4 Canadian music festivals join international pledge for gender equality in lineups

Four Canadian music events are joining an international pledge to fight inequality in the industry by vowing to have gender parity across their lineups by 2022.

The move is being led by U.K. talent firm PRS Foundation, which founded a program called Keychange in the hopes of "empowering women to transform the future of the music industry."

Music festivals have come under similar scrutiny for poor representation of women among their performers. Some have suggested it's a relatively easy fix for promoters to book more female artists. Keychange's goals offer festivals roughly five years to implement their changes.

Other international festivals and conferences among the participants for gender balance include Iceland Airwaves, NYC Winter Jazzfest, Liverpool Sound City and the Manchester Jazz Festival.