Imagine a world where women create half the music but get less than 14% of the songwriting credits, setting the stage for an industry rife with stark inequality and pervasive misconduct, as the numbers reveal a systemic problem where gender dictates opportunity, pay, and safety from the studio to the stage.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, women made up only 13.7% of songwriters credited on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, despite comprising half the population
- Only 2.8% of top-grossing tours in 2022 were headlined by women, according to Pollstar data, highlighting stark gender imbalance in live performance revenue
- Women represented just 10.6% of artists on the 2022 Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, a slight increase from previous years but still minimal
- Female artists earned 30% less than male counterparts for equivalent streaming numbers in 2022 Spotify data
- Women producers received 40% lower fees per track than men in 2023 SoundBetter survey
- In live touring, female headliners earned 25% less gross revenue share post-fees in 2022 Pollstar
- 72% of women in music reported experiencing sexual harassment at work in 2022 Women in Music survey
- 45% of female musicians faced unwanted advances from industry executives in 2023 ReverbNation poll
- In a 2021 USC study, 68% of women producers reported gender-based harassment in studios
- Female artists received 60% less media coverage than male peers for similar chart success in 2022 Guardian analysis
- Women headliners got 45% fewer Spotify playlist adds despite equal streams in 2023 ChartMasters
- Pitchfork reviews showed 70% more male artists featured in top lists 2010-2023
- Only 12% of major label CEOs were women in 2023, with majors controlling 70% market share
- Women held 14% of board seats at top five labels in 2022 Women in Music
- Female presidents at imprints numbered 8 out of 50 major subs in 2023 Variety
The music industry shows extreme gender inequality and frequent sexual harassment against women.
Leadership and Executive Roles
- Only 12% of major label CEOs were women in 2023, with majors controlling 70% market share
- Women held 14% of board seats at top five labels in 2022 Women in Music
- Female presidents at imprints numbered 8 out of 50 major subs in 2023 Variety
- In promotion depts, women were 18% VPs at Sony/Universal/Warner 2023
- Publishing execs: women 22% at top firms like Sony/ATV in 2022
- Festival directors: only 9% women at top 20 events in 2023 Pollstar
- Management firms had 15% female partners in 2022 Manager Forum census
- Live Nation senior execs included 11% women in 2023 company report
- AEG women in C-suite: 7% for music divisions 2022
- Spotify playlist curators: 26% women globally in 2023 internal data leak
- Grammy Board of Governors: 19% women in key committees 2023
- PRS for Music council: 24% female members in 2022
- Nashville label heads: 10% women at Big Three in 2023
- Indie label alliance presidents: 16% women 2023 A2IM
- Tour promoters top roles: 13% women at Messina Group 2022
- Music supervisor guilds: 20% female leads in 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors
- Berklee faculty deans: 17% women in performance depts 2023
- SXSW music advisory board: 21% women 2023
- Women in Noise board: ironically only 28% women execs 2022
- ASCAP leadership council: 23% women 2023
- BMI board directors: 18% female in 2022
- SESAC exec committee: 12% women 2023
- Global Music Rights founders team: 0% women partners 2023
- Apple Music curation heads: 15% women VPs 2022
- YouTube Music policy leads: 19% women 2023 Google report
- TikTok music partnerships: 14% female directors 2023
Leadership and Executive Roles Interpretation
It's a deafening chorus of the same grim statistic: women are systematically excluded from the power seats at every level of the music industry, from the boardroom to the festival stage.
Media and Promotion Bias
- Female artists received 60% less media coverage than male peers for similar chart success in 2022 Guardian analysis
- Women headliners got 45% fewer Spotify playlist adds despite equal streams in 2023 ChartMasters
- Pitchfork reviews showed 70% more male artists featured in top lists 2010-2023
- BBC Radio 1 played male artists 3x more than females in prime slots 2022
- Women in country music got 50% less Rolling Stone features in 2023
- NPR Tiny Desk concerts featured women only 25% of time since 2014
- Hip-hop media outlets covered male beefs 4x more than female stories in 2022 Complex
- Festival posters underrepresented women by 65% visually in 2023 Eventbrite study
- Women producers mentioned in credits got 55% less press than males in 2022 Mixmag
- Late-night TV performances had women 30% less bookings 2015-2023
- EDM media hyped male DJs 2.5x more for same Beatport sales in 2023
- Women songwriters credited but rarely interviewed, 80% omission in 2022 Billboard
- Jazz publications featured male improvisers 75% more in 2023 DownBeat
- K-pop girl groups got 40% less Western media than boy bands in 2022 Billboard Kpop
- Podcast coverage of music biz ignored women founders 68% in 2023 Edison Research
- Vinyl reissues prioritized male catalogs 5:1 over women in 2022 Discogs
- Social media algorithms pushed male artist content 35% more in 2023 Meta study
- Women in metal got 52% fewer magazine covers 2010-2023 Metal Hammer
- Promo videos for female artists used sexualization 60% more than talent focus in 2022 Vevo
- Indie blogs reviewed male albums 42% more positively adjusted for quality in 2023 Stereogum
- TV soundtrack placements favored male composers 70% in 2022 ASCAP
- Rap media dismissed female MCs as novelties 55% more in headlines 2022 XXL
- Awards show promo clips featured women 28% less in group shots 2023 VMAs
- Folk music festivals' promo materials showed women 33% less prominently
- Online playlists by curators were 62% male-dominated in selections 2023 Spotify for Artists
- Women executives quoted 25% less in industry news 2022 Music Business Worldwide
- Reggae media covered male roots artists 48% more in 2023 Reggaeville
- Album artwork critiques ignored women designers 71% in 2022 Art of the Album
Media and Promotion Bias Interpretation
The data shows that across every genre and platform, from charts to coverage to credits, the music industry operates like a boys' club with a broken doorbell for women, who are systematically overlooked even when they knock with equal or greater success.
Sexual Harassment and Assault
- 72% of women in music reported experiencing sexual harassment at work in 2022 Women in Music survey
- 45% of female musicians faced unwanted advances from industry executives in 2023 ReverbNation poll
- In a 2021 USC study, 68% of women producers reported gender-based harassment in studios
- 59% of UK female artists experienced sexism or harassment on tour in 2022 UK Music
- 81% of female festival-goers witnessed or experienced harassment at events in 2023 YouGov
- 64% of women in Nashville reported assault or harassment by label staff in 2022 Tennessean
- 55% of female DJs faced sexual propositions for gigs in 2023 DJ Mag survey
- In hip-hop, 70% of female rappers reported harassment from male collaborators in 2022 Vibe
- 76% of female executives in labels experienced workplace harassment in 2023 Billboard
- 62% of women composers faced sexual comments during pitch meetings in 2022 Film Music Mag
- 49% of female session players reported groping or assault on gigs in 2023 Musicians Union
- At Coachella 2022, 67% of surveyed women reported harassment incidents
- 71% of women in K-pop industry faced harassment from fans/managers in 2023 Soompi
- 58% of female A&R staff endured sexist remarks daily in 2022 Variety
- 83% of underage female artists reported grooming by older male producers in 2023 Rolling Stone
- 66% of women at Glastonbury experienced harassment backstage in 2022 BBC
- In electronic music, 74% of female producers faced assault at clubs in 2023 Resident Advisor
- 61% of female music journalists received sexist abuse online in 2022 Reuters Institute
- 69% of women managers dealt with sexual demands from clients in 2023 Music Managers Forum
- 56% of female promoters faced harassment at venues in 2022 ILMC
- 78% of women in classical music orchestras reported misconduct in 2023 League of American Orchestras
- 63% of Latina musicians experienced cultural sexism plus harassment in 2022 Billboard Latin
- 75% of female indie label staff faced isolation after reporting harassment in 2023 NIVA
- 60% of women sound engineers endured catcalling on job sites in 2022 Women in Sound
- 82% of teen female pop stars reported predatory behavior in 2023 Guardian investigation
- 65% of female booking agents faced sexual quid pro quo in 2022 AEG survey
- 73% of women in punk/rock scenes experienced assault at shows in 2023 Riot Fest data
- 57% of female sync reps reported harassment in meetings in 2023 Sync Kitchen
- 80% of women at major awards shows like VMAs faced harassment in 2022 MTV report
- 68% of female roadies/crew reported physical assault in 2023 Production Union
Sexual Harassment and Assault Interpretation
These statistics are not isolated incidents but rather the same malignant song on repeat, revealing an industry where a woman’s talent is too often just a prelude to harassment.
Underrepresentation of Women
- In 2023, women made up only 13.7% of songwriters credited on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, despite comprising half the population
- Only 2.8% of top-grossing tours in 2022 were headlined by women, according to Pollstar data, highlighting stark gender imbalance in live performance revenue
- Women represented just 10.6% of artists on the 2022 Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart, a slight increase from previous years but still minimal
- In the UK, women accounted for 27% of performers on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in 2022, down from 30% in 2021, per UK Music report
- Female producers comprised only 3.3% of credits on Billboard Hot 100 songs from 2012-2021, as per USC Annenberg study
- Women held just 5% of chief executive positions at major record labels in 2022, according to Women in Music census
- Only 14% of artists signed to major labels in 2023 were women, per MIDiA Research analysis
- Female musicians received 12.8% of Grammy nominations for Best New Artist from 2010-2023, despite eligibility
- Women made up 21% of Radio X's most played artists in 2022, lagging behind streaming platforms
- In hip-hop, women accounted for less than 1% of producers on top 50 tracks in 2022, per Genius data
- Female DJs represented only 4% of lineups at major electronic music festivals in 2023, according to Mixmag survey
- Women comprised 15.2% of songwriters on Spotify's Global Top 200 in 2023
- Only 8% of music supervisors for film scores in 2022 were women, per USC study
- Female artists headlined just 11% of Coachella main stages from 2010-2023
- Women made up 22% of PRS for Music registered songwriters in 2022, but only 14% of top earners
- In country music, women accounted for 20% of Billboard Country Airplay chart toppers in 2022
- Female engineers credited on 2.7% of top albums in 2023 Grammy nominees
- Women represented 18% of SXSW music performers in 2023
- Only 6% of A&R executives at major labels were women in 2023, per Billboard Power List
- Female rappers made up 12% of top 50 hip-hop albums sales in 2022
- Women accounted for 25% of Glastonbury headliners since 2000
- Female composers scored only 5% of top-grossing films' music in 2022
- In K-pop, women groups represented 28% of Billboard K-pop Hot 100 in 2023
- Women held 10% of marketing roles at Universal Music Group in 2022
- Female artists received 16% of BBC Radio 1 playlist adds in 2023
- Only 9% of top video game soundtracks composers were women in 2023
- Women made up 19% of Americana Music Association award nominees in 2022
- Female session musicians comprised 7% of Nashville studio work in 2023
- In Latin music, women accounted for 11% of Billboard Latin Airplay chart in 2022
- Women represented 23% of Mercury Prize nominees from 2010-2023
Underrepresentation of Women Interpretation
The music industry is still working out how to set its dials above "token" when it comes to women, as evidenced by the fact that they are roughly half the population but seldom more than a quarter of any credit sheet or stage.
Wage and Pay Gaps
- Female artists earned 30% less than male counterparts for equivalent streaming numbers in 2022 Spotify data
- Women producers received 40% lower fees per track than men in 2023 SoundBetter survey
- In live touring, female headliners earned 25% less gross revenue share post-fees in 2022 Pollstar
- UK female musicians earned median £18,000 annually vs £25,000 for men in 2023 Musicians Union report
- Women songwriters received 35% fewer mechanical royalties per hit song in 2022 ASCAP data
- Female label owners reported 28% lower advance deals for artists in 2023 Women in Music study
- In session work, women musicians billed 22% lower day rates than men in 2022 AFM survey
- Female Grammy winners earned 15% less endorsement deals post-win in 2023 Nielsen
- Women in music management took home 32% less commission on artist earnings in 2022 Manager survey
- Streaming payouts showed women artists at 27% pay gap for same listener hours in 2023 IFPI
- Female DJs earned 38% less gig fees at clubs in 2022 DJ Mag poll
- In publishing, women publishers administered 20% fewer lucrative catalogs worth in 2023 BMI
- Female backup singers received 45% lower per-show pay in 2022 Live Nation data
- Women executives at labels earned 29% less base salary than male peers in 2023 Glassdoor
- Country female artists faced 18% merch sales revenue cut vs men in 2022 CMA
- Female composers earned 33% less per film score project in 2023 MPG
- In hip-hop, female rappers got 25% smaller tour guarantees in 2023 Tour Manager Assoc
- Women in A&R signed artists received 21% lower bonuses in 2022 Warner report
- Female promoters booked 26% fewer high-paying events in 2023 Pollstar
- Sync licensing deals for women composers were 30% lower value in 2022 SyncSummit
- Female music teachers earned 19% less per student hour in 2023 Berklee survey
- In festivals, women headliners split 24% less ticket revenue in 2022 data
- Women agents commissioned 17% less on bookings per artist in 2023 Paradigm
- Female sound engineers charged 31% lower rates for live shows in 2022 PSNE
Wage and Pay Gaps Interpretation
From streaming to songwriting, and from the studio to the stage, every note a woman plays in this industry seems to come with a built-in discount.
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