A new study titled “Lost in the Mix” has revealed a stark underrepresentation of women and nonbinary individuals in the music industry. The annual Fix the Mix report, compiled by Howard University and Middle Tennessee State University in collaboration with We Are Moving the Needle and Jaxsta, analyzed the gender representation across all credited production and engineering personnel by role in the top 50 songs of 2022 across 14 different genres, totaling 757 songs. The results found that women and nonbinary individuals accounted for less than 5 percent of producing and engineering credits at 187 out of 3,781, indicating a systemic problem of gender inequality.
The report also explored the top 10 most streamed songs on major digital streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, and TikTok. Out of 36 unique entries, only 16 out of 240 tech credits were women or nonbinary creators, representing a sharp decline from 2021. This shift could suggest a glass ceiling that prevents these groups from achieving an upward trajectory in the industry.
The study also found that the lowest percentages of women and nonbinary people credited by genre were in metal (0.0 percent), rap (0.7 percent), and Christian and gospel (0.8 percent), while electronic had the highest at 17.6 percent, with Americana just behind at 16.4 percent. Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” had the most credits for women and nonbinary producers, with six out of nineteen total tech credits.
Despite an increase in the number of women and nonbinary people entering the audio production industry, the study shows that they are not being hired after earning audio production degrees or completing the necessary qualifications for credited roles. The Grammy Award–winning mastering engineer and We Are Moving the Needle founder Emily Lazar, who co-authored the study, believes that the most important step towards achieving gender parity in production, engineering, and mastering roles is for artists and record labels to be able to hire from a more diverse pool of producers, mixers, and engineers. However, the challenge remains in finding these individuals.
The “Lost in the Mix” report highlights the need for decision-makers in the music industry to be motivated and equipped to make real changes in their hiring practices to achieve gender parity. Addressing this systemic issue could lead to a more inclusive music industry that better represents the diverse communities it serves.