort of professional experience, which can be very difficult to achieve when there are no opportunities to develop,
What are the challenges and/or positive aspects of age/ageism in the industry for you that you see for others?
I have seen that there can be a lot of criticism on women especially, particularly if you are a musician. If you are not in your early to mid 20’s then people start perceiving you as being too old, i’ve even once had someone tell me that they got turned away from a record label at age 27 because she was seen as being “too old”.
I think especially being in your 30’s you can be seen as not being young enough to make a career out of music, some labels may see it as not worth their time too.
SAGE 