theMusic @ BIGSOUND: Jessica Hopper Keynote Speech

Pitchfork Senior Editor Jessica Hopper was one of Thursday's keynote speakers, taking to the Judith Wright Centre's Performance Space to speak about the struggles of women trying to make it in music.

She went on to talk about the hierarchical structure of the music industry, wherein "anyone who's not a white dude goes down the hierarchy, they get smaller … in the music world, there is a hierarchy that places the male artists at the top."

Followed by a trail of harrowing tweets from many women to her on the screen behind her, Hopper continues on to explain that the accounts of misogyny these women detail "aren't isolated instances, these problems are systemic and worldwide."

Offering some statistics on how high the consumption of music by women is — higher than men worldwide — Hopper poses the question, "Why aren't companies taking fan girls seriously?"

Going off book, Hopper is finally moved to tears as she implores "anyone moved by these tweets to show up for women." 

Watch the keynote for yourself, and check out our digital editor Uppy's interview with Jessica Hopper right after the keynote.