For years, women have been struggling to earn equal opportunities in the music industry. As the years have passed, it has become apparent that women have been getting more recognition, but it's still a male-dominated field. The gender disparity has gone on for too long, and the only way to stop it is to attack the problem. We need to talk about it.
According to The Guardian, a 2010 study showed that England's music industry was 66 percent male, and only 47 percent of which were women. Women only earn less than $10,936, compared to 35 percent of men. Money isn't the only issue between the two. Impakter.com shares statistics in the matter. They stated that less than 5 percent of women are producers and only 6 percent of women in the business earn more than $40,224, compared to 22 percent of men. It seems that publicity and fame also plays a role in this issue. Obviously, most women in the industry don't need it, but some still feel they have major competition and have to be "fearless" and go out of their comfort zone in order to succeed. In 2015, Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork said, "Be fearless, go forth and battle the crescendo of bulls--t in their path." This shows that women still struggle in the demanding field of business.
Even though women still have to continue to fight for equality in music, they've also made a huge impact on it. Last year when Forbes.com released its annual "The World's Highest Paid Musicians" of 2015, it showed that Katy Perry and Taylor Swift had ranked on the top five. Katy Perry hit number one with an income of $135 million, and Taylor Swift made number four with $80 million. Also, New York's own Lady Gaga came in at number 10 with a year's income of $50 million. Also, when Billboard.com had posted the top 10 best-selling albums of 2014, the first three albums were made by women. Number one was "The Frozen Soundtrack" (mostly sung by women), coming in on number two was Beyoncé's self-titled album, "Beyoncé," and putting her share at number three was Lorde's "Pure Heroin" featuring her hit single, "Royals."
In recent news, Kesha made headlines when she accused her producer, Dr. Luke, of raping and sexually assaulting her. In 2014, she had made her first lawsuit. In addition, her producer proceeded to file a suit against Kesha and her mother for accusing them of spreading extremely harsh lies about him and his career. During this trial, Kesha had revealed she lied in her testimony about how her producer assaulted her. This was because she was scared he would end her career, like he had allegedly promised to if she had said anything. This just shows how women are restricted in the business and how some women are willing to do anything to keep their career alive.
As you can see, sometimes women in the business have the upper hand, but this doesn't mean we've won. This is still an issue among us, and we need to start addressing it before it gets worse. I'm not saying to stop buying and selling men's albums and music. I'm saying to keep an open mind. I'm saying the next time you listen to another top-selling female album, remember what she had to go through to make that album. It was more than just a bunch of songs to her; it was a sign of courage and hope.
