UnMute Roster Aims to Enhance Opportunities for Disabled Musicians

The UnMute roster, launched by event management companies Global Local and Continental Drifts in partnership with the Musicians' Union (MU) and the charity Attitude is Everything, seeks to improve booking opportunities for disabled musicians. The initiative aims to alleviate the barriers faced by artists with disabilities, such as Andrew Lansley, who concealed his autism diagnosis for a decade due to fears of losing performance opportunities. Lansley, now the creative director of the UnMute roster, emphasizes that the disabled community should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost.

A key component of the UnMute roster is the use of access riders, a document introduced by the MU in 2021 that outlines the specific needs of disabled artists when performing. This initiative aims to ensure that venues are aware of and can accommodate these requirements. Lansley’s motivation for developing the roster stemmed from a positive experience at Glastonbury in 2022, where a festival engineer was the only one among 30 venues to inquire about his access rider.

Emma Shaw, who performs as emzae and lives with ME and OCD, shared that her disability often led her to decline gigs due to the additional costs of requiring two companions for equipment transport. She noted that many artists feel pressured to hide their access needs to secure bookings. However, since joining the UnMute roster, Shaw has received her first gig in London with a higher fee than ever before, illustrating the potential impact of the initiative.

The UnMute roster is seen as a potential catalyst for change within the music industry. Drag Syndrome, a drag collective of performers with Down’s syndrome, previously announced a halt to UK bookings due to funding issues and systemic failures for disabled artists. However, their collaboration with UnMute has reopened opportunities for them. Daniel Vais, the group's creative director, expressed frustration with the lack of support from established systems, stating, “We are leading the way, and the people that are supposed to support [us] refuse.”

Lansley hopes that the UnMute roster will lead to a standardization of access provisions in the music industry, alleviating the concerns he faced as a young artist. Annalie Huberman-Hertz, who performs as YouGo Boss, expressed optimism that the roster would showcase the capabilities of disabled artists. The Liverpool Sound City festival has already committed to implementing access riders for all performers, indicating a shift towards inclusivity.

The UnMute roster represents a significant step towards creating a more inclusive environment for disabled musicians, aiming to transform the landscape of live music by ensuring that access needs are met and that disabled artists are recognized as valuable contributors to the industry. As Lansley noted, the initiative may serve as a model for future efforts to enhance accessibility in the arts.