Gender & Music. The Ones Leading the Charge
Organization - Women Crush Music
-
Founded: 2017
-
About: non-profit organization that "serves to create opportunities for rising women songwriters, whether they are just in the beginning of their careers and want to start performing at local venues, or they’ve just released their second album and are ready to go on tour".
-
Have organized over 200 showcases, educational workshops and networking events across the US.
Leader - Taylor Swift
-
Very successful female musician
-
In the music industry since her early teens
-
Recently released a Netflix documentary that details her thoughts on the music industry and its treatment towards female artists.
-
Talks about how she felt "muzzled" and what she did to break a belief system that had been forced upon her by music executives.
Leader - Julie Greenwald
-
Music Executive
-
Chairwoman and COO of Atlantic Records, one of the biggest American music labels
-
Known for standing for gender equality in both the music industry and politics
-
Won several awards from Billboard Women in Music
-
Empowers women artists within her label
What is the Movement About?
The gender equality movement in the music industry is trying to make sure that female, trans, and queer musicians, producers, and songwriters have the same level of opportunities as male members of the music industry.I is taking place all around the world, most prominently in countries such as the United States and Europe. I believe this movement has been around for some time, but it has recently gained steam through the #MeToo movement putting the entertainment industry under the spotlight and the growth of organizations such as Discwoman and Women Crush Women.
​
-
Kelley, Caitlin. “The Music Industry Still Has A Long Way To Go For Gender Equality.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 Apr. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/caitlinkelley/2019/02/06/music-industry-study-annenberg-gender-equality/#76ecf51f5f81.
-
Skolnik, Jes. “Beyond Representation: In Music And Media, Gender Equality Will Take A Revolution.” NPR, NPR, 7 Aug. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/08/07/634725840/beyond-representation-in-music-and-media-gender-equality-will-take-a-revolution.
Organization - Women in Music
-
Founded: 1985
-
About: "advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities, and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment, and recognition".
-
They achieve their goal by hosting educational and career development panels, networking events, seminars, etc.
-
They have over 100 chapters spanning the entire world.
-
website link: https://www.womeninmusic.org/
​
Organization - Discwoman
-
Founded: 2014
-
About: "New York-based platform, collective, and talent agency—that showcases and represents talent in electronic music"
-
Founded by Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, Emma Burgess-Olson and Christine McCharen-Tran
-
Showcases women, trans-women, and gender queer talent in electronic music
-
Discwoman. Discwoman, www.discwoman.com/about.
​
Leader - Beyonce
​
-
Insanely famous musician who has been active in the music industry for over two decades
-
17 Grammys over the last 22 years
-
Feminist tones to many of her songs
-
Inspires women and people of color all around the world
-
Her latest album Lemonade has been applauded for its themes of independence and power as a woman.
Statistics
Thinking Anthropologically About Gender
The gender equality movement within the music industry aims to achieve a more equal footing between men, women, and people who do not identify with either one. The people spear-heading the charge want to give those with big dreams of music a chance to achieve them, regardless of gender. This exercise has made me realize that gender within the music industry is very performative, as women and female musicians are expected to act a certain way. Taylor Swift's documentary talks about how executives used to tell her to not voice her opinions on politics, because it was not proper of a lady. This also brings me to the fact that gender within the music industry is very much a relation of power, as women in the field more often than not have to please or work under strict orders from label executives, who are mostly male, in order to achieve their goals of making it in this industry. Hopefully the organizations and leaders featured in this gallery can make it so that future generations of female and binary artists have an easier time breaking out and are given the same opportunities and expectations as male artists.