{"id":55372,"date":"2025-02-05T01:39:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T00:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edwinm29.sg-host.com\/?page_id=55372"},"modified":"2025-03-13T09:43:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T08:43:57","slug":"music-gender-bias","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposing the music industry&#8217;s gender bias"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/#An_unwelcoming_industry\" >An unwelcoming industry<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/#Problems_in_the_studios\" >Problems in the studios<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/#Less_opportunity_less_exposure_less_recognition\" >Less opportunity, less exposure, less recognition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/#Toward_a_harmonious_future\" >Toward a harmonious future<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/#Feel_free_to_use_this_content\" >Feel free to use this content<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Music is a form of creative expression that is celebrated across borders and cultures. But the business side of music isn\u2019t friendly to all creators. A wealth of evidence suggests that the music industry elevates men above other genders to an alarming degree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-55599\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic.webp\" alt=\"music gender bias\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1887\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic.webp 1400w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic-223x300.webp 223w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic-760x1024.webp 760w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic-768x1035.webp 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic-1140x1536.webp 1140w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/EN-Music-Gender-bias-Infographic-640x863.webp 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\">Skoove<\/a> first explored this gender disparity in a report on <a href=\"\/blog\/top-spotify-artists-stats\/\">Spotify\u2019s top musicians<\/a> conducted in collaboration with the research team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datapulse.de\/\">DataPulse<\/a>. That research, based on an analysis of 1,000 artists, found that global superstars like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Rihanna, are outliers in an industry dominated by male artists. Overall, about 80% of the top 1,000 Spotify artists are men (including one trans male) compared with only 20% who are women (including one trans female) and less than 1% who are non-binary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Gender identity of top Spotify bands and artists\" aria-label=\"Stacked Bars\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-ImjnX\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/ImjnX\/3\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"337\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skoove and Data Pulse teamed up again to better understand the extent of women\u2019s exclusion and why it\u2019s happening. After combing through studies, reports, surveys, and government statistics on the subject, we found that gender disparities exist throughout the music industry, from songwriting and production to performances and accolades. Because some sources used male\/female designations while others used men\/women, we used both designations. Here are some of the top insights.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_unwelcoming_industry\"><\/span><strong>An unwelcoming industry<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Misogyny, homophobia, and sexism are rampant in the music industry. Don\u2019t take it from us. Take it from artists \u2014 both newbies and the superstars \u2014 who experience it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe music industry can be, as you know, a bit homophobic, a bit sexist at times,\u201d said Sam Smith, a non-binary singer and songwriter, when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hvDcRERSG8g\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speaking on SiriusXM<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2019. &#8220;So being feminine like this in the way that I move and dance and am is\u2014it feels quite scary at times.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ve politely walked out of sessions before,\u201d said Ariana Grande in an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/awards\/ariana-grande-cover-story-billboard-women-in-music-2018-8487877\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Billboard<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cAnd then I sit down and comp my own vocals and can produce my own session, and they\u2019re like \u2018Oh, I didn\u2019t know you could do that.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Believe it or not, there are plenty of tiny women that can do this.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019, the Berklee College of Music published a comprehensive <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/college.berklee.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/d7\/bcm\/Women%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Music%20Industry%20Report.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of U.S. music professionals from both the creative side of the industry (performers, songwriters, and producers), and business side (managers, administrators, and artist developers). Among the nearly 2,000 women respondents, more than three-quarters had experienced gender bias in the music industry, and just over half felt their gender had affected their job prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The creative professionals were more likely than the business professionals to say gender impacted their jobs. In particular, 70% of producers and recorders, 68% of performers, and 57% of music creators and songwriters experienced gender bias that affected their employment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This bias translates to major gender disparities across the industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 1 in 4 musicians and singers in the country are women. This alarming level of underrepresentation reaffirms the findings from our prior Spotify analysis and clearly attests to the barriers women face in gaining visibility and opportunities in the field.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Musicians and singers employed in the U.S.\" aria-label=\"Pie Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3GrK2\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/3GrK2\/3\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"533\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Berklee survey, which broke out results by age, found that 75% to 82% of women in the music field from ages 18-59 had experienced different treatment due to their gender (Women in the industry over age 60 fared a little better, with 69% reporting bias.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women\u2019s struggle to get to the top is clearly evident in listener charts such as the year-end Billboard Hot 100, which ranks the best-performing singles of the U.S. Over the last 12 years, there have been 3.3 men to every 1 woman artist on the charts, according to a January 2024 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.uscannenberg.org\/docs\/aii-inclusion-recording-studio-20240130.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. Among songwriters, the ratio is even worse, at 6.5 men to 1 woman. There are several reasons for the gender gap. The industry, notes the report, persistently stereotypes women\u2019s creative output and the roles they can hold. It also routinely sexualizes them and doubts their talent and experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There has been a notable increase in the number of <a href=\"\/blog\/best-female-pianists\/\">women artists<\/a> on the charts in recent years, and their share has grown relatively steadily since about 2017. But the disparity is still alarming, with women accounting for about a third of the artists in 2023 \u2014 an all-time high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Credits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the year\" aria-label=\"Interactive line chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-AbvNn\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/AbvNn\/5\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"419\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Numerous artists have publicly attested to the industry\u2019s structure and culture that deters women\u2019s participation. For example, Taylor Swift described the scrutiny she faces compared with her male counterparts in a 2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B1gZyWyDQ9B\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with CBS Sunday Morning. \u201cYou\u2019re always going to have people going, \u2018Did she write all her own songs?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a different vocabulary for men and women in the music industry. A man does something, it&#8217;s strategic. A woman does the same thing, it&#8217;s calculated. A man is allowed to react. A woman can only overreact.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swift is one of the most credited artists on the Billboard Hot 100 list over the last 12 years, as the chart below shows. Still, she and the other top individual women artists are outnumbered by men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Number of song credits by top artists 2012-2023\" aria-label=\"Bar Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-v5Mnu\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/v5Mnu\/3\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"558\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As songwriters, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift are the only women who have earned at least 20 credits on the year-end Billboard Hot 100 charts since 2012. Nine male songwriters have accomplished the same, including three men who have more than 30.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minaj hasn\u2019t been shy about her experience with sexism and her frustrations with trying to get recognition and credit as a woman artist. \u201cI\u2019d have to wear some baggy pants n timbs for men to openly give props,\u201d she griped on Twitter in 2017, along with a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpersbazaar.com\/culture\/art-books-music\/a13100712\/nicki-minaj-sexism-hip-hop-tweets\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series of tweets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about double standards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Top individual songwriters by gender, 2012-2023\" aria-label=\"Bar Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-x9t2w\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/x9t2w\/3\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"726\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Problems_in_the_studios\"><\/span><strong>Problems in the studios<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Music creation relies heavily on technical talent, such as producers and engineers. They make sure the singers and musicians are showcased at their best during recording and mixing. Women, unfortunately, are rarely part of that key process.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2023, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearemovingtheneedle.org\/fix-the-mix\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fix The Mix<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d became the first major study of gender representation across audio production and engineering personnel. The report, a collaboration between the nonprofit We Are Moving The Needle and music credits database Jaxsta, analyzed 3,785 technical credits on the top-50 songs of 14 genres according to streaming data from Apple Music and Spotify. In total, the analysis encompassed 634 individual songs (some straddled multiple genres). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study concluded that, out of 1,260 total music producers, only 65 were women and non-binary people (5%). The numbers were similarly dismal for engineers \u2014 only 46 out of 1,480 (3%).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Technical credits on the top-streamed tracks of 2022\" aria-label=\"Multiple Donuts\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-FK9fq\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/FK9fq\/5\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"537\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Skoove\u2019s prior gender analysis of top musical artists, we found that female representation <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/top-spotify-artists-stats\/#Male_artists_overwhelmingly_dominate_the_streaming_platform_except_in_the_pop_genre\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">varied by genre<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Latin, hip hop, and rap have extremely low rates of women artists, for example, while pop music has the most female representation, at 38%. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, the \u201cFix The Mix\u201d report found that gender imbalances among music technicians differed by genre. As the following chart shows, women received the most credits in the electronic and folk\/Americana genres, but still only accounted for 11% of those credits. Of the 14 genres in the analysis, metal had the worst inclusion record \u2014 it was completely dominated by male producers and engineers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Representation in key technical roles by genre\" aria-label=\"Stacked Bars\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-c1QK8\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/c1QK8\/5\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"521\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study went further, breaking out gender gaps by label. The analysis looked at the top-10 songs across five streaming services and across 14 genres. The results were sobering. Songs distributed by Universal Music Group, which accounts for 40% of the music in the dataset, had only a small fraction (4%) of women and nonbinary technicians credited. Sony and Warner, each with about 20% of the songs in the database, had 6% and 3%, respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Technical credits by distributor\" aria-label=\"Multiple Donuts\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-LatO1\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/LatO1\/4\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"357\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report\u2019s authors noted that big music companies can make policy changes that could ripple through the industry. \u201cHiring practices have continued to reinforce skewed gender visibility trends,\u201d they explained. \u201cStructures of power are hesitant to shift support from those that have historically benefitted the most from them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Less_opportunity_less_exposure_less_recognition\"><\/span><strong>Less opportunity, less exposure, less recognition<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women across the industry have repeatedly expressed frustration with the expectations their peers in the industry, their audiences, and the media set for them. \u201cWomen in music are allowed to be singer songwriters singing about their boyfriends,\u201d wrote Bj\u00f6rk on Facebook several years ago. \u201cIf they change the subject matter to atoms, galaxies, activism, nerdy math beat editing or anything else other than being performers singing about their loved ones they get criticized.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other women have talked openly about being sexualized and objectified. In an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/music\/features\/billie-eilish-body-shamers-sexualized-barbie-oscar-buzz-1235787860\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Variety<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in late 2023, Billie Eilish said people scrutinize what she looks like and how she dresses. \u201cNobody ever says a thing about men\u2019s bodies,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re muscular, cool. If you\u2019re not, cool. If you\u2019re rail thin, cool. If you have a dad bod, cool. If you\u2019re pudgy, love it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lady Gaga shared a similar sentiment when she <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glamour.com\/story\/lady-gaga-on-pop-politics-and-the-power-of-women\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spoke<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glamour<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2017: \u201cAs much as we all love the fashion and the makeup and the glamour, this isn&#8217;t a beauty pageant. It\u2019s about the heart and the drive and the work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From their wardrobes to their lyrics, women feel pressure to fit a certain mold to get noticed. It\u2019s a systemic problem driven by exploitation and rejection that permeates the industry \u2014 and it\u2019s keeping women from getting the opportunities they deserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, in 2023, only 30% of acts at electronic music festivals worldwide were female, and 3.3% were nonbinary, according to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/femalepressure.wordpress.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from female:pressure, a network and data hub for underrepresented members of the electronic music scene. While this is an improvement over the last decade (only 9.2% of acts were female in 2012), there\u2019s a long road ahead. Perhaps the all-female band Camp Cope put it best in their song \u201cThe Opener\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s another man telling us we can&#8217;t fill up the room<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s another man telling us to book a smaller venue<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nah, hey, come on girls, we&#8217;re only thinking about you<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now look how far we&#8217;ve come not listening to you<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, just get a female opener, that&#8217;ll fill the quota\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Gender mix at electronic music festivals in 2023\" aria-label=\"Scatter Plot\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-mBonL\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/mBonL\/4\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"465\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The classical music scene isn\u2019t immune from gender disparities, either. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artscouncil.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/download-file\/Executive_Summary.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Arts Council England found that \u201cthough women make up a substantial portion of the workforce, they are less represented in senior roles like orchestral principals, as solo artists, in artistic leadership roles and elsewhere.\u201d What\u2019s more, in 2018, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/work\/1393078\/orchestras\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quartz<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> examined the world\u2019s 20 greatest orchestras and determined that 69% of the full-time instrument players were men.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In early 2024, the UK Parliament\u2019s House of Commons issued a scathing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/publications.parliament.uk\/pa\/cm5804\/cmselect\/cmwomeq\/129\/report.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on misogyny in the music industry, calling out the numerous barriers that keep women from pursuing a music career. The list includes gatekeeping and lack of support, discrimination and bullying, objectification and sexualization, and abuse and sexual harassment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s hardly a wonder, given the myriad challenges, that women struggle to feel seen in the industry, let alone achieve high accolades like Grammy nominations and awards. In the chart below, which shows five major Grammy Award categories, only \u201cBest New Artist\u201d has given women and men nominations in relatively equal measure. However, over the last 12 years, far fewer women have been contenders for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Producer of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Women&#039;s share of Grammy nominations by category\" aria-label=\"Dot Plot\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-TbCwI\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/TbCwI\/4\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"424\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}}))}();<\/script><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Toward_a_harmonious_future\"><\/span><strong>Toward a harmonious future<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The music industry, despite its progressive veneer, continues to lag in gender equality, heavily favoring men in both visibility and opportunity. This imbalance is a systemic issue, rooted in years of cultural and structural biases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, there are signs that things are changing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, there\u2019s been a slight, yet promising, increase in the visibility of female artists and professionals. Initiatives and organizations like<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.keychange.eu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keychange<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womeninmusic.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women in Music<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (among many others) are pushing the industry to do better by holding stakeholders accountable for the disparity and advocating for gender balance at festivals and in boardrooms. The growing awareness of the problem is starting to pay off; more women were on the Billboard Hot 100 charts than ever before in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;re doing great, we&#8217;re making great strides and I&#8217;m proud to be a woman in this business,&#8221; said <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ap.org\/editorial-photos-videos\/detail?itemid=19bb6ae6d5bb02ecb3929cf7c3d19891\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dolly Parton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as she arrived at the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But more has to be done to not lose this momentum and ensure that women feel welcomed and supported across the industry, from the early stages, <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-play-piano\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">learning how to play piano<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and someones very first <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/easy-piano-songs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">easy piano song<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> right through throughout their careers. Many of the reports cited in this article contain recommendations for change. But one of the most frequent suggestions is to put women and nonbinary people in leadership and decision-making roles within the industry. As the UK Parliament report put it,<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe lack of women in positions of authority sets the culture and influences decisions for the rest of the profession and can have a direct impact on women\u2019s career opportunities and progression.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an industry that thrives on creativity, the inclusion of diverse voices is not just fair. It\u2019s also beneficial, enriching the music industry with untapped perspectives and talents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Interested in learning more about music? Check out our comprehensive guide to finding the perfect piano teacher <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or discover the <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/best-piano-apps\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">best piano learning app<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Author of this blog post:<\/strong><br \/>\nSusana P\u00e9rez Posada<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-6965 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Susana-Pe\u0301rez-Posada-1.png\" alt=\"Susana P\u00e9rez Posada\" width=\"164\" height=\"168\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">With over seven years of piano education and a deep passion for music therapy, Susana brings a unique blend of expertise to Skoove. A graduate in Music Therapy from SRH Hochschule Heidelberg and an experienced classical pianist from Universidad EAFIT, she infuses her teaching with a holistic approach that transcends traditional piano lessons. Susana&#8217;s writings for Skoove combine her rich musical knowledge with engaging storytelling, enriching the learning experience for pianists of all levels. Away from the piano, she loves exploring new places and immersing herself in a good book, believing these diverse experiences enhance her creative teaching style.<\/p>\n<div class=\"editorSection\">Published by Lydia Hovan from the Skoove team<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Feel_free_to_use_this_content\"><\/span>Feel free to use this content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This content, including images and data visualizations, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. That means you are free to share, copy, and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and adapt, remix, transform and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, as long as you provide proper attribution. Please credit and link to: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/\">Skoove.com<\/a> when using any part of this content.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-55514\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Creative-Commons-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"167\" height=\"65\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Creative-Commons-copy.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Creative-Commons-copy-300x116.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Creative-Commons-copy-768x298.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Creative-Commons-copy-640x248.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 167px) 100vw, 167px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Music is a form of creative expression that is celebrated across borders and cultures. But the business side of music isn\u2019t friendly to all creators. A wealth of evidence suggests that the music industry elevates men above other genders to an alarming degree.\u00a0 &nbsp; &nbsp; Skoove first explored this gender disparity in a report on &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"\/blog\/music-gender-bias\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Exposing the music industry&#8217;s gender bias<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":55400,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Exposing the music industry's gender bias","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[267],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55372","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-and-culture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}