Study on misogyny in the music industry: "The accusations against Rammstein are not surprising"

At the end of May 2023, the Irish Shelby Lynn accused the Rammstein leader on Twitter, till lindemann, of possibly drugging her after a concert. Since then, the accusations have not stopped. It’s about drugs and sex against one’s will, and also about the fact that women were apparently recruited specifically for sex. The prosecution is now investigating.

British researchers Cassandra Jones, Emmaleena Käkelä and Kallia Mannousaki published a study in March in which they account for misogyny, sexism and violence in the music industry. DW met with them for an interview via Zoom.

DW: Were you surprised by the accusations against Till Lindemann, singer of the group Rammstein?

Kallia Manoussaki: If there was any surprise, it was how organized and planned it seemed to be. There were helpers. That did surprise me. But the accusation that a fan was sexually assaulted by a singer didn’t surprise me.

Cassandra Jones: For our project we talked to almost 500 people who work in the music industry, the crew For example. Many said they should go up to women at concerts, approach them and make them available. That’s why the reports on Rammstein didn’t surprise me. It is evident that something like this happens with many other bands and with many other singers, all over the world.

There have always been – not only in rock and pop music, but in all genres – rumors, accusations and sometimes even complaints or legal proceedings for sexual assaults against female fans or colleagues. Why hasn’t there been a #MeToo movement in the music scene so far?

Cassandra Jones: One of the reasons is that women are blamed for what happened. People say, “Look what she was wearing, she brought it on.” In the music industry, it’s quick to say, “Oh, she went to an event and drank. What did she expect?” There is this attitude: men cannot do anything wrong, women are responsible for themselves. If we want to move away from that attitude, there has to be a change of attitude and consciousness in the music industry, but not only here, but throughout society. There is a systemic problem. There is little regulation in the industry, few mechanisms to address the endemic levels of sexual harassment, sexual violence and abuse in general. This lack of structure in the music industry exists everywhere, not just in the UK or Germany, it’s an international problem.

What could help, what needs to happen?

Emmaleena Käkelä: It is about reflecting on the type of messages used to refute accusations and put pressure on women who report violence and abuse. Till Lindemann’s lawyers are now threatening legal action against those who have testified against him. And the message that this sends is: we don’t believe them, we have more power, we have more resources, we are invincible.

What was the reason for your investigation?

Cassandra Jones: My partner works in the music industry, and when I met him he told me terrible stories about what it’s like to work in this industry. I was surprised that this was considered apparently normal, that no one reacted to it. It took a while and many conversations until I found out more. Many women did not even equate what they had experienced with sexual harassment. So I got in touch with my colleagues Emmaleena, Kallia and also Melanie McCarry and we developed this project.

Given the current accusations against the Rammstein singer, Till Lindemann, many fans react with the argument that the so-called “groupies” have always existed. (Editor’s note: “Groupies” are those girls who seek to get closer to rock stars and do everything they can to be intimate with them.) What is true in this image?

Kallia Manoussaki: It’s just an expression of misogyny. We blame a young girl who is obsessed with a celebrity and screams, as we well know from photos from the 60s. Some fainted. They are iconic images. I don’t think any of these young women ever thought they were going to get hurt. This accusation by the victims may be so internalized by themselves that they blame themselves for having been injured or even raped. But even if I look pretty, I’m 17, I’m wearing a great top and I feel really attractive, I don’t want to get hurt. I just want to be attractive. And I certainly don’t want anyone to think I owe them my body and my good looks. We can’t steal a nice car just because we like it. And yet we think we can possess women. So the idea of ​​”groupies” is just another example of victimhood and misogyny.

Emmaleena Käkelä: The fans are seen in a completely different way. Women are not seen as genuine fans and consumers of music, but are constantly sexualized and objectified. And this is the case throughout the music industry, both for artists and managers, festival goers, etc. So I think it’s a broader issue that goes way beyond what people mean when they label women groupies.

The study by Melanie McCarry, Emmaleena Käkelä, Cassandra Jones and Kallia Manoussaki was funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh. It was published in the spring of 2023 under the title “The Sound of Misogyny: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Music Industry.”

The interview was conducted by Sabine Kieselbach.