MBW’s Stat Of The Week is a sequence through which we spotlight an information level that deserves the eye of the worldwide music trade. This week’s Stat Of the Week comes from the sequence’ long-time supporter, music information analytics agency Chartmetric.
Music analytics firm Chartmetric has printed its 2025 Make Music Equal Report, which presents the corporate’s evaluation of pronoun information from a database of over a million artists throughout 230 international locations and territories.
First launched in 2018, Chartmetric says that its Make Music Equal initiative started as a “data-driven method for measuring and enhancing the structural inequities of in the present day’s music trade”.
Immediately, in response to Chartmetric, the initiative exists as three components, together with a free and totally accessible database of over 1 million artist pronouns the world over; a reside and often up to date dashboard that gives a snapshot into the present state of range within the music trade; and an artist Identification Device that lets customers examine and confirm an artist’s pronoun information.
Chartmetric added in its report that “quite than assigning gender to artists,” which it says is “a problematic methodology no matter accuracy,” the corporate has “relied on the pronouns that artists and their groups embody of their bios on digital streaming platforms”.
The corporate defined additional: “This has grown right into a database of over 1 million pronouns. We use this information to investigate pronoun distribution throughout genres, playlists, and charts, aiming to spotlight the trade’s gender disparities and determine the place enhancements are most wanted.”
For the newest report, which you’ll be able to learn in full right here, Chartmetric has divided its analysis into 10 key segments. Beneath are just a few key findings that stood out
Chartmetric has pronoun information on greater than 1 million artists from 230 international locations and territories. Of this 1 million, over 728,000 are solo acts. Immediately, in response to Chartmetric’s analysis, 79% of those solo acts use he/him pronouns, whereas 18% use she/her pronouns and 3% use they/them and different pronouns.
In the meantime, among the many prime 100 artists by ‘peak Chartmetric rating’, girls now make up 33% of this elite tier, representing a big improve from simply 26% in 2020 (see chart under).
Whereas males nonetheless dominate with 56% of the highest spots, the seven proportion level acquire suggests feminine artists are more and more breaking by way of into the trade’s most seen ranks.
The report highlights disparities within the sync licensing world, with video video games displaying the best gender imbalance.
Whereas TV syncs reveal comparatively balanced illustration with 29% male artists and 26% feminine artists, video video games characteristic 49% male solo artists in comparison with simply 6% feminine artists of their soundtracks.
Pageant and live performance information reveals an attention-grabbing pattern linked to rising touring prices. Between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of she/her artists acting at festivals rose by 3% whereas he/him acts noticed a modest 2% improve.
This development seems to be pushed by a notable decline in bands on pageant lineups – from 47% to 41% for live shows and 50% to 40% for festivals (see under) – because the “rising world price of touring” makes particular person artists extra economically viable for promoters.
The report recognized important regional variations in gender illustration.
Taiwan emerged because the nation with the smallest gender hole amongst solo artists, with male artists representing 63% in comparison with 34% feminine artists – a 29 proportion level distinction.
On the reverse excessive, Bangladesh confirmed the most important disparity with 92% male artists and simply 6% feminine artists.
One of the vital important information factors revealed inside Chartmetric’s report is the ability of feminine audiences in driving artist success.
Among the many Prime 10 male artists by Chartmetric rating, feminine followers outnumbered male followers for all besides three artists – Drake, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. In the meantime, feminine artists noticed feminine followers dominate “throughout the board.”
The report concludes that this sample “highlights the power and consistency of feminine fandom tradition, notably their roles in driving artist engagement on social platforms.”Music Enterprise Worldwide
