‘They’re really breaking through’: how women put the music business in a spin
originally published by The Guardian –
Despite distressing reports about misogyny and male ‘banter’ in the industry, the Grammy nominations mark the start of a hopeful new era for female artists
Depending on which news story drew her eye, a young woman with serious talent might have taken a very different decision last week about whether to go into the music industry.
On the one hand, she could have seen headlines heralding the female lineup at the Grammys, the prestigious music business jamboree staged on Sunday evening in Los Angeles – because this year the awards ceremony will be packed with female nominees, including SZA, Victoria Monét and Phoebe Bridgers. It is a fitting close to a year in which women have topped the charts and shone on the concert stage. And it is set to continue, with Adele announcing pop-up gig dates in Germany that go on sale this week.
But a rather contrasting picture was painted by coverage of fresh evidence of the struggle women still fact to be taken seriously within the industry. So while the Grammys are worth saluting, a quick look at the rest of the contenders tellingly reveals that no woman is nominated for (non-classical) producer of the year. It is a problem detailed by the hard-hitting Westminster report released last week into misogyny in the music business by the women and equalities committee. According to the cross-party group of MPs, the industry is still a “boys’ club”, where abuse and harassment remain common. It is an “endemic” problem, the report concluded, and only an urgent plan of action can counter it.
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