In a recent analysis of popular songs from the last decade, only 2.8% were produced by women. Even further, new findings from Bose show that the number is even lower in the last year, with only 2.3% of Top 100 hits in 2022 produced by women.
Bose believes sound is the most powerful force on earth, yet it will never reach its full power unless the people creating the sounds are as diverse as the people listening to them. That’s why today, Bose is unveiling Turn the Dial, an initiative focused on addressing the barriers causing this deficit — bringing awareness to the issue and seeking new opportunities for women and non-binary music producers to create music that deserves to be heard.
Bose has also partnered with trailblazing artists and producers H.E.R., PinkPantheress, BLOND:ISH and WondaGurl to highlight the importance of the initiative and inspire the next generation of creators.
“Like music producers, Bose has a passionate group of people who, through their craft, seek to create amazing audio experiences for people to enjoy. This is why we’re driven to add our voice to the conversation and bring attention to the issue. We want to shine a light on the amazing women and non-binary talent who haven’t been noticed and create more opportunities for them to get into the studio and craft music for the world to hear,” said Lila Snyder, CEO, Bose. “With more diversity in who is creating music, the more powerful it will be — different, richer, all encompassing. We can make a real difference by working together with partners and organizations who share that same commitment.”
The initiative will come to life in partnership with She Is The Music, a non-profit organization with a mission to increase the number of women working in music, artists and industry professionals.
Working together, Bose and She is The Music have cultivated a ‘Sound is Power Impact Board,’ comprised of accomplished music artists and repertoire (A&R) executives and producers. The formation of the board will provide a pipeline for the next generation of aspiring women and non-binary music producers to have an opportunity to elevate their music to a wider audience. Producers can submit their music via the link at sheisthemusic.org/turnthedial/ which will then be reviewed and considered by the Impact Board on a quarterly basis. Board members include:
- Chloe Weise Donovan, RCA Records, Vice President, A&R
- Ann Mincieli, She is The Music, Founder and Grammy award-winning engineer
- Brandra Ringo, Quality Control Music, EVP and Co-Head, A&R
- Ebonie Smith, Award-winning music producer, audio engineer and singer-songwriter
- Taylor Testa, Universal Music Publishing Group, Vice President, A&R
- Nova Wav, American Grammy Award–winning production and songwriting duo
- WondaGurl, Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated producer and record executive
“She Is The Music is committed to creating change for women and non-binary artists, and building an equal future for music — but in order to truly make an impact, it requires collaboration from leaders across the industry,” said Ann Mincieli, She Is The Music, Founder and Grammy award-winning engineer. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Bose to launch our ‘Sound is Power Impact Board,’ which together, will allow us to give even more visibility to underrepresented producers who deserve to be heard and the opportunity to share their music with the world.”
Bose will also provide hundreds of production kits that will include music production software and headphones to up and coming women and non-binary producers within She Is The Music’s network, giving them the proper tools to create sounds that deserve to be heard.
To drive momentum behind Turn the Dial, Bose is launching a creative campaign and content series, which calls out the gender disparities in music production and imagines a world where all producers are equitably represented. The spot features commentary from H.E.R., PinkPantheress, BLOND:ISH and WondaGurl, and music written and arranged by H.E.R. with additional production by WondaGurl. It will debut at the Billboard Women in Music Awards on March 1 to commemorate the inaugural producer of the year award created by Billboard and Bose. The campaign will run across digital and social platforms.
“Despite progress made within the industry, there is still more work to be done to combat lack of representation of music producers,” said H.E.R., award-winning singer and songwriter. “It’s an effort that will require collaboration from industry partners and allies like Bose, and together, we can use this platform to help and inspire the next generation of producers.”
