Robyn and Nina Persson of The Cardigans Open Letter About Sexual Harassment in Sweden

The Cardigans’ Nina Persson, with the release of Animal Heart, and Robyn have signed a letter about the increased sexual harassment reports that have been coming from the Sweden’s Music Industry. The letter was published last week and signed by 1,993 women.

The letter starts out with “In the music industry, we work around the clock, often with unsafe and temporary employment. Being courteous and not worrying becomes extra important in order not to be [fired]. This makes women in the music industry targets for [interactions] that are often of a sexual nature. We live in a life where the law of consent is still far away, where we are objectified and where sexual abuse and harassment are more common than [not].” The signees of the letter have demanded a zero tolerance on sexual abuse and violence.

The letter ends with a list of promises that were made to further prevent sexual harassment in the music industry. It says, “Musicians in the music industry – it is your responsibility to ensure that no-one is sexually [harassed in] the workplace. We will support all the stories we have shared with and have learned. We will continue to listen to each other and support each other. We will lay the shame where it belongs — with the perpetrator and those who protect him. We speak with one voice and will not comment on the content of this article. A no is a no — respect it! We know who you are.”

Since the letter’s release, three major labels have gave responses of support of the letter. This includes Sony Music Entertainment Sweden managing director Mark Dennis, who has said “This is an extremely dark side of the music industry which now, thankfully, comes in the light it should be. We will put all the effort to correct these distortions and, at the same time, note with great sadness that we have taken far too easy on what has proved to be a frightening structural problem.”According to Stereogum, the CEO of Universal Music Group in Sweden said “We have responsibility and we must act now!” Warner Music’s president in the Nordics, Jonas Siljemark, also told Music Business Worldwide that “It’s taken true bravery to step forward and speak up about these terrible problems. We must work together to create the changes that will help rid our industry of harassment and discrimination.”