Women are drastically underrepresented in the music industry. A USC Annenberg study found that only 2% of music producers and 3% of engineers are women, and the recording academy is planning to change that. The Grammys diversity task force is launching the Producer and Engineer Inclusion Initiative.
The initiative challenges those hiring producers and engineers to commit to considering at least two female candidates, and for established producers to consider gender inequity when making decisions about development and advancement opportunities for other talent. To help facilitate this effort, the recording academy is hosting a website providing resources for those seeking to hire women.
The chair of the diversity task force, Tina Tchen, said in a statement, “The music industry is at a crossroads and progress won’t happen on its own. There is no magic bullet to shift a status quo that has existed for centuries, but we see this initiative as an important step. We know that change requires real commitment to intentional hiring and to providing young women with consistent training and mentorship. We aren’t here to tell anyone who to hire, but we have seen repeatedly that the simple act of making sure diverse candidates are always seen and considered makes it more likely that women will get the opportunities they previously have been denied. It’s one step everyone can take that could go a long way to catalyzing important change that is overdue in this industry.”
Artists who have already signed onto the initiative include Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Common, Andra Day, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Shawn Mendes, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Pink, Post Malone, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Common, who is also a member of the task force, said, “As an artist and member of the recording academy, I’m proud to join this pledge and appreciate the work of the Task Force to bring this forward. Women deserve as much opportunity as men, and we know this industry has not always been fair. The only way to change these inequities is for us to face it directly and commit to do more.”
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