by Amanda Smith
Read that again: Less than 5% of music producers are women. That’s a problem.
Ruth Saxelby at FADER spoke with 13 women producers about how to make the music industry more accessible to women and encourage more women to break into it.
The truths echoed here are both encouraging and depressing. The reality is the treatment of women in the entertainment industry is a symptom of a larger dismissal of our talents in many professional circles dominated by men.
There have been good women producers, and at a higher rate than men (when you compose less than 5% of an industry, only the best of the best will represent you). These women aren’t recognized by a boys’ club that prefers to reward the status quo.
Go read FADER‘s series of brief interviews, “Why Aren’t More Women Becoming Music Producers?” If you have friends in music, forward the article to them. This article is a stepping stone. Use it as a primer. Encourage them to be more open-minded.
Producers interviewed include trailblazers like Fatima Al Qadiri, WondaGurl, Caroline Polacheck, Tokimonsta, and Ikonika.