To wrap up Women's History Month our production coordinator, Katie Polaschek, has provided a step-by-step guide on how to amplify women in music! Read all about how we can uplift, include, and support women in the music industry while listening to Katie's rocking playlist!
So we heard you want to learn how you can support women in the music industry…well, you have come to the right place! In this blog post, you will not only learn some statistics surrounding women in the music industry today but also ways in which you can support women in the industry as well!
Before we dive into how you can support, let's get into some statistics about the current state of women in the music industry.
Breaking Down the Stats:
- In the last 5 years, credited female producers on top-charting songs has risen from 1.8% to 5%
- In the last 7 years, the number of female songwriters of top-charting songs rose from 11% to 14.4%
- In the last 5 years, female Grammy nominees have nearly quadrupled rising from 6.4% to 23.3%
- Women of color are climbing the charts at incredible rates, making up to about 76% of female artists in 2018
- There is a 29.6% pay gap between male and female executives across the “Big Three” music groups
- The 2021 Grammy Awards proved that award nominations for women in music have steadily increased since 2017 growing from just 6.4% of nominations to 28.1%
- On average, women make up 19% of United states music festival lineups
- Only 14% of songs played on the radio are sung by women
- Women music executives, particularly women of color, are still missing from various sectors of the music industry. They are severely outnumbered at record labels (11.9%) in live music (6.7%) and within streaming (7.1%) but are thriving in areas like publicity- making up 64% of publicists in the music industry.
In 2020 women made up….
- 2% of producers
- 20.2% of artists
- 12.9% of songwriters
There are SO many numbers documenting women in the music industry and trends that show the slow increase in women's representation across many areas of the music industry over time. Although the numbers have been shifting for the better, in some areas there are still gaps in the industry where the female voice is vastly underrepresented. For example, male producers outnumber female producers 47 to 1, with women only making up 2% of music producers across the industry. If you want to learn about more statistics and historical context you can check out the links below for more information!
Can’t get enough stats? I’ve got you covered:
https://www.musicianwave.com/gender-inequality-in-the-music-industry-statistics/
https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/women-artists-music-study-2021-1138094/
https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-industry/music-business/female-music-producers
There is no one reason why women are severely underrepresented in this field but rather many many years of oppression, sexism, misogyny, and stereotyping that still negatively affect women in music today. And this is not an issue that is only reflected in musicians, but also in other areas of the industry such as radio, touring agencies, and record labels. These societal issues are deeply rooted, and as we journey through problems surrounding gender inequality, there is no one answer that will solve all of our issues or “fix” the statistics previously highlighted. So this women’s history month, I propose that we learn how we can help to support the women in the music industry and celebrate their accomplishments as official badasses! So let’s do just that…
KATIE’S FOOLPROOF GUIDE ON HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT WOMEN IN MUSIC YEAR-ROUND:
- Paying all artists equally, regardless of gender presentation
- I know many of us are not in a position of power to truly enforce a guide like this, but it’s important to understand the statistics and spread awareness about the gender pay gap in all lines of work. That being said in the U.S, women in the music industry are making $20,000 less annually than their male peers. Don’t let these statistics go unnoticed!
- Never touch a woman artist (or ANYONE) without their consent
- In early 2020, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a study on gender inequality in the music industry found that out of 401 respondents (made up of artists, songwriters, producers, and DJs) 64% reported being sexually harassed at some point in their career deeming female objectification as a major challenge many women face in the industry
- Be mindful of stereotyping and preconceived notions
- 78% of women working in music felt that they had been treated differently because of the gender, with over half reporting that gender has affected their employment opportunities (Berklee College of Music)
- Trust, value, and celebrate women artists, producers, composers, and songwriters
- According to a study led by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, women make up 21% of artists, 12.3% of songwriters, and 2.1% of producers.
- You could start by listening to some radio shows or podcasts. “Women in Sound” run by audio engineer Madeleine Campbell and “We Are the Unheard” with Eve Horne are great places to start! Or find more podcasts here!
- Support artists and women in music via social media with likes, listens, follows, and shares
- Don’t shy away from sharing your favorite women in music online. This does not only account for established names but also smaller artists as well. It’s a proven fact that hot people go to local gigs, share project releases, and donate to organizations they stand for. It’s easy to share your favs in a way that feels comfortable to you, even if it means dropping a simple like or comment :) Check out these women-owned record labels: Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records, Tokimonsta’s Young Art Records, and the femme queer collective Surrounds’ Dusk Recordings.
- Actively support organizations that promote equality for women musicians
- This has been something that I am always actively trying to do as more and more organizations are being created! One page that recently found that was very neat is called BookMoreWomen. Essentially they take lineups of festivals and show what percentage are women and how it has changed over the past few years. They also document the number of women of color and non-binary artists in these lineups as well. There are SO many different organizations and articles that help share and support women’s stories in the music industry, I have linked a few organizations below if you are interested in checking them out! (each of these organizations also have some incredible social media accounts as well that I HIGHLY recommend you follow!)
Helpful links to organizations that support women in music:
https://www.womeninjazz.co.uk/
https://www.girlsagainst.co.uk/
http://www.changetheconversation.net/home
https://www.digitaldivasnashville.com/
https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-industry/music-business/female-music-producers
Some spectacular readings to check out as well:
The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hooper
Girl in a Band by Kimm Gordon (one of my personal favs!)
More Myself by Alicia Keys
Girls to the Front: The True Story of The Riot Grrl Revolution by Sara Marcus
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
She’s a Rebel: the History of Women in Rock and Roll by Gillian G. Gaar
Other Resources:
https://www.sofarsounds.com/blog/articles/5-ways-to-support-women-in-music
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/lgbtq-women-in-music-history/
https://www.grammy.com/news/10-ways-to-support-women-in-music-year-round
Spreading information about women in music is something I am very passionate about. I think it’s important to share the injustices some women have faced in the industry and celebrate the women who have paved a path through it all. That being said the playlist attached contains some female artists who have really inspired me and a handful of other SCOPE members' favs as well. Although I would absolutely kill for a playlist with every single kickass female artist in the whole world on it, I don’t think Spotify would be able to handle the sheer power of something of that caliber so I’ve opted to highlight a few artists that hold a special place in my world, hope your ears enjoy!