JULY, 20 2021
End of the Year Charts – UK & US
Two weeks ago we have published our latest research in order to get a better understanding of how classical music is responding to the current and very important issue of equality and diversity in concert repertoire worldwide. The results showed that there is still a lot of inequality in the concert halls.
Although our research is normally focused on gender, after the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd on 25 May and the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the increasing hate crimes towards the Asian community during the pandemic, we decided to add this analysis to both our classical and pop music investigation. Still, there are many more layers to genuine ethnically diverse representation in the industry.
It is a very common assumption that things are much better in the pop music industry. At the end of the day, we see more women artists receiving deserved attention so this can be a natural thought when one doesn’t have a closer look.
We thought we would have a quick glance at the pop music industry by analyzing the end of the year charts for both the UK & the USA.
Here are our findings:
The results show that in both countries women account for less than 20% of the total artists and songwriters, with Black & Asian women being average 7% or 6%. The picture is significantly better for Black and Asian men.
When we look at music producers the inequality is shockingly clear with less than 2% of the producers being women and less than 1% Black and Asian women.
How can we do better?
We are a long way from an ideal world, as is shown by the numbers and there’s a lot more work to be done to make music an equitable and diverse field for artists. This research aims to raise awareness and open up conversations to see how we together can make a difference.
This is an invitation to reflection and immediate action:
Gabriella Di Laccio
check your playlists, challenge your favourite radio stations, hire women artists,
call out festivals and organisations that don’t reflect the richness of our artistic world in their lineups.
It is only through collaboration with others who share our values and ambitions that we can make this important shift.
Get in touch if you want to be part of making a real positive impact on equality and diversity in music.
Gabriella Di Laccio
Founder & Curator
Donne, Women in Music
