How to Make Your Favourite Female Artists Impossible to Ignore
As a kid growing up in the 90s in post-socialist Bulgaria, I spent much of my time at home watching MTV. It was around the time of Mariah Carey’s iconic cover of “Without You” my love for music was first born. I was so obsessed with Mariah one time I bought her cassette tape with the last money in our house. My dad wasn’t amused at the time, although it makes for a good story now.
Ever since then, I have been drawn to music made by women. Yet, across the music business women are under-represented; on festival line-ups, label and publishing rosters, radio and streaming playlists. Just one in ten (11%) headliners at UK's 104 festivals set to go ahead in 2023 are women. Only 14% of songwriters and composers on publisher rosters, and 20% of artists signed to record labels are women. Although half of music consumers are female, women make up just 18% of Artist & Repertoire (A&R) roles responsible for signing performers worldwide. In the top 100 radio airplay chart of 2022, 27% of credited solo artists were women (2% were gender collabs and non-binary artists). On Billboard’s year-end list in 2022, 3.4% of the 232 producers were women (and only one producer was non-binary). Despite a record high number of female artists at 30%, women are stereotyped about the “types of songs and genres they can create, and the roles they can play.” Something Taylor Swift has often talked about.
With festival season just around the corner, here are 10 tips for raising the profile of your favourite female artists - so you get to see more of them on those big stages next year:
Buy their music.
If you can, consider supporting female artists by buying their records. It’s the most important thing you can do for a professional musician - paying for their music and art so they can keep making more. As well as via artists’ websites, digital marketplaces such as iTunes and local record stores, one of the best places to buy music (both digital and physical formats) is on Bandcamp. The site runs regular no commission Fridays and the next one is on May 5th. You can also sign up as a monthly supporter of one or two of your favourite female artists on Bandcamp as well as Patreon.
Listen to their music.
If you can’t buy their music, don’t worry. There’s still stuff you can do to help a female artist grow! Go to Spotify (or Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, SoundCloud), search for her name and hit ‘follow’ and ‘save’ (that’s the ‘+’ button on Spotify and Apple Music). It helps other people see her and also boosts the artist’s self-esteem.
Remember to follow and listen to small and independent acts, as well as new and emerging female artists with little to no followers, too. Oftentimes they’re the ones who need your support the most and where hitting that ‘follow’ and ‘+’ button can make a difference and help them to build a fanbase. You can also ‘pre-save’ their songs or albums in-app on apps such as Spotify. Add them to playlists and tell everyone about it (e.g. on socials), too.
Be an ‘active’ listener.
Music streaming services are great places to discover amazing new music and in some cases, support the artists who make it. If you’re spending more time than ever listening to music, it’s important to be mindful of how music recommendation algorithms work and shape your listening experience accordingly. Especially since gender bias in music recommendation algorithms means just 25% of artists exposed to listeners are women. With tracks by female artists ranking much lower than those of male artists as well based on the recommendations of the system, the algorithm learns, creating a feedback loop. So, actively choose to stream more music made by women, exploring new genres, styles, playlists and artists, too.
Some of the best independent playlists that promote female talent right now are The F-List’s Featured Artists, The Forty-Five’s BRAND NEW and Stereofox’ Beat Queens. Or check out editorial playlists such as Spotify’s EQUAL, GLOW and RADAR (with local editions available, too).
Follow them on socials.
Like streaming, social media too has changed the music business, especially for women. Besides, nine out of 10 social media users do music related social media activity. If you haven’t done so already, follow female artists’ careers on socials, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and / or LinkedIn. Record labels, event promoters and bookers like to know popularity statistics, so every ‘follow’ or ‘share’ counts towards getting your female artist noticed by the right people.
Advocate for them.
You want to advocate for #WomenInMusic on socials, too. For example, tweet festivals and ask them to include more women (including your favourite artist!) in their line-up. Or signpost them to wonderful directories such as The F-List, which ensures UK promoters can easily find and book more women.
Join their mailing list.
As well as social media, female artists are using mailing lists to grow, beating to it the (pesky!) algorithms. It allows them to reach fans with new music and share information about what they’re doing musically, and about upcoming projects. If you’re an avid fan of a female artist, subscribe to her mailing list, to stay connected and help her keep growing.
Livestream their gig.
Livestreaming makes live music accessible and it’s also changing the game for female artists. In an industry where 78% of women report experiencing discrimination, especially within studio or live music event settings, livestreaming gives female artists the chance to opt out of a potentially unsafe working environment. It’s also an additional source of income and so if your female artist does regular livestreams, consider joining her online audience community on platforms such as Twitch.
Go to their concerts.
There’s no greater feeling than seeing your favourite female artist or band live, am I right? Consider buying a ticket to their show to directly support them, but don’t turn up for the main acts or big headliners only. Go and see the support bands, too - especially if they’re also women. Chances are you’ll discover amazing new music and end up streaming it or buying a ticket to their headlining show in the future. It also shows respect, helps smaller acts to build a fanbase and supports the local music scene. Be sure to attend events that already have a gender-balanced line-up or have committed to doing so soon.
Buy merch at their next gig.
Buying merchandise before or after a gig is the most direct way to support a female artist, often representing the difference between a gig breaking even or losing money. When 67% of all music is streamed, one t-shirt is the equivalent of 5,000 Spotify streams. So, make sure that merch money goes straight to the artist. In the UK, the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) have launched the ‘100% Venues’ directory, a public database of more than 800 venues that charge zero commission on artists' merch sales - which has been extended to Canada and the US. Of course, you can also buy merch direct from an artist’s website or streaming profiles and find items on online marketplaces such as Merchbar, Shopify and Amazon.
Support female artists of all ages, backgrounds and identities.
Three years ago, the music industry ‘paused the show’, committing to a fair and inclusive working environment for artists and employees. Likewise, support both younger (they’re the future, no doubt about it!), and older (they’re in their prime as with a craft you just get better!) female songwriters and musicians. Support the ones who don’t look, but also don’t sound like you - since intersectionality often compounds the barriers women face when seeking to progress their careers. Up those fan and follower numbers for all women making music right now, make them impossible to ignore.
