FEATURE:
Radio XY
IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa
The Small Improvement Regarding Gender Disparity on Radio Playlists
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IT seems like there is…
PHOTO CREDIT: Amr Taha/Unsplash
this yearly issue where we look at figures in the music industry that point at gender disparity. Whether it is the lack of female headliners at festivals or an unequal balance regarding those in executive positions, it always makes for depressing reading. Even though there has been some small improvement regarding the number of women played on radio, there has not been a big leap at all. A new report has highlighted how, despite a tiny jump, there is still inequality. It is not just women affected. Non-binary artists are also in the minority. As this article from The Guardian outlines, artists of colour are still fighting for recognition and equality. Some stations have improved the number of female artists on their playlists. Others are languishing behind. There are some interesting findings:
“The latest edition of the Gender Disparity Data report into UK radio airplay of British artists has revealed slight improvements on last year’s findings.
Between 1 January and 1 August 2021, 44% of the top 50 British artists played on UK radio were male, down 7% on last year. Women accounted for 20% – an increase of 1% – and non-binary artists, represented exclusively by Sam Smith, 2%. Mixed-gender collaborations represented 34% of airplay, up 4% from 2020.
The slight shift was also tangible behind the scenes. Male songwriters and composers created 76.4% of these radio hits, down 3.6%. Female songwriters and composers represented 23.2%, up significantly from 19% last year. Non-binary songwriters and composers slipped from 1% in 2020 to 0.4% this year.
BBC Radio 1 showed a sharp shift from favouring British male solo artists towards mixed-gender collaborations. Men made up 45% of this year’s airplay, compared with 85% in the previous 12 months. Collaborations were up from 5% to 45%. Solo female artists remained stuck at 10%.
British female artists were also disadvantaged by collaborations at BBC Radio 2: men held fast at 55%, women dropped from 40% to 25%, and mixed gender collaborations rose from 5% to 20%.
BBC Radio 6 Music showed the greatest improvement of any BBC station, with men dropping from 60% to 45%, women rising from 10% to 40%, and collaborations halving from 30% to 15%.
A BBC spokesperson told the GuardianL “BBC radio is committed to supporting and celebrating a diverse range of music across our pop platforms, from festival slots right through to the playlist, with an estimated 40% of playlisted songs featuring female artists.”
The rock-focused stations Absolute Radio (Bauer) and Radio X (Global) featured 0% British female artists in their airplay for the period, the same as 2020. Kerrang! (Bauer), which featured 0% women in the previous 12 months, showed an improvement, now with 10%.
A Bauer spokesperson told the Guardian: “We are improving female representation across our stations, not only in terms of our playlist but with on-air talent. Our stations have introduced more female-fronted programming this year, and are continuing to work with labels and the wider music industry to ensure the future of rock and indie is entirely inclusive”.
It does seem to be a bit of a mixed bag. Although there has been some visible improvement regarding playlists on some stations, on others there has been stagnation. I think we would all love to hear more women on playlists. Not just solo artists; collaborations featuring women and non-binary artists would be fantastic. One could say that there are genres where women are smaller in numbers, so some stations are going to struggle to make up the numbers. I would disagree. Although BBC Radio 1 is featuring more mixed-gender collaborations, there are so many great female artists breaking through that fit their demographic. I wonder why they are not being included. Also, for stations like Absolute Radio who have more of a Rock demographic, there are so many brilliant female Rock artists and female-led bands that they are overlooking. I assume that the findings take in new talent. In terms of legacy artists, there is an ocean of choice that stations can choose from! The report that has been published breaks down stations and the number of women/men/non-binary artists/artists of colour they play. It is there so that everyone can make improvements. It is quite poor that, at a time when so many artists are hit hard and look to royalties for sustainability, they are being denied. I guess there are positive signs. More women are being played. Though, as I always say, the best music is being made by them. The new statistics do not reflect this fact.
PHOTO CREDIT: @icons8/Unsplash
Going forward, I do think stations need to keep making strides. One only needs to look at the albums being released and websites tipping artists to watch. One will find plenty of women across all genres. I want to bring in another section from The Guardian’s article regarding the most-played songs on U.K. radio:
“Another side of the report focused on the top 20 songs played by British artists on UK radio stations over the period 1 August 2020-1 August 2021. The list was topped by Joel Corry and MNEK’s Head and Heart, followed by Dua Lipa (Levitating) and Sigala and James Arthur (Lasting Lover)”.
I am going to wrap up in a second. So many people have been lifted and comforted by radio during the pandemic. Not only is it the artists played that have given us strength. The broadcasters have been integral. Some stations have recruited more women to their presenting ranks, though one still hears more men. There is work to do. It does appear that, in some quarters, there has been movement in the right direction. Far from there being a lack of worthy and talented women in music (and non-binary artists/broadcasters), there is this reluctance from some to recognise them. It is a pity. Greater inclusion and mindfulness needs to happen on most of the big stations. If some have taken it upon themselves to make some real changes, others appear to have stalled. I hope that the Gender Disparity Data report spurs proactive reaction. It is evident that there is still work to be done as…
WE look ahead to 2022.