Pitchfork Editor Calls For Men To 'Acknowledge Women's Expertise'

Taking to the main stage at BIGSOUND for her 2.10pm keynote, Pitchfork Senior Editor Jessica Hopper delivered a hard-hitting and emotional speech to a full house about the misogynistic experiences of women in the music industry, prefacing the keynote with, "I'm going to talk about how we can all be part of a solution."

Hopper leaves a slideshow running behind her of dozens of tweets she has received from women who share their harrowing accounts of sexism, harassment, discouragement and a lack of respect in the fields of music. 

Telling theMusic.com.au afterwards that she went off book about two pages into her four page keynote, Hopper calls for men to ask women about their experiences — at shows, at work, anywhere.

"When women tell you of their experiences, believe them. Don't qualify them, believe them. Post signs in your venues that there's a zero harassment policy. And follow it up.

"Acknowledge women's expertise. Hire women sound engineers. Don't ask Chris Brown to appear on your Grammy award shows, 3 or 4 times in a row," she says to much applause.

"Don't ask R Kelly to cameo on your album."

Moved to tears with her voice cracking, Hopper says, "This is why we need anyone who is moved by these tweets… to show up for women."

Check out the interview our digital editor did with Jessica Hopper right after her keynote.