New Study Suggests Lack of Representation In the Music Industry

Whereas some areas have improved over time, there’s nonetheless a protracted approach to go.

USC’s Annenberg College for Communication and Journalism has launched their sixth annual examine exploring inclusion within the music business—and the outcomes are bleak.

Whereas some areas have improved over time, the examine general reveals a scarcity of illustration throughout the business.

This examine examined the gender and race of artists, songwriters and music producers behind the songs on the Billboard Yr-Finish Sizzling 100 chart, in addition to the demographics of nominees throughout six key classes on the Grammy Awards. Researchers examined 1,100 common songs from 2012 to 2022, in addition to Grammy nominees from 2013 to 2023.

Gender

In response to USC’s examine, there have been 160 artists on the Billboard Yr-Finish Sizzling 100 chart in 2022. 69.4% had been male and 30% had been feminine and fewer than 1% of artists recognized as nonbinary.

Throughout 11 years evaluated, 76.6% of artists had been males and 22.3% had been girls. On the intense facet, 2022 marked a brand new excessive for ladies artists throughout all 11 years. The share of feminine artists in 2022 (30%) was considerably increased than that of 2021 (23.3%) and 2012 (22.7%), suggesting a rise of ladies on the favored charts over time.

After evaluating the genres of all 1,100 songs, the examine discovered that girls artists had been extra prone to seem in pop songs (33%) and least prone to seem in hip-hop songs (13.4%).

Race and ethnicity

Race and ethnicity illustration inside common songs appears to be like extra optimistic. In 2022, 50.6% of all artists had been from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, per the examine, whereas 49.4% of artists had been white.

Though this sounds propitious in idea, it really represents an 8.4% level decline from the all-time excessive of 2020’s clip of 59%. Throughout all 11 years, 48.1% of all artists had been from an underrepresented racial group whereas 51.9% had been white.

Understand that whereas illustration appears to be like good within the charts, it’s a special story on the prime. The share of Black feminine music executives is simply 3%, in accordance with a earlier Annenberg report.

Songwriters and Producers

Throughout a complete of 5,247 songwriters credited, 85.7% had been males and 14% had been girls. The ratio of males to girls songwriters was 6.8 to 1. General, 57% of songs throughout 11 years didn’t embody a single feminine songwriter. In distinction, simply six songs—lower than 1%—had been absent of male songwriters.

Should you suppose the songwriting demographics look unhealthy, the manufacturing credit are even worse. Throughout 800 songs, 2.8% of all producers had been girls whereas 97.1% had been males. It is a ratio of 34.1 males to each 1 girl. Furthermore, of the 50 girls credited as producers throughout the pattern, 13—or 26%—had been girls of shade.

The Grammys

From 2013 to 2023, 2,441 people had been nominated for a Grammy Award throughout six main classes: Document of the Yr, Album of the Yr, Music of the Yr, Finest New Artist and Producer of the Yr. Songwriter of the Yr was launched as a class at this yr’s sixty fifth annual ceremony.

Of the 514 nominees in 2023, 84.8% had been males and 15.2% had been girls. Only one nonbinary artist was nominated. General, girls comprised solely 13.9% of whole nominees throughout all classes for the sampled years. Furthermore, of the 340 girls nominated within the final 11 years, 51.5% had been white and 48.5% had been from an underrepresented racial group.

Whereas the report discovered progress for feminine performers in music, girls behind the scenes noticed little change and girls of shade proceed to face challenges. The researchers’ resolution? Rent extra girls.

You possibly can learn the total report right here.

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