Report on Gender Equity in the Music Industry: An Analysis Through the Lens of Sustainable Development Goals

A 2025 report from Chartmetric, titled “Make Music Equal,” provides a comprehensive analysis of gender representation within the global music industry. By leveraging a unique pronoun dataset, the report offers critical insights into the sector’s progress towards achieving key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). This document outlines the report’s primary findings, framing them within the context of sustainable development and equitable economic opportunity.

The “Make Music Equal” Initiative: A Tool for SDG Monitoring

Chartmetric’s initiative is built on a data-driven framework designed to track and promote equality. This approach provides a transparent mechanism for monitoring progress on SDG targets within the creative economy. The project consists of three core components:

• Publicly Available Dataset: A free, accessible database of over 1 million artist pronouns, serving as a resource for researchers and industry stakeholders committed to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
• State of the Industry Tracker: A live dashboard that offers real-time data on diversity, enabling continuous assessment of progress towards SDG 5.
• Artist Identification Tool: A utility for verifying artist pronoun data, ensuring accuracy and empowering artists to control their public identity.

The methodology relies on pronouns publicly shared by artists in biographies on streaming and social platforms. While pronouns are not synonymous with gender identity, this data provides a valuable, non-assumptive proxy for analyzing gender representation and disparity.

Key Findings: A Sectoral Analysis for Sustainable Development

The report analyzes pronoun distribution across various sectors of the music industry, revealing both progress and persistent challenges in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Overall Industry Representation: A Baseline for SDG 5 and SDG 10

The dataset, covering over 728,000 solo artists from 230 countries, establishes a clear baseline for measuring inequality.

• Artists using he/him pronouns constitute 79% of solo acts.
• Artists using she/her pronouns represent 18%.
• Artists using they/them and other pronouns account for 3%.

This stark imbalance underscores the scale of the challenge in achieving SDG 5 and highlights systemic issues contributing to inequality, a core focus of SDG 10.

Artist Career Progression and Economic Opportunity (SDG 8 & SDG 5)

The data reveals disparities that evolve across an artist’s career, impacting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

• Top-Tier Artists: Among the top 100 artists, representation of women has increased from 26% in 2020 to 33% in 2024, a positive trend for SDG 5. However, men still dominate this tier at 54%.
• Career Stages: The percentage of artists using she/her pronouns increases with career advancement, from 17% at the “undiscovered” stage to 28% at the “superstar” and “legendary” levels. Conversely, representation of artists using they/them pronouns declines by nearly 5% from emerging to established stages, indicating a “leaky pipeline” that hinders progress on SDG 10.

Representation in Media: TV, Film, and Gaming (SDG 5)

Sync licensing represents a significant income stream, yet opportunities are not distributed equitably.

• Television: This sector shows the most progress towards gender parity, with music from men and women used almost equally (29% and 26%, respectively).
• Film: Soundtracks remain dominated by bands (50%) and solo men (35%), with solo women accounting for only 15%.
• Video Games: This rapidly growing sector exhibits the greatest gender disparity. 49% of featured solo artists are men, while only 6% are women, presenting a significant barrier to achieving SDG 5 targets in new media.

The Live Music Sector: Concerts and Festivals (SDG 5 & SDG 8)

Live performances are crucial for artist visibility and income, directly relating to SDG 8.

• Festival lineups have seen a 3% increase in artists using she/her pronouns since 2019.
• This shift coincides with a decline in bands on festival bills, which may be linked to rising tour costs. This economic pressure is creating more space for solo artists, including women and nonbinary acts, to gain visibility.

Global Disparities in Artist Representation (SDG 10)

The report highlights significant international variations in gender equality, a key concern of SDG 10.

• Taiwan demonstrates the smallest gender gap among solo artists (29% more men than women).
• Bangladesh shows the largest gap, with an 83% disparity favoring male artists.
• East Asian countries tend to have smaller gaps, potentially influenced by the prevalence of solo careers emerging from large regional pop groups.

Broadcast and Digital Platform Analysis (SDG 5)

Radio airplay and chart performance are critical metrics for success.

• Radio: Men continue to dominate airplay in genres like country and hip-hop. However, women are thriving in R&B and soul, receiving up to 11 million more plays, demonstrating genre-specific progress towards SDG 5.
• Top Charts: Women are achieving significant chart success globally. The U.S. leads with 13 female artists reaching #1 on Spotify, followed by countries like the United Arab Emirates (10), Ukraine (9), and Saudi Arabia (8), indicating a global shift in listener demand that supports SDG 5.

Social Audience and Fandom: Drivers of Economic Empowerment (SDG 5)

Audience demographics on social platforms reveal the economic power of female fans.

• Among the top 10 male artists, 7 have more female than male followers.
• All top 10 female artists have fanbases dominated by female followers.

This highlights the crucial role of female fandom in driving engagement and commercial success, which directly contributes to the economic empowerment of artists and the objectives of SDG 5.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways for Advancing the 2030 Agenda

The “Make Music Equal” report provides a layered picture of progress and persistent inequality. The data serves as an essential tool for stakeholders to develop targeted policies that align with the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Pervasive Imbalance: Men represent 79% of solo artists in the dataset, dominating nearly every sector analyzed, indicating that structural changes are required to advance SDG 5.
• Female Artist Breakthroughs: Women are gaining significant ground at the highest levels of the industry and in specific genres, reflecting positive cultural shifts.
• Nonbinary Visibility Stagnation: The representation of nonbinary artists has not grown and may be declining in later career stages, a critical concern for SDG 10.
• Economic Shifts: The decline of bands is creating new opportunities for solo artists, reshaping the economic landscape in line with SDG 8.
• Female Fandom as an Economic Force: The engagement of female fans is a powerful driver of success, underscoring their role in fostering a more equitable industry.

By making pronoun metadata accessible, the industry can better track where progress is happening and identify where interventions are needed to ensure that the music ecosystem provides decent work and equal opportunities for all, fully realizing the ambitions of the SDGs.

Methodology

All pronouns were sourced from public artist biographies on social media and streaming platforms. The following notes provide context for each section of the analysis:

1. Across the Industry: Pronoun data is as of May 15, 2025.
2. The Top %: Analysis is based on the top 100 artists by peak Chartmetric score in 2020 versus 2024.
3. By Career Stage: Percentages are based on over 940,000 artists with career stage labels as of May 15, 2025.
4. TV, Movies and Games: Data is based on the top 1,000 most-used tracks in TV/movies and 373 top tracks in video games from tunefind.com as of May 15, 2025.
5. Concerts and Festivals: Data is based on 343,000 concerts and 14,000 festivals in 2019, and 321,000 concerts and 15,000 festivals in 2024.
6. Track Releases: Analysis is based on 2.9 million tracks from 2020 and 3 million tracks from 2024 by artists with pronoun data.
7. By Country: Only countries with over 500 artists on Chartmetric were included.
8. Radio: Only genres with over 10,000 radio plays and 1,000 artists were considered. Data is as of May 15, 2025.
9. Top Charts: Analysis includes 72 countries with available Spotify country charts in 2024.
10. Social audience: Follower data includes Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube as of May 15, 2025.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on gender equity in the music industry, based on the Chartmetric pronoun dataset, directly addresses and connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus is on equality and representation, which aligns with the following goals:

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This is the most relevant SDG. The entire article is an analysis of gender disparity in the music industry. It uses pronoun data as a proxy to measure the visibility, participation, and success of female and nonbinary artists compared to their male counterparts, directly tackling the core mission of SDG 5 to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article highlights inequalities of opportunity and outcome among different groups of artists. By analyzing representation across charts, career stages, countries, and media platforms (TV, games), it addresses the goal of reducing inequality within and among countries. The focus on pronoun data (he/him, she/her, they/them) specifically relates to promoting the social and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of gender identity.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The music industry is a source of employment and economic activity. The disparities discussed in festival lineups, sync placements (TV, movies, games), and chart success directly impact artists’ careers and economic viability. The article implicitly connects to the goal of achieving “full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value” by showing that opportunities for career progression and economic success are not equally distributed across genders.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus on data, representation, and equality in the cultural and economic sphere of the music industry, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

   The article directly evaluates the participation of women and nonbinary artists in public and economic life (the music industry). It analyzes their presence in highly visible areas like “the top 100 artists,” festival lineups, radio airplay, and top charts, which are key indicators of participation and influence in this sector.

2. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

   The Chartmetric report’s core purpose is to track the inclusion of artists based on their gender identity. The article’s analysis of pronoun distribution (“79% of these solo acts use he/him pronouns, 18% use she/her pronouns and 3% use they/them”) is a direct measurement of social and economic inclusion within the music industry.

3. Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome…

   The report highlights significant “inequalities of outcome.” For example, it points out the “greatest gender disparity” in video game syncs, where “49% of featured solo artists are men, while only 6% are women.” By presenting this data, the initiative aims to encourage actions that promote equal opportunity.

4. Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

   The entire initiative described in the article is an example of this target in action. Chartmetric has developed and deployed a “publicly available dataset,” a “live dashboard,” and an “artist identification tool.” These are information and communication technology tools specifically designed to track data on gender representation and “equip people with tools to track where progress is happening” to promote the empowerment of women and nonbinary artists.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article is rich with specific, data-driven indicators used to measure progress and disparity. These metrics are the foundation of the Chartmetric report.

• Proportion of artists by pronoun (gender identity)

  This is the primary indicator used throughout the report. The article provides a clear breakdown: “Today, 79% of these solo acts use he/him pronouns, 18% use she/her pronouns and 3% use they/them and other pronouns.” This metric is applied across various sectors.

• Proportion of women in top-tier artist rankings

  Progress is measured by tracking changes in this indicator over time. The article states, “Women now make up 33% of this top tier [top 100 artists], up from just 26% in 2020.”

• Proportion of artists by pronoun across different career stages

  This indicator measures representation at various levels of success. For instance, “the percentage of solo artists using she/her pronouns increases significantly—from 17% at undiscovered to around 28% for superstar and legendary.”

• Proportion of artists by pronoun in media sync placements

  This measures economic opportunities in television, movies, and games. A specific indicator mentioned is for video games, which “show the greatest gender disparity: 49% of featured solo artists are men, while only 6% are women.”

• Proportion of artists by pronoun in live performances

  This indicator tracks visibility in concerts and festivals. The article notes that “The number of she/her artists performing at festivals has risen by 3% since the pre-pandemic era.”

• Gender gap in artist representation by country

  This indicator measures inequality on a geographical basis. The article provides a range: “Taiwan leads as the country with the smallest gender gap… 29% more men than women—while Bangladesh sits at the opposite end, with a striking 83% gap.”

• Number of female artists achieving #1 chart positions

  This is a measure of top-level success. The article reports that “the U.S. leads with 13 female artists who landed a No. 1” on Spotify charts, with other countries like the UAE and Ukraine also showing strong numbers.

4. SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: aol.com