Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis via Getty ImagesA symbol of daisy chains sits at the heart of the vision of Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields, a lineup of women and gender diverse musicians who will perform in California this weekend.Fields of daisies are reminiscent of childhood, a sense of wild and free. When joined together, daisies become chains – individual links making something surprisingly strong. A singer-songwriter and actor, Rodrigo is a global megastar of the current pop era. She references the 1990s music festival Lilith Fair as a major inspiration.Lilith Fair was a concert tour that performed at more than 130 stops in Northern America from 1997 to 1999. Across three years, it featured about 300 women artists and drew audiences of more than 1.5 million people.Like Lilith Fair before it, Daisy Chain Festival is about more than promoting gender equity. Lilith Fair raised money for local women’s charities; Rodrigo’s festival will be advocating for the rights of women and girls, with profits directed to charities that support reproductive rights, infant care and domestic workers. At the turn of the century, Lilith Fair carved out space within a male dominated music industry, while supporting broader social issues affecting women. Now, 30 years on, Daisy Chain Fields acts as its legacy, standing up for gendered rights – both on and off the stage.Building a mysteryThe 2025 documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery details the aspiration of musician founder Sarah McLachlan to drive a nondiscriminatory, curatorial approach to gender and genre.Realising many of the structures of the music industry had been built for men, by men, she set about programming her wish list. Exclusively featuring women solo acts, or bands fronted by women, Lilith Fair also happened to be the biggest lineup of women in a contemporary music festival. Lineups included artists such as Tracey Chapman, Missy Elliot, The Pretenders, Sinead O'Connor and Sheryl Crow. It was about making a creative, inclusive space while showcasing empowerment. Lilith Fair, McLachlan remembers, was:just this beautiful idea where women could all come together and be stronger as one united force. We didn’t have to compete [with one another]. We came from a place of love, joy, and a need to create. Surprise musical collaborations – such as Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt; Emmylou Harris and Luscious Jackson; and all-in singalongs including Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott and the Indigo Girls – became a signature feature of the events.But Lilith fair also ingrained a philanthropic function, channelling revenue to local women’s charities, with more than US$10 million raised.The combination of a commercial event with deeply ideological intent was regarded with scepticism by the mainstream industry – for being too soft, too folky, too butch, too political. However, each year the festival sold out, working with the idea of building communities, and focusing on connecting with audiences across generations. As indie artist Liz Phair says in the documentary: “they weren’t just coming to support music, they were supporting an idea”. It’s a man’s worldFrom the commercial music industry to grass roots DIY scenes, being a woman in the 1990s and playing music came with a range of barriers. There was bias in getting radio airplay, getting on gigs and festivals, and it was often simply a struggle to be taken seriously.The music industry is still not equitable. My research into gender and local live music scenes has repeatedly come across similar stories ingrained with ageism, homophobia, racism and body shaming sidling up against sexual objectification and humiliation. Even as more women appear on stages, tech and production are often the most difficult spaces for women and gender diverse people to get career traction. Some music genres are more equitable than others, and music festival lineups are still male-dominated.Tenacious music gender activists #lineupwithoutmales reproduce festival posters by erasing male artists and groups that only feature men. This underscores the male bias persistent in music festival programming. Women to the frontMusic ventures such as Lilith Fair and Daisy Chain Fields are what popular music can do when it takes itself seriously as a powerful agent of social change. Rodrigo has gathered a formidable lineup to join her, including Doja Cat, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Stevie Nicks, Karen O, indie icons The Breeders, and Bikini Kill. When tickets went on sale in June, they sold out in 30 minutes.By programming all-women and gender diverse artists, these festivals take control, turning down the volume of men to show performers and audiences alike what collective strength looks like. Where is Australia?With the current Australian music festival market self-claiming near extinction, it’s important to consider the range of contributing factors, including gender representation. Line ups featuring all women and gender diverse tend to be grassroots, flavoured with DIY. Many commercial, popular music festivals also don’t take the time to explore philanthropy and community partnerships as an important part of the curatorial mix. Politics and music have long been intertwined. Festivals such as Daisy Chain Fields and Lilith Fair set broader social benchmarks for safety and equity, by promoting the right for women and gender diverse people to take up space, to be legitimised, and be heard.Janelle K Johnstone receives funding from Australia Council and Creative Victoria.