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Tag Archives: women in music

What is Women’s Equality Day & Why it Matters

Posted on August 26, 2022 by ECM Admin Leave a comment

According to NPR, only 12.7 percent of songwriters and 2.8 percent of music producers were female in 2021.

This alarming statistic shows how far the music industry has to go to achieve true equality.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, and our good friend Erin McLendon (co-founder of Music on the Move Studios) shares why it is important for those in the music industry to acknowledge the continued battle for equal rights — for reasons that stretch far beyond music.

Get Erin’s thoughts on the Music on the Move blog, and don’t forget to get tickets to Music on the Move’s next showcase — featuring an all-female, all-LGBTQ+ lineup — at The East Room on August 31.

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All the Women Who Independent (Musicians), THROW YOUR HANDS UP AT ME!

Posted on October 7, 2021 by erinmclendonphillips Leave a comment

I promised you the female perspective, and here it is! As someone who’s been in Nashville for 13 years now — shout out to 17 year old Erin for taking the plunge! — I have a pretty solid grasp on what it’s like to be a woman in this industry. I am also keenly aware of the fact that I have a lot to learn, and will probably always have a lot to learn. Our industry is ever-changing and, if this past year has taught us anything, it is to adapt and survive.

Let me hit you with some facts:

In the last 10 years, the peak percentage of women being played on country radio was 33%. It has since declined to almost half of that, reaching just 16% in 2019.
In 2019, Mickey Guyton’s single “Better Than You Left Me” was pulled from country radio after consistently climbing, because country radio “didn’t want two female ballads on the charts at the same time.”
Only 12.3% of the 600 most popular songs from 2012-2018 were female performers. That’s 73 performers. Out of 600.
In 2020, only four female artists made the Billboard Top 20 year-end lists, with Taylor Swift being #9.

So, what’s my point? My point is that we, as women in this industry, can’t follow the traditional model of “making it,” because that deck is simply not stacked in our favor.