New report details low numbers of female and non-binary people in music production
A recent report has found a severe lack of women and non-binary people working in production and engineering roles in the music industry. Artists including the likes of Brandi Carlile and Maggie Rogers have also come forward in support of more representation in technical roles.
The report, published by Fix The Mix, comprises studies conducted by We Are Moving the Needle, Jaxsta, Middle Tennessee State University and Howard University. It states women and non-binary people are frequently hired as engineers and producers in junior roles, but there is a low percentage of them that rise to senior levels, with metal music having the lowest representation of any genre.
Additionally, the report discovered a gender pay gap in the credits for the top ten streamed tracks of 2022 across the five biggest streaming platforms. Fix The Mix also found that only 16 of the 240 credited producers and engineers were women and non-binary people, which equates to only 6.7%.
According to the author Beverly Keel, the lack of representation spans across every genre, saying, “It is important to note that every genre needs improvement in representation of women and non-binary people. It is difficult to fathom that representation remains so pitifully low in 2023”.
Keel concluded: “I hope this report serves as a wake-up call for record labels, artists, and others who hire producers, engineers, and other technical creatives who record songs”. The full report is available to read here.
Brandi Carlile, who is also an ambassador for We Are Moving the Needle, added: “We’ve got such a long way to go to reach parity in the studio, but I know we can get there. “This is a systemic problem in the recording industry that we cannot ignore any longer. I’m not sure everyone knows exactly where to start…but it begins with the courage to take a chance on someone who may not be getting recognised regularly in the field. We have to start somewhere.”
Meanwhile, Maggie Rogers said: “We simply have to do better for women and non-binary creators in the industry. It’s heartening to see more women and non-binary individuals enrolling in audio and production programs, and I’m dedicated to supporting their growth through organisations like We Are Moving the Needle.”
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