FOUNDATION.FM is not your average channel
“We set up FOUNDATION.FM because there simply wasn’t enough space for women and LGBTQ+ voices in radio or the wider music industry and honestly, there still isn’t.” The fact that the crew still think there’s not enough female and LGTBQ+ representation six years after the platform was founded should give you an idea of just how groundbreaking FOUNDATION.FM was back when it started broadcasting in 2018.
Founded by radio plugger Becky Richardson, producer Frankie Wells and Radio1 and 1Xtra producer Ami Bennett, FOUNDATION.FM’s mission is to champion female and non-binary talent. Established in the same year that popular station Radar shuttered following sexual harassment and exploitation allegations, FFM came onto the scene to prove that radio can be done differently, and not just by shaking up the traditional show formats.
Inclusive (it’s female-led, not female-only) and community-focused, FFM gives space to underrepresented voices and undiscovered talent, and it’s also working to change the industry from the inside. As FFM says, “there are still fewer opportunities, less access, and talent being overlooked for line-ups, bookings or key roles behind the scenes. It’s actually something we’re seeing more and more of at the moment (again) and it feels very tired!”
Gender splits on festival bills is something that’s been talked about in the music press for years but has been harder to see in practice. Data from A2D2 found that 63% of acts booked at the UK’s biggest festivals in 2024 were male artists or all-male bands, meaning men are getting booked three times as much on average as women. Many of the UK’s smaller festivals, like The Great Escape in Brighton and Sound City in Liverpool, signed the Keychange Pledge to achieve a 50/50 gender balance on their line-ups by 2022, and by 2023 around two-thirds had managed it. As detailed by The Female Lead, Strawberries & Creem created a 60% female and non-binary line-up by prioritising those types of bookings – something that gets even easier when there are women in programming roles.
“A lot of the time we hear things like “there just isn’t enough female or queer talent in this genre,” which just isn’t true. You’re just not looking hard enough,” says FFM. “If you tune into FFM for even a day I’m sure you’ll hear incredible talent across every genre and at every stage of their career.” The station has been proving that right from the get-go.
Residents have included the likes of Bimini, Heléna Star, Becky Tong, Art School Girlfriend, Scarlett O’Malley, and Concrete Jungyals; The Receipts Podcast and Sistren have had their own shows; and there have been takeovers from 2CPERREA, Queer House Party, Honey Dijon’s House Nation, and more. Last year FFM did a two-day stage takeover at All Points East, with artists like Avalon Emerson, Bimini, Eliza Rose, Lady Shaka, Sam Alfred, and Lagoon hitting the decks.
As well as giving public-facing talent a platform, whether that be on a festival stage, on a radio show or on a record – its first full-length compilation record Bodies came out in 2024 – FFM is making space behind the scenes too. “Another big barrier is access to studios, equipment, mentoring and the right networks. So much of the industry still runs on who you know. That’s why we put a lot of focus on creating spaces where people can learn, experiment and connect with each other,” says FFM. “In our most recent DJ Workshop with Apple Music and AlphaTheta, it was really great to bring in our residents and our other emerging talent to the Platoon studios, so they could get hands-on experience with the latest decks and equipment, learn how to build and test playlists, and ask industry questions in a much more open environment.”
And the work continues for 2026, with more radio, more events, and more projects that support female and non-binary creatives long term. “Every time we visit a new city, artists tell us the same thing, they just want somewhere to play, practice, experiment and connect with each other. So really the mission stays the same: keep building spaces and keep the door open for the next gen.”
We’re shining a light on the issues women continue to face as part of our Year of the Woman campaign. The World Economic Forum has said it could take 123 years to reach global gender parity, meaning several generations may pass without seeing true equality in their lifetimes. We firmly believe that, particularly in the current climate, a level playing field will only be achieved if these issues continue to be highlighted and challenged. Find more Year of the Woman content here.
