Women and non-binary audio professionals “vastly underrepresented” in 2022’s top tracks, finds study
A new study has found that female and non-binary producers earned less than 5% of credits on 2022’s most-streamed tracks.
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Female and non-binary producers and engineers earned less than 5% of technical credits on 2022’s most-streamed songs, a new study has found.
According to the Fix The Mix Report, a mere 4.9% of technical credits from last year’s most-streamed songs – drawn from 14 genre playlists – were owed to female and NB producers and engineers.
The study found that in the top 50 playlists of various genres, no rap song credited a female or NB producer; no metal track credited a female or NB engineer, and no gospel or dance track credited a female or NB engineer.
However, in the top 10 pop tracks of 2022, there were three female and NB producers, and one engineering credit.
“This study confirms what I’ve known after spending decades behind the board in the recording studio – women are not being given the same opportunities as men in production and engineering roles,” said co-author Emily Lazar, the GRAMMY Award-winning mastering engineer and founder of We Are Moving The Needle.
The annual Fix The Mix Report examines gender representation and inclusivity in the music industry; its mission is to encourage gender equality.
Lazar adds: “Ensuring that there is more gender and racial diversity among music’s creators is not actually a complex problem if you want to solve it.”
“We hope this report will give decision makers the motivation and tools they need to make real change in their hiring practices so we can achieve gender parity in production, engineering and mastering roles.”
The study was written by Beth Appleton, Beverly Keel, Carolyn Malachi and Emily Lazar, alongside We Are Moving the Needle, Middle Tennessee State University, Howard University and Jaxsta.
To read the study in full, you can head to MTSU.com.
