The band have confirmed they parted ways with their agent after learning that they were being paid less than their male counterparts.
Haim fired their agent after being paid 10 times less than a male artist at the same festival, the group has revealed.
In an interview with Grazia, the girl group say that they “didn’t think twice” about the pay when it was first offered, hoping that they would see an increase in radio play because of their performance.
But then they found out that a male artist was being paid not double but 10 times more than them.
“It’s scary out there and [messed] up not even to be paid half the same amount. But to be paid a tenth of that amount of money? It was insane,” said lead singer Danielle.
“We had been told that our fee was very low because you played at the festival in the hope you’d get played on the radio. We didn’t think twice about it, but we later found out that someone was getting paid 10 times more than us.
“And because of that we fired our agent.”
The pay gap is a problem across the globe, with much attention on how it manifests in the entertainment industry.
Most recently, it was revealed that Bryce Dallas Howard was paid significantly less than Jurassic World co-star Chris Pratt and that Claire Foy was paid less than co-star Matt Smith in Netflix drama The Crown – despite playing the literal Queen.
Evan Rachel Wood will finally be paid the same as her Westworld colleagues following a pay gap scandal, and the BBC’s Carrie Gracie was forced to mount a campaign against the corporation’s pay grades in order to receive equal pay.
There’s so many amazing women that work in music and I think it’s time more girls looked into being engineers and studio technicians.
“We do see women working in the studios but we want to see more. It’s a quantity issue,” said Danielle.
“There’s so many amazing women that work in music and I think it’s time more girls looked into being engineers and studio technicians.”
“We’ll go to alternative radio stations in the States and there won’t even be a girls’ restroom. That’s a clear indication that something needs to change.”
Bassist Este said the band is keen to “inspire women” – “not just to be in bands but to be producers, engineers, technicians, stage managers, tour managers.
“There’s a million things you could do in music. It would be awesome to see that more.”
Image: Getty
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