For the inaugural Get Talking episode, our very own Martina Comuzzi (Music Licensing Manager, USA) sat down virtually with composers, songwriters and artists Cheyenne Jolene and Moa Munoz about ‘Women Making Music.’
Over the past few years, there have been many studies on gender representation in the music industry. Whilst conversations and positive changes are being made, the statistics on women who make music—performers, producers and songwriters—are still extremely discouraging.
From a 2021 study by the University of Southern California Annenberg Institute* on music creator demographics, women still make up an inadequate percentage of artists, songwriters and producers on music charts and award-nominations slates, marking “no meaningful and sustained increase”. Women represented 21.6% of artists, 12.6% of songwriters and 2.6% of producers. Only 9 out of 1,291 producing credits went to women of colour.
Martina used these figures to start her discussion with Cheyenne and Moa, asking their opinion on gender representation in the music industry, drawing from their personal experiences as women that make music. They also shared tips and insight on how best to get into the industry and start making music, as well as talking about those who inspired them along the way.
Both Los Angeles-based, Cheyenne and Moa have immense powerhouse vocals and distinctive sounds. They’ve both created a range of different albums for our West One Music and And Then Some labels, featuring their unique styles, from Cheyenne’s Gospel Pop to Moa’s Minimal Beat Pop.
Join the conversation with #GetTalking and #WomeninMusic. Follow Cheyenne on socials at @bodaciousthang and Moa at @givememoa
In our 2021 International Women’s Day blog post we shared some resources on international organisations that support women in music, from funding, education and networking, find out more here.
*You can read the fourth annual iteration of the ‘Inclusion in the Recording Studio’ report conducted by Stacy L.Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with funding from Spotify here.
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