Despite the success of a few prominent women artists, the majority of the industry remains dominated by men, with systemic obstacles preventing women from achieving equal recognition and opportunities. In fact, it becomes quite obvious even if you take a quick look at the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
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Let's dive a bit deeper, though. Skoove shares a series of reports that reveal this pervasive gender bias, which continues to plague the music industry, affecting every aspect from artist visibility to technical roles and leadership positions.
Skoove and DataPulse conducted an analysis of Spotify’s top 1,000 artists and found that 80% of them are men, with women making up only 20%, including one trans female artist, and less than 1% identifying as non-binary. So even though global superstars like Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande have achieved significant success in the industry, it doesn't mean this success is a rule; instead, they are still exceptions in an overwhelmingly male-dominated field.
Further analysis by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California reveals a similar trend on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Over the past 12 years, men have outnumbered women by a ratio of 3.3 to 1. The gap is even wider among songwriters, with 6.5 men for every woman.
A 2019 survey by Berklee College of Music, which included nearly 2,000 women music professionals, found that over three-quarters had experienced gender bias. Those in creative roles, such as producers, performers, and songwriters, were particularly affected, with 70% of producers and recorders and 68% of performers reporting that their gender impacted their job prospects.
The gender gap is even more pronounced in technical roles within the music industry, such as production and engineering. The 2023 “Fix The Mix” report, a collaboration between the nonprofit We Are Moving The Needle and music credits database Jaxsta, analysed nearly 4,000 technical credits on top streaming songs. It found that only 5% of producers and 3% of engineers were women or non-binary individuals, so there's a severe underrepresentation in these crucial behind-the-scenes roles.
The report pointed to record labels as key players in perpetuating gender disparity. Songs distributed by Universal Music Group, which accounts for 40% of the music in the dataset, had only 4% of their technical credits attributed to women and non-binary individuals. Sony and Warner, controlling about 20% each, fared slightly better at 6% and 3%, respectively.
Does this disparity depend on a genre? In fact, it does. According to the same report, women received the most credits in electronic and folk/Americana genres, but even there, they made up only 11% of credits. In metal music, the inclusion of women was virtually nonexistent. Among other genres where the representation of women in technical roles is close to zero is Rap, Christian & Gospel, Hip Hop, and Rock.
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The classical music scene can't boast a better pattern, either. Research by Arts Council England says that women are underrepresented in senior roles such as orchestral principals and solo artists. A 2018 study by Quartz found that 69% of the world’s top orchestra members were men, which further illustrates the gender imbalance in even the most traditional sectors of the industry.
The Grammy Awards, one of the most prestigious accolades in the music industry, reflects this gender imbalance as well. Analysis of nominations over the past 12 years shows that while men and women are nominated in relatively equal numbers for Best New Artist, men overwhelmingly dominate other major categories like Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year.
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Women aren't just less likely to be recognised for their work; they also face barriers in advancing their careers. What could be the reasons for such underrepresentation? As the report notes, "the industry persistently stereotypes women’s creative output and the roles they can hold. It also routinely sexualises them and doubts their talent and experience." Women are often perceived as less competent in technical and creative roles such as producing and songwriting. The music industry is often described as a "boys' club," where male-dominated networks and informal mentorships can exclude women from important opportunities and collaborations (and honestly, this sounds like a primary reason why women struggle to receive proper credit for their contributions, and their work may be overshadowed by male colleagues).
🍿 You can read the full analysis by Skoove and DataPulse here.
