Counting the Music Industry is a gender gap analysis of over 300 music publishers and record labels in the UK. This research reveals that just over 14% of writers currently signed to publishers and just under 20% of acts signed to labels are female. This gap is surprisingly large and is indicative of widespread discrimination against women in the music industry.
Counting the Music Industry also looks at entry routes into music, particularly through formal education. There has been increased participation by girls and women in music education at all levels over the past five years, to near equity, often gaining better results than their male counterparts. And yet female graduates do not seem to be as successful as their male colleagues in starting careers. This report looks at twelve barriers that exist for women wishing to start and sustain a career in music.
And finally, Counting the Music Industry identifies opportunities for further research and concludes with a list of practical recommendations for government, education and music organisations to implement, improve and ultimately close the gender gap in music, thereby creating a more inclusive industry.
For the full report or the summary please download below. There is also a word file of the text for those who use screen-readers.
The key findings were published in Music Week https://www.musicweek.com/publishing/read/a-wake-up-call-vick-bain-on-her-report-into-gender-inequality-in-music/077734 and discussed on Radio 3 Music Matters https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009zxy and will also be presented at a tour of UK universities next year; a full list of the universities and dates can be found here https://vbain.co.uk/presenting
For further information on Vick Bain please go to https://vbain.co.uk/