Though many people are familiar with the music of big names like Billie Eilish, Britney Spears, and Beyoncé, women make up a minority in this industry. There is an enormous difference in the representation or portrayal of female artists versus males; there isn’t nearly enough diversity among them compared to their male peers. is to sell your music.

Disclaimer

There are many talented men in the music industry, but they often don’t receive equal opportunities to succeed. We at PMD Digital work with artists across all demographics and believe that creativity should be rewarded no matter who you are or where your demographic falls into society’s spectrum.
The idea that men and women are not identical in their creative output is invalid. There’s no scientific evidence to support this, as study. After study has shown there isn’t any difference between musical talent or creativity among musicians. Themselves – but instead, it lies within our social context where we consumers fail them by not rewarding efforts with positive feedback.

Case Study: US

The University of Southern California has been studying the gender makeup behind the music for years now. The study was spanned over the last 8 years and examined a total of 900 songs with respect to gender. It was found that the females only amassed 20% of the Top 40 Charts in this period. This number decreased to 12.5% when taking into account females in any capacity in music.
When it came to the producers, female representation was only a shocking 2.6%. This means that number of female producers is virtually none.

Case Study: UK

In 2018, just thirty female acts were credited on the best-selling 100 songs of that year’s top sellers. This was contrasted with 90 male artists who got recognition for their work and brings us closer to an even split between genders at 24%.

Aren’t Things Supposed to Get Better?

The gender gap in music has grown, but not because there are more men than women. 2008 saw 59 females in UK’s top 100 songs, while 2018’s list contains only 30 females. The gender gap in music has always been prominent. All you need to do is look at the biggest pop stars of this century, and it’s evident that there are more men than women.

The fact that modern-day collaborations are growing in popularity has excluded many women. These work across multiple genres, which means the charts tend to be dominated by hip hop and rap music. Both of which are male-dominated genres. The glass ceiling is still very much intact here, while there may have been some small cracks opening up over recent years, the female representation is still not there.

Is There a Need for More Female Artists?

This is a bit of a head-scratcher. Music labels would argue they are meeting the demand as to what the consumers want and this may be true for some aspects of it. The audience is responding well to good music, and it ends up performing well on the charts.

But there is an inherent flaw in the system. The market needs more female artists in order for there to be an increase in opportunities. It’s not possible at the moment because markets only pick up on acts that they already know about which means less female talent coming through.

We need a revolution to create the missing link between female talent and creativity. Women are not being given opportunities in this industry, but it doesn’t have to be that way because there is so much want for them.

Time for a Change

The music industry is never static. Even as we speak, changes are happening worldwide that influence how people listen to songs. One example would include streaming services like Spotify, which now make up more than half (55%) of global digital audio revenue. There are organizations out there fighting to make a change.

One such org is Women In Music. It is a non-profit that constantly struggles to create awareness among the masses regarding the inequality and lack of diversity in music. This is carried out via educational programs and events to celebrate women in music, provide support, and create a healthy and safe environment. The organization has over 100 volunteers who are always present for any kind of support.

How Can PMD Digital Help

Gatekeepers are essential in deciding what music gets played. Gatekeeping has been a role of Record labels and radio stations throughout recent history. However, they still play a vital part today because many people don’t know how to find new artists independently.

Today’s commercial music is drastically different than it was in decades past because the executives at labels and radio stations made many decisions that have shaped what we hear. These entities created boxes for musicians to fit into, which may be difficult to escape.

Recently, there has been an influx of new people entering the music scene and providing a more extensive reach for music content.

PMD Digital distributes music in a very different way from record labels. We invest in artists and provide them opportunities to reach their full potential by giving them access to the most prominent platforms. At the same time, managing risks financially so they can focus on talent instead of finding someone who fits an already-established mold as many other distributors do nowadays.

Listeners can decide who they want to listen to. Suppose you want more gender equality in the music industry. In that case, it’s essential for listeners like yourself and other gatekeepers of artistry not just follow but help balance out that imbalance by supporting independent artists.

The key to success in today’s music industry is about producing high-quality songs and beats and knowing how you can get them heard by your target audience. One way for musicians looking towards building their fan base or even just getting started is with streaming apps like Spotify, which provides tools capable of tracking your analytics.