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A Case Study in Gender Disparity in the Music Industry

In recent years, one of the most polarising issues facing the music industry on both a local, and international level has been the perceived disparity in gender representation across the roles of artists and industry roles. This case study will focus on a by the numbers comparison of which roles in the industry, be it artists, songwriters and industry roles, are occupied by male or non male persons and the effect this has on gender representation in the industry. Recommendations will also be made in order to take steps towards closing the gap between males and non males in the industry.

It must be stressed that the term ‘female’ in this piece is inclusive of non-binary persons and people who identify as female.

 In order to effectively analyse the impact the unequal gender representaion has on the industry it must first be divised which aspects are affected most. Performers and artists are arguably the face of the industry and it is in that field that this study will begin its analysis. In Australia, radio play is one of the most influential bench marks of the success of artists in the industry especially in the realms of ‘alternative’ music in which stations such as Triple J and Double J dominate the ratings. In 2015 and 2016, Triple J and Double J favoured male fronted or all male acts in 61 percent of their programming as well as featuring either male solo artists or all male acts or albums written by these acts a total of 71 percent of the time (Cooper, Coles, & Hannah-Osbourne, 2017). The enduring 29 percent were not necessarily all female acts, merely collectives containing at least one non-male member. This story continues when the scope is broardened to the Australian mainsteam in which of the 100 most popular songs on Australian commercial radio in  2016, only 31 were performed by non-male artists (Cooper, Coles, & Hannah-Osbourne, 2017). On a global scale, a study of 600 popular songs by the University of Southern California similarly found that over a five year period from 2012 to 2017, of all of the artists present, only 22.4 percent wre female (Smith & Choueiti, 2018). When broken down further, the numbers reveal that females predominantly feature as solo artists with non males only featuring in 8.7 percent and 5.1 percent of bands and duos respectively (Smith & Choueiti, 2018). To put these statistics into perspective, artists that are played most frequntly on the radio are more likely to take up spots on Australia’s festival circuit; thus the disparity between male and non male acts permeates from the radio waves to the most popular stages in the country.

Music publication Pilerats recently complied a comprehensive insight into the festival scene in Australia and what affect the gender gap has on the likelihood of certain artists performing. Figure 1 provides a vicual representaion of some damning statistics across the sixteen most popular music festivals in the country. This revealed that, on a nationwide average, 68 percent of all acts featured in Australian festival lineups in 2017 where all male. The remaining 32 percent of acts where either all female or acts with a mix of genders. Most noteable are the largest events in the Australian festival calendar; Fall Festival and Spendour in the Grass. With a total of 72 and 70 percent of all male acts on their respective rosters, these perhaps tell the most accturate story of the state of the Australian festival industry. At last year’s Falls Festival in Lorne, divisive Australian actg Camp Cope made headlines when they brought this issue to light on stage, remarking at her disbelief that such a major festival would book only nine no male artists on its extensive line up. Proprieter of the heavier side of music, Unify Festival in Victoria, has also come under fire in recent years for its male doninated line ups, often resulting in the stallwart defence that “there just aren’t that many females playing this type of music” (Davies, 2017).

However, whether it be on the radio or a the mainstage at a major festival, the question of how it is that such a disparity can exist on such a scale can be traced back to those who holds the balance of power in the primary music focussed organisations in the country. When the University of Sydney gathered data on individuals present on the board of directors for Australia’s eight peak industry bodies, it is apparent that the balance of power is clearly in the hand of males. On the boards of Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) and the Australian Recoring Industry Association (ARIA), there are no non-male directors, and of APRA/AMCOS on one quarter of the directors are non male (Cooper, Coles, & Hannah-Osbourne, 2017). While these statistics are damning, it should be noted that these are only the boards of directors of each of these organisations, in temrs of employee numbers females hold 50 percent of the positions. State run institutions were more diverse in gender representation with 41 percent of non male board members including two Chairperson positions and one Deputy Chair (Cooper, Coles, & Hannah-Osbourne, 2017).

While this statistical analysis is quite damning, it is of great importance to underdtand that the origins of such a lack of non male positions in the upper echelon of the arts is resultant of systemic gender oppression over the last 60 years. Holtzman and Sharp explore how a number of sociological factors affect the way we perceive the world around us. In this article they outline that many of the structures in place in the music industry, as well as most other industries, is to aid men in reaching the prescribed goals of the industry; be this radio play, prime time festival slots or roles of directorship (Holtzman & Sharpe, 2014). Sally Reis also discusses various sociocultural barriers of which no male creatives face in order to reach their desired creative potential. While it is stated that the some of the barriers faced by creative females in the present day are not quite as harsh as in previous years, it is still noted that pressures such as the pursuance of family over work or creative endeavours does impact the ability of non male creatives in a greater way than their male counterparts (Reis, 2010).

It is apparent that in order to combat the disparity between male and non male members of the music industry, systemic bias must be broken down to create a more impartial and level playing field for musicians and industry professionals. A report by Goldin and Rouse outlines the success of blind auditions on orchestras as a means of eliminating gender bias from those selecting musicians in preliminary auditions rounds. Implementing a similar practice in the way that artists are selected for radio play and booking festivals would make way for poignant change in gender diversity in the industry. As well as this, removing gender from the selection processes when selecting applicants for industry appointments could also make way for change.

More data on transgender and non binary musicians must also be implemented as a means of a more all encompassing data field on the issue. In an article written by online music magazine Junkee, write Allison Gallagher describes a surge in tans and non gender conforming acts seeing success in Melbourne, however this data has not been assimilated into much academic study surrounding the issue. Greater focus on these groups, and more opportunities would be necessary for a wider appreciation of non male artists in the industry.

 Overall, the state of the music industry in Australia, and in the world, is one whereby males are dominant in almost every aspect; from artists to industry professionals. Male artists are more likely to be played on both local and commercial radio, to be booked for major festivals and to hold the majority of high end industry positions. In order to combat this more fervent data collection must be undertaken to create a greater sense of not just male and female artists but also transgender and non gender conforming persons. Selection processes in keeping with orchestral blind auditions could also be implemented across many of the facets in the industry in order to combat gender disparity.

   Appendix

  Figure 1.

    (Davies, 2017)

Cooper, R., Coles, A., & Hannah-Osbourne, S. (2017). Skipping A Beat; Assessing the state of Gender Inequality in the Australian Music Industry. The University of Sydney Business School.

Davies, H. (2017, September). Australia's Music Festival Diversity Problem By The Numbers & Some Steps To Improve It. Retrieved from Pilerats: http://pilerats.com/written/deep-meaningful/australias-music-festival-diversity-problem-by-the-numbers-and-some-steps-to-improve-it/

Escott, C. A. (2017, October 3). June Jones Is Australia’s Best New Music Brat. Retrieved from Junkee: http://junkee.com/june-jones-two-steps-water-interview/125684

Gallagher, A. (2017, July 6). The Future of Australian Music Doesn't Have to be Straight and Male. Retrieved from Junkee: http://junkee.com/future-australian-music-doesnt-straight-male/110917

Goldin, C. &. (2000). Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of" Blind. The American Economic Review.

Henessey, K. (2018, March 9). ‘You expect us not to call you out?’ – Camp Cope and the Australian musicians fighting industry sexism. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/08/you-expect-us-not-to-call-you-out-camp-cope-and-the-australian-musicians-fighting-industry-sexism

Holtzman, L., & Sharpe, L. (2014, March 1). What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach Us About Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Media Messages. New York.

Reis, S. (2010). Toward a Theory of Creativity in Diverse Creative Women. Creativity Research Journal, 305-316. doi:ttps://doi-org.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/10.1207/S15326934CRJ1434_2

Smith, S. L., & Choueiti, M. P. (2018). Inclusion in the Recording Studio? Gender and Race/Ethnicity of Artists, Songwriters & Producers across 600 Popular Songs from 2012-2017. Annenberg: University of Southern California.

Young, D. J. (2018, March 15). This Art Isn’t For You: Why White Men Nedd to Stay in Their Lane. Retrieved from Junkee: http://junkee.com/cis-white-men-art/150662

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YELLOWCATREDCAT PRESS KIT

BIO

With riffs filthier than the floor of the share house they were birthed in, Brisbane’s YELLOWCATREDCAT combine hard hitting thrash pop with the sonic sincerity of a house on fire. Fuelled by a haze of sweat and alcohol Isaac Rogers (guitar, vocals) and Adam Head (drums, dance moves) attack the stage with the ferocity of two cats in a washing machine full of last weekend’s tennis whites.

YELLOWCATREDCAT have appeared alongside a number of notable acts both local and international. In 2015 they shared the stage with UK noise rock staples Pulled Apart by Horses as part of their first Australian tour. In 2016 the band appeared on The Blurst of Times festival lineup with the likes of local heroes DUNE RATS, BAD//DREAMS and WAAX and also playing a sold out Crowbar with Adelaide emo rockers The Hard Aches. In the summer of 2017 YCRC embarked on their first national tour with Melbourne folk punks FOLEY! Playing seven dates across the east coast, Adelaide and Hobart.

MUSIC

https://yellowcatredcat.bandcamp.com/

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxrMoFr_UXs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fFwBp7vk7k

PRESS QUOTES

CONTROL ZINE:

http://controlzine.com/features/premiere-yellowcatredcat-animal/

GARIN ZINE:

http://www.grainzine.com/blurst-of-times

CONTACT

Gmail: ycrcmusic@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ycrcmusic

Instagram: @rad_cats_r_us

 IMAGES

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Annotated Bibliography

Holtzman, L., & Sharpe, L. (2014, March 1). What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach Us About Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Media Messages. New York.

Holtzman and Sharp explore how several sociological factors affect the way we perceive the world around us. Most noteworthy is the chapter dedicated to gender in which a history of gender is provided, as well as a number of examples which place the reader in the position of examining their life as they have identified, and also in a gender role with which they do not identify. This description of privilege and oppression is of great significance:

               “When it comes to gender, oppression is defined as the structural way that the resources, power, and privileges that individuals need to get what they want in life are organized so that men have greater access to these assets than do women, which means that, in general, men also have greater access to success than do women”

One drawback of the writing is gender is referred to almost entirely in its binary form.

 Smith, S. L., & Choueiti, M. P. (2018). Inclusion in the Recording Studio? Gender and Race/Ethnicity of  Artists, Songwriters & Producers across 600 Popular Songs from 2012-2017. Annenberg: University of Southern California.

This is a detailed report outlining a number of statistics in reference to the gender gap present in popular music. The study examines awards ceremonies such as the Grammys’s, as well as an analysis on Billboard’s Hot 100 songs of the past six years as a means to determine at what level was a gap in gender prevalent across the roles of, for example, artists, producers and songwriters.

 Sally M. Reis (2002) Toward a Theory of Creativity in Diverse Creative Women, Creativity Research             Journal, 14:3-4, 305-316, DOI: 10.1207/S15326934CRJ1434_2

This source provides an insight to the creative process of women and what challenges, obstacles and different opportunities not only encounter different women and girls, but also how those challenges differ to those of men. The article appears to identify several different factors that affect the creative process of females and concludes that opportunities in the modern world are far greater than those of the previous generation; however, more specific research needs to be completed to come to more substantial conclusions. Once again this article also focusses on gender as a binary construct.

 Cooper, R., Coles, A., & Hannah-Osbourne, S. (2017). Skipping A Beat; Assessing the state of Gender Inequality in the Australian Music Industry. The University of Sydney Business School.

This report analyses the major facets of the Australian music industry i.e. APRA, national radio play and various award organisations (ARIA, Air etc) to create a picture of the gender gap in Australian music. Across the board the report reveals systemic domination of males from artists and songwriters, to recipients of APRA funds to peak positions in the industry. The report closes with five recommendations on how the industry can take steps to improve.

 Henessey, K. (2018, March 9). ‘You expect us not to call you out?’ – Camp Cope and the Australian musicians fighting industry sexism. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/08/you-expect-us-not-to-call-you-out-camp-cope-and-the-australian-musicians-fighting-industry-sexism

This news article is in reference to Melbourne band Camp Cope and their push for equality for female, non-binary and trans people and musicians. It references an incident in which the band highlighted the issue of equality on stage at the 2018 Falls Festival and other campaigns with wchich they are involved including greater respect between concert goers and heightened aware of sexual assault at festivals and shows.

 Young, D. J. (2018, March 15). This Art Isn’t For You: Why White Men Need to Stay in Their Lane. Retrieved from Junkee: http://junkee.com/cis-white-men-art/150662

This article entails another aspect of Australian music in reference to cis white men feeling that their opinions are allegedly of greater importance than others’ in the community. There are a number of quotes regarding members of Camp Cope and their wish for more female/queer writers to review their new album by way of example of factual inadequacy of some male journalists. A number of examples of how men should acknowledge their privilege are given.

 Escott, C. A. (2017, October 3). June Jones Is Australia’s Best New Music Brat. Retrieved from Junkee: http://junkee.com/june-jones-two-steps-water-interview/125684

This is an interview with June Jones, a female transgender musician from Melbourne who fronts the folk punk band Two Steps on the Water. The interview gives an insight into being a trans musician in Australia which is something that is not touched on in many other articles as most research is based on gender binary.

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Say Anything In Defence of the Genre 10th Anniversary Tour Brisbane, The Triffid/The Zoo March 02/04

The air inside The Triffid is thick with the anticipation of the final two shows of American exports Say Anything’s last shows of the “In Defence of the Genre 10th Anniversary” tour. Part nostalgia and part catharsis, the band’s latest run of shows was a ‘best of set’ to end all ‘best of’ sets. Spanning two nights and two separate venues, the band, origination from California, set out to play 4 sets comprising of their first three official releases; “…Is A Real Boy”, “In Defence of the Genre (disc 1 and 2)” and their self-titled record.

Opening night saw Say Anything bring the first disc of “In Defence of the Genre” and their seminal debut “…Is A Real Boy” to a palpably excited Brisbane crowd. Playing “In Defence first”, the quintet waste no time in exploding into the opening track of the record; “Skinny, Mean Man”. Guitarist Kenny Bridges, formerly of Moneen fame, leaps around the stage as the first track reaches climax after climax. Ever eclectic in their genre bending brand of emo, the first half of the show ebbs and flows between the sing song parlour vibe of “That Is Why”, to the all out banger, and crowd favourite “People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist”, to the sweet melancholy of “An Insult to the Dead”.  

After a quick half hour intermission, the band return to the stage to perform, by most accounts, their most notable and important release; 2006’s “…Is A Real Boy”. From the first blistering chords of “Belt”, to the final anthemic cries of “Admit It!!!”, the crowd hang of lead singer Max Bemis’ every word. For 45 minutes The Triffid is awash with the passionate cries of the inner teenager inside of everyone within its walls. With the closing of the set, many of those witnessing such an impassioned display from a band still humble and gracious after so many years were left in quiet anticipation for another night of memory triggering and emotional music.

Night two was a far quieter affair than the first with the band playing to an albeit modest crowd at The Zoo. Playing the second disc of “In Defence of the Genre” first, the quitter arrangements of most of the songs was an opportunity for the small crowd to show their voice in an attempt to upstage the amplified instruments on stage. This prompted Bemis to thank everyone at every possible opportunity. A highlight of the set was a new arrangement to “Spores” which saw the predominantly quiet song transformed into a massive, four-minute crescendo.

Once again, after a short break, the band once again returned to play their self-titled album which was released in 2009. Opener and lead single “Hate Everyone” whipped the crowd into a frenzy which only continued to build in crowd favourite “Mara And Me” which was performed in Australia for the first time. The set finally ended with the anthemic ode “Ahh…Men”, with the band playing an extended outro much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd. Max Bemis left the stage to sing the final, exhausting words of the song to what seemed like each individual member of the crowd before leaving the stage and the audience truly satisfied with what they had witnessed.