Taylor Swift, SZA, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo… with so many female artists nominated for so many Grammy awardsWill this be the “year of the woman” in the music industry?
The data says no: we are still far from parity, so that statement would be too ambitious. But there is finally a trend in the right direction.
One of the most obvious gaps is in songwriting, according to the latest analysis from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Only 19.5% of all composers of Billboard Hot 100 songs in 2023 were women. This is a welcome change compared to 2022 (14.1%) or 2012 (11%), but it is still grossly inadequate considering that half of the audience identifies as female.
Songwriting is one area where women's representation could improve drastically and quickly. All it takes is industry commitment to add women to that role.
We often hear excuses about why representation can't happen quickly. Some in the industry say that “women have to be really good” and yet mediocrity among men is acceptable. Others resist incorporating women into the writing process, saying “you can't interfere with an artist” or “talents are superstitious about who they work with and how.”
These types of rationalizations are not new. We have heard them in all entertainment spaces. There are similar negative myths about female directors, showrunners, and cinematographers. The folklore about women in these roles only serves the gatekeepers who want to restrict women's access and opportunities while men remain free.
In film and television, these myths are shattered by a revealing fact: if you have women at the helm of a project, other women are more likely to participate on screen and in other key positions behind the scenes. We assumed the music would be no different.
Of last year's top 100 songs, only 14 featured a female artist and a non-performing songwriter. A total of 25 songs had a female artist and no non-performing songwriter attached, contradicting our assumption about women standing up for other women.
Hit songs are often written by teams and list many writers. For these 25 songs, the average number of writers was three, but some included up to 11, all men. What gives? Do female artists work with men but not women? This is not a good outlook for 2024. But all is not lost. The growing power of female artists should allow these artists and others to wrest significant power from the 75% of talent scouting executives who are men.
Imagine what industry leaders could do for representation if they made it a priority. We have calculated that if each of the top female artists “only added two” songwriters to their hit songs per year, we would reach gender parity in just four years. This would be a modest change for artists with major implications for the industry.
The “just add two” approach would create jobs for female composers in addition to the jobs men already have. Because they would be working with a female performer, women should not be tokenized in writing sessions, even if most of the other songwriters were men. Adding female writers would also expand access to top talent that only men have had in the past. And more women in the industry could work toward career sustainability.
Managers can be key to this transition. Often all that is required is asking the artist to collaborate with a woman and then facilitate that collaboration by including her in the schedule. Artists like John Legend, Charlie Puth and National have always been more than willing to work with women. Alanis Morissette has made it a priority. The manager's job is to ensure that good intentions become reality.
Hiring is a choice, and female artists who routinely find themselves on top charts could decide to make a change, not only in the lives of female songwriters but in the culture at large. Almost 25% of the 1,200 most popular songs of the last 12 years were written primarily by 12 men. Those 12 men are shaping audiences' perceptions and beliefs about romance, relationships, wealth, health, and many other topics.
Soon, we would love to celebrate the “year of the woman” in the music industry. Top performers can get us there with one simple act: just add two.
Stacy L. Smith is a professor at USC in the Annenberg School of Communication and the School of Dramatic Arts, and founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Ty Stiklorius is the founder and CEO of friends at worka management and entertainment company.
