Haim Fired Their Agent Because They Were Paid 10 Times Less Than a Dude

In an interview with Grazia Magazine, the Haim sisters, Danielle, Este, and Alana, said despite their success, they’ve still experienced sexism in the music industry, including pay discrepancies. At one point, they even fired their agent after discovering they were making 10 times less than a male act at a festival last year.

“We had been told that our fee was very low because you played at the festival in the hope that you’d get played on the radio,” explains Danielle. “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.”

Alana, suddenly searingly serious adds, “That’s why I love my sisters so much. I trust them with my fucking life. We’re all in this together. But it’s scary out there and it’s fucked up. It’s fucked up not even to be paid half the same amount. But to be paid a tenth of that amount of money? It was insane.”

Problem solved! Just kidding. The real problem is that they can’t be sure it won’t ever happen again. “It’s so hard to check: everything’s so secretive about how much people are getting paid, and that’s bullshit,” says Danielle.

Behind the scenes, there’s a woeful pay gap between men and women in the music business, as well as when it comes to those working in the studio. What performers actually get paid for big festival gigs (which are already comprised of far more men than women) is murkier territory. And as usual, the onus should be on men in music to reveal their goddamn salaries, not for women to figure it out. Dudes, feel free to use my timeless jumpsuit solution.