You’ve broken into an industry you love, you’re excited to make a career out of your passion, when suddenly you realise… you’re one of the only women for miles around.
It’s an experience many women in the music industry share: according to stats shared at Songtradr’s Balance the Mix panel last year, the gender divide is roughly 30% women and 70% men across all areas. The UK House of Common Committee's ‘Misogyny in music’ report examines why, concluding that women face “significant additional barriers” to get a foothold in the music industry, and have to “work far harder” to be recognised for their merits – a situation that worsens when intersectionality is taken into account.
While representation is improving, especially at senior levels, “progress is not uniform and gender imbalance remains entrenched in certain areas,” with engineering and production underlined specifically. An analysis of the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart from 2012-2022 corroborates this, revealing that only 2.8% of production credits went to women while women of colour made up a mere 26% of women producers.
The situation won’t change overnight, but we can raise awareness, share resources, and help both industry peers and aspiring newcomers feel less alone. To do so LBB’s Zara Naseer platforms words of wisdom from Georgia Parker, head of production at Felt Music; Rachel Menzies, VP, bespoke at BMG UK; Hollie Hutton, ECD at RESISTER; Sophie Faricy, executive producer / music supervisor at Native Music; Hannah Crawford, creative development manager, and Len Mattea, music producer, at MassiveMusic London; Kaya Pino, music supervisor at King Lear Music & Sound; Ellie Donohue, music supervisor and co-founder at Twelve Decibels; Anné Kulonen, freelance composer; and Siân Rogers, company director / music supervisor at SIREN.
So often, we feel like we need to be overqualified before we take up space, but you are already enough and you deserve to be in the room.
The music industry, particularly in advertising and sync, can sometimes feel like a closed world, but relationships truly make all the difference. My biggest advice is to build your network, stay curious and do not be afraid to reach out to people who inspire you. You do not need to have everything figured out before making connections. More often than not, people are happy to share advice, open doors and support your journey.
Putting yourself out there can feel daunting, but it is how you grow. The more you introduce yourself, ask questions and show up in rooms where decisions are being made, the more you will start to feel like you belong. And you do.
So if you are just starting out, reach out to that music supervisor, introduce yourself to that composer and go to those industry events. Ask questions, soak up as much as you can and trust that you belong here.
When I started, I always thought success would come from working twice as hard, being relentlessly ‘available,’ and proving I deserved my place.
So my advice would be to find your allies early. The best way to navigate this industry is to surround yourself with people who lift you up and challenge you.
shesaid.so is a useful resource – a global network of women in music supporting each other with mentorship, events, and opportunities. Mentorship is priceless – formal or informal, find people who inspire you, and be that person for someone else when you can.
We’re seeing more women in senior roles, which is great – but the real challenge is keeping them there. After 45, the numbers start to drop, which tells us the industry still isn’t doing enough to support women long-term in leadership.
There are so many who deserve a spotlight, but two women who inspire me are Safiya Lambie-Knight, head of music at Spotify, and an old and dear friend who is breaking barriers every day, and Harriet Moss, commercial rights director at Faber, an absolute force when it comes to championing women and pushing for real diversity in our industry. Also, serious mum-goals – proving you can lead and lift others while juggling it all.
This year, 14% of Hollywood film scores were composed by women, up from 7% when we founded RESISTER five years ago but still women remain hugely underrepresented across all media. In advertising, there are no clear stats for how many women are commissioned on bespoke pitches, largely due to a lack of crediting and transparency of composer choices from across the board. Nowadays there are so many places to find amazing women for projects, from the AWFC, The F-list and our own composer agency, 515.
For me, it’s ALL about connections. Women have always been super skilled at building powerful networks, probably from centuries of fighting for our rightful ruddy place in the workspace and having to constantly seek out alternative ways to progress, whilst pulling each other up along the way – especially in male-dominated industries.
Thankfully, there’s more support now, thanks to some incredible women. Cat’s Mother, led by my hero, industry legend Sara Lord, is a network of powerhouses in the music and creative Industries, offering up free consultations to young, aspiring female creatives aged 18-25. Then there’s the monthly Lemonade emPower networking breakfasts, run by the giant heart that is Athene Parker, who shines a spotlight on leading women who’ve triumphed (and I mean TRIUMPHED) through adversity.
These networks aren’t just about climbing the ladder – they’re about building important communities that support and elevate each of us, regardless of backgrounds or qualifications (or lack of in my case!). I’ve built my entire career around the relationships I’ve cultivated – I don’t even have a CV and I’ve been working in the music industry for 25 years now! Waiting for the day I get rumbled.
I’ve spent the whole of my career working in the music industry, despite my official musical credentials consisting solely of a grade two piano certificate from around 1999, a love of music, and, as of last year, co-hosting a radio show with a friend and former colleague (shameless plug for HAN+FRAN). I began working at a record label when I first arrived in London in 2009, before moving into a music production and licensing agency – surrounded by people doing a job I never really knew existed; it turned into my dream!
At MassiveMusic, my role is to show off the amazing work my team creates – spanning bespoke composition, re-records, commercial music supervision, and sonic branding while bringing new clients into the fold. I get the benefit of working alongside these creative musical minds everyday and while I know a fair bit - I didn’t have the musical education and prodigious talent at the beginning that I thought this industry would require.
While I’m not one of ‘the makers’, I did have a deep passion and respect for those who are, and I’m lucky enough to work with a talented team of women in our production and supervision team every day. Working alongside a killer team makes my time working here even more rewarding. At MassiveMusic, we champion diversity in the form of our Balance The Mix initiative, and in our work patterns at every opportunity, tackling the imbalances we often see in the creative industries.
The music industry desperately needs more. More of everything and everyone. More diversity, but also more open mindedness. More balance, but also more courage to take chances. We are the creatives, after all: if we don’t take risks, then who will?
It’s beyond me, how an industry that requires so much heart can be lacking in women’s representation. Every other meme on instagram seems to be about a needy, emotional girlfriend and her boyfriend gracefully working around it - our sensitivity is easily mocked, and yet one of the most artistic industries (where emotion is indispensable) is somehow male-dominated.
My advice to women interested in getting involved in music and the creative industry is don’t let anything stop you. Before fears can cloud your judgement, just press down on the accelerator and go for that job you’ve always wanted.
Advertising is the art of persuasive communication. Finding your place in the conversation requires curiosity, confidence and community. Networking has been one of the most powerful tools throughout my career. Connecting with others has not only helped me build a supportive community but I’ve found it inspiring to hear the unique experiences of others in the industry. These stories have taught me that a career isn’t linear, take chances and follow your ambitions.
Recognition of the lack of women in the music and advertising industries has given rise to organisations and forums that enable women to connect, share information and discuss employment opportunities. When I made the move from Toronto to London it was a Women in Sync event that introduced me to Sarah Giles, co-founder of King Lear Music & Sound, who has not only become my boss and a supportive force for myself but has cultivated an amazing group of women in the office.
My advice for anyone looking to break into the advertising, music and sound industry is to build a strong network and attend industry events – these are vital to make new connections and strengthen existing relationships. Check out The emPOWER Breakfast – a monthly networking event where you can listen to a different speaker each month. It’s ‘a celebration of the incredible women in business and leadership’. Also, the Alliance for Women Composers which aims to connect women in the music industry and provide support for emerging talent The AWFC. Take a look at the ‘After Work’ series by Wildwood Talent for informal chats with inspiring women (and men!)
Use LinkedIn to expand your network and highlight your work – don’t be shy to share your achievements. Be bold and persistent, and make sure to follow up any new opportunities or leads you’ve discovered or that have been passed to you.
Find a mentor that you admire who can provide guidance and help navigate your professional journey and/or a work coach to help develop your skills.
Take any opportunity to enhance your skills through training courses, it all helps to stay ahead of the emerging trends and new technology advancements.
Finally, for your personal well-being, try and maintain the work-life balance so you can be more creative and not burn out!
One of the most important qualities to develop is resilience.
Composing to picture and contributing to the film’s emotional impact can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be challenging – sometimes complicated collaborations, managing rejection or just finding the strength to keep banging on the sometimes-closed doors of our industry can feel overwhelming. It can make you lose sight of why you chose this career path in the first place – and it’s really crucial that you keep hold of the little flame of self-belief you began your journey with as it’s the most important asset that you have.
Beyond this, it’s important to take every opportunity to build your network, and make sure you approach each project, no matter how small, with the same level of diligence, love and attention to detail you assign to your most important ones.
Finally, nurture and nourish your artistic voice and always be true to it and yourself, and trust in your own unique and original perspective.
On the music supervision front I feel like women are fairly well-represented, and sync and supervision feels like a pretty collaborative place to be; however, there is a distinct lack of representation on the composer front.
The AWFC (Alliance for Women Film Composers) is doing brilliant work in this area. Jenna Fentimen and Daisy Coole run the UK chapter and they champion, support and celebrate the work of women composers through advocacy and education. The community they’ve fostered is fantastic and the positive energy at their events is palpable. So many collaborations have come out of it, not only between music supervisors and composers (we’ve met and worked with some brilliant composers through their events), but also between composers, bringing their skills and talents to each other’s work. Finding your tribe in all walks of life is essential.
SIREN collaborate with the AWFC on a podcast called ‘Equalised Sound’ which shines a light on female talent across the music industry from artists to composers, engineers to A&R (artists and repertoire). We talk about origin stories and how they have been defined (both by themselves and others) through their careers.
I would also like to shout out emPOWER Breakfast curated and hosted by the wonderful Athene Parker. This is another hugely positive beacon of light in our industry at the minute. Athene has managed to create a really positive, safe space for a whole range of topics to be discussed from grief to neurodivergence to representation.
Stay open and curious. So many people seem to have plans for their life and career trajectories and that’s great if it gives you drive and focus, but don’t let yourself get hamstrung by it. Stay open to all possibilities; something might come along that you hadn’t even considered when your plan was devised, and you don’t want to be so blinkered that you miss it.
I am also a true believer in the journey – even if something doesn’t go the way you thought it would, the people you met or knowledge you gained either directly or indirectly will serve you at some point down the line.