The number of women gaining ground on the US Billboard charts and at the Grammys is steadily increasing, according to a new report from the University of Southern California.
The report on gender equality in the music industry in the United States found that women’s recognition in music has improved across various metrics over the past decade.
Last year, 35 per cent of the artists on Billboard’s Hot 100 Year-End Charts were women artists — a 12-year high. Just over forty per cent of the total number of spots on the charts were held by individual women artists – an almost 6 per cent increase from the previous year.
The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, attributes the improving numbers on work of advocacy groups championing female musicians, songwriters and producers.
“The changes for songwriters are doubtlessly due to the work of numerous groups working to support women in music,” Dr. Smith said in a statement.
“Whether She Is The Music, Spotify Equal, Moving the Needle, Women’s Audio Mission, Be the Change, Keychange, Girls Make Beats, or others, there has been a groundswell of support for women across the last several years. This advocacy and activism is propelling change in the industry. While there is work to be done, these groups are well-positioned to keep fighting for change.”
Working with a team at USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Dr. Smith examined 1,200 songs from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts from the past 12 years, analysing the artists, songwriters and producers to find that female songwriters are also gaining ground. Last year, 56 per cent of songs included at least one woman songwriter — the highest figure since 2011.
The number of solo women songwriters also increased in 2023, jumping to 19.5 per cent —a five per cent increase from the previous year.
Artists from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups dominated last year’s Hot 100 Year-End Charts, representing 61 per cent of the 164 artists.
The most popular genre for women artist is pop (34.7 per cent) followed by Dance/Electronic (21.2 per cent), R&B/Soul (20 per cent) and country (17.3 per cent). The least popular genre for women artists is Alternative and hip-hop (13.4 per cent).
For women in production, the figures are less inspiring. In 2023, just 6.5 per cent of producers were women. Out of a total number of 1,756 producer credits from the last 12 years, only 13 went to women of colour.
These figures sadly represent the nominees at the country’s biggest music awards. In 2024, for the fifth consecutive year, no women were nominated for producer of the year at the Grammys.
However, nearly a quarter of nominations across six categories went to women this year. Dr. Smith believes these wins are positive for women, as they “…show us how women’s contributions to the industry are received.”
“The increases in nominations this year are a positive step in recognising the creative work that women did last year in competitive fields,” she said. “The Recording Academy has clearly taken inclusion seriously and worked to increase the diversity of its membership, particularly its voting members.”
However, she admits there is still too little recognition for women producers and songwriters in those categories.
“There are too few women of colour nominated for their work. For music industry honours to truly reflect the creative workforce and the audience they serve, there must be a place for women and particularly women of colour in these awards.”