Only 5% of music in UK dance charts is from women or non-binary artists, new report finds

Jaguar has released a new report through The Jaguar Foundation which shows the extent of the gender disparity in dance music.

The report was released with the hopes that statistical and written evidence can act as a "springboard" for change within the indsutry, and so "non-binary people feel supported and represented.”

The report found that there is substantial evidence to show that there is a gender gap in the dance music industry and that there is a culture of sexism and misogyny that persists - leading to the discrimination of gender minority DJs, artists and clubbers.

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It discovered qualitative evidence highlighting a shortage of representation for female or non-binary artists.

Only 5% of the dance songs that were featured in the UK charts were exclusively made by female or non-binary artists.

A similar trend can be seen in radio airplay, where just 25% of the top electronic music playlists on Spotify contained female-fronted electronic music acts, and less than 1% of the top 200 airplay tracks during 2020–21 of 12 UK radio stations were only made by female or non-binary musicians.

Beyond just the musicians and DJs themselves, the report found that there is a distinct lack of non-males in senior positions across the dance music industry - whether it be at clubs, labels or media outlets.

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As well as using data to show that there is a gender disparity, the report uses interview and focus-group material from some prominent figures in the scene, including DJ Paulette, Annie Mac, Jayda G, I.JORDAN and more.

The Sony Music UK Social Justice Fund provided assistance for this Jaguar Foundation report, with Nicola Davies serving as the research coordinator and main author.

This new evidence comes after a report from the 2022 International Music Summit (IMS), which revealed that for the first time in eight years, dance/electronic music listening in the UK is on the rise.

The worth of the global dance market is put at $6 billion. However, despite the industry's expansion, the Jaguar Foundation has called attention to the numerous difficulties that female artists continue to confront.

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A large section of the report is dedicated to ways that can tackle these issues, and aims to start real change rather than just being in conversations about change.

Speaking about the report, Jaguar said: “I’m proud to bring this groundbreaking gender report out into the world. My overarching mission is to make the world a better place through my work, and bringing equality to the dance world is a huge priority for me.

“My hope is that this becomes a springboard for much-needed change in the electronic music industry, and makes women and non-binary people feel supported and represented.”

You can read the full report here.

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter