A Shocking New Study Confirms The Music Industry’s Misogyny

In recent years, more and more women have been speaking up about the way they’ve been treated by professionals in the music industry. Pop star Ke$ha famously spoke out about being assaulted by a famous producer, only to find herself blackballed by the industry for years. Ariana Grande has come forth to discuss how often she was underestimated or even cast aside by others because of her gender and small stature. And now, a new breakout study done in collaboration with Skoove and Datapulse proves they were right about the way the industry treats women and transpeople.

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The report features studies of researched data from Spotify’s top 1000 artists as well as studies from Berklee, USC Annenberg, and other major research institutions. Findings include these key points:

Representation in Charts: Women account for only 20% of the top 1,000 Spotify artists and only a third of artists on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the year.
Roles in Production: Women and non-binary individuals are almost entirely shut out from sound engineering and production roles. A study called “Fix the Mix” on the top 50 tracks across 14 genres revealed that only 5% of credited producers and 3% of credited engineers were women or nonbinary professionals.
Genre Disparities: In the metal genre, not one single woman was credited with creating a hit as a producer or sound engineer. The most welcoming music genre for women was split between EDM and folk music.
Gender Bias: 75 to 82 percent of women aged 18 to 59 experienced gender bias in the music industry. Women 60 and over fared slightly better.

These findings also resonate deeply within the Tejano music industry, where women have historically faced similar challenges in the male-dominated genre. Despite the genre’s rich cultural heritage and vibrant community, female Tejano artists often struggle for recognition and equitable treatment. The gender bias in Tejano music is evident in the limited number of female headliners at major festivals and the scarcity of women in key production roles. Tejano icon Shelly Lares is one of the very few female producers in the genre.

Additional findings from the study reveal that half of women in the music industry have experienced discrimination, with one third reporting sexual harassment at work. Women are also eight times more likely to face discrimination than men. The report underscores the need for systemic changes to create a more equitable landscape for women and non-binary individuals in the music industry.

This study is a call to action for the Tejano music industry to address these ingrained issues and work towards a more inclusive and supportive environment for all artists.

Read the full study here.

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