New survey: Good intentions, but a long way to gender balance in music

The music industry has long been characterized by an uneven gender balance. Since early 2022, the need for change has led more than 80 organizations, institutions, and companies to join the Music Industry Code of Conduct for Equal Access. Now, for the first time, 47 of them have committed to working towards equal access and have reported key figures on gender balance to shed light on gender distribution and barriers across roles and responsibilities in music. The report covers a broad range of sectors—from venues, festivals, and booking agencies to record labels, publishers, educational institutions, and interest organizations. The report demonstrates a willingness for transparency and development, but it should be noted that it is not yet representative of the entire music industry. Achieving this will require a much larger volume of reports.

"It is very positive that we now, as an industry, have a common baseline measurement that can indicate the progress in our work on gender equality. We need to work data-driven to address the structural challenges we face regarding the lack of equality in the industry," says Koda's chairperson, Loui Törnqvist.

Tendency for more men in management

Based on data from 47 participants, several cross-cutting trends have emerged. In total, 655 men and 580 women are included in the baseline measurement. The figures show that the gender disparity is most pronounced at the executive level, where men account for an average of 68 percent of positions. In the management layer just below the executive level, the distribution is 57 percent men and 43 percent women. Among employees without managerial responsibilities, the distribution is approximately 50-50. In other words, the higher up the hierarchy, the more skewed the gender balance becomes.

The difference is greatest among companies in the music industry

When looking at the companies in the survey individually, the differences are significantly larger. Here, men account for an average of 68 percent of board positions and a full 82 percent of executive level positions. By comparison, the distribution is almost equal in both boards and executive teams in other areas such as educational institutions and interest organizations.

The will is there, but more action is needed

A full 87 percent of participants report that their organization is working to increase knowledge about diversity and inclusion. At the same time, none of the respondents feel there is a lack of support from management. However, nearly half mention time as a central barrier, while about one third point out that finances and lack of knowledge are obstacles to more action.

To drive change, the Music Industry's Code of Conduct for Equal Access has formulated six principles for inclusion and diversity. These principles aim to make change tangible and pave the way for an industry where everyone has equal opportunities to develop their talent in creative, performing, and leadership roles. You can read more about the six principles in the Code of Conduct here and find inspiration for what can be done.

"Just as Koda's gender statistics show, this report also indicates that there is a skewed gender balance across the industry. Equality does not happen by itself, and all players and sectors in the music industry must actively work to change the gender balance in their organization and in terms of equality for musicians and music creators. Positive change requires something from all of us, and the collaboration in the The Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music is one of the ways we can create knowledge and willingness for a change that can alter the status quo in the industry," says Koda's chairperson, Loui Törnqvist.

You can read the full report here

About the The Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music

The Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music has been initiated by a group of companies and organizations from the Danish music industry, including Koda, who wish to strengthen managerial collaboration across the industry's professional players. Our vision is that together we can develop and disseminate knowledge-based solutions to cross-cutting challenges that stand in the way of a more sustainable music life.

Read more at www.partnershipforsustainablemusic.com/