Women in music: the view from Universal Production Music
Women in Music: the view from Universal Production Music
Women’s History Month is a time for celebration, taking stock and reflection. The world is, generally speaking, moving towards equality, although nobody’s pretending we’re there yet. The workplace is one place where we can force change. That’s especially true in traditionally male-dominated industries like music, where women have long been underrepresented and undervalued on both sides of the studio window.
We think it’s vital to constantly question ourselves about how women are valued in our company. And it’s not enough to simply ask men to assess the impact women are making – we have to show our working out and make sure women aren’t just represented at the higher levels but are pulling the strings themselves. Only then can women’s voices be genuinely heard.
We’re delighted to say that Universal Production Music has a female President in Jane Carter, who reports to Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. And at the top of the tree, Sherry Lansing is Chairman of the Board at Universal Music Group.
We asked some of the women at Universal Production Music what Women’s History Month meant to them, and how women inside and outside the company influence and inspire them.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
There’s no right or wrong way to celebrate Women’s History Month. Everyone has their own interpretation based on their culture and their personal stories. For some, it’s a case of putting society on notice that we’ve still got a long way to go, and they’re paying attention.
María Martín, who works in Marketing and Sales at Universal Production Music Spain, says “I think it is particularly important to teach children about the historical contributions of women, as I consider education to be the most important pillar in creating a society without inequality and discrimination, as well as a free society where a girl feels able to choose any profession she wants, and where the abuse of women is eradicated.”
Charlotte-Anne Myler, Account Manager at Universal Production Music UK, says Women’s History Month is “a time to look back at the contributions and progression of women in society. To me, it is a time to appreciate, reflect and listen to all of the inspirational women around you.”
Why is it important to have women in leadership roles in the music industry specifically?
It’s certainly important for women and men to have equal access to work opportunities throughout the business hierarchy. But as the top of the ladder approaches, the number of women has always dwindled. What’s frustrating is that women have proved to be capable managers whenever they have been given the chance, and plenty of women have started highly successful businesses from scratch. But male dominance can lead to further male dominance as the traits men value in themselves are used as yardsticks for recruitment and promotion.
According to Ernst and Young, women now account for 40% of the roles in FTSE100 boards. That gives a mixed feeling, as it is greatly up from a few decades ago, but it’s still not 50%. And once the magnifying glass is turned on the makeup of the boards, the picture is stark: just nine of those top 100 companies have a woman as their CEO.
But having that visible representation is vital. As Charlotte-Anne says, “It’s easy to feel like there is a limit to your growth when you can’t see a clear path to success. Putting women in these top spots is the catalyst for inspiring future women leaders.”
María agrees: “It is important for women to hold leadership roles because it gives visibility to the reality of women’s work: a large presence in the labour market, but little representation in management positions – almost 2/3 of management positions are held by men in Spain.”
As someone working in the music industry, it’s personal to María too. “In the music industry, women have been traditionally underrepresented: composers, producers, editors and sound engineers,” she says, “so the importance of women's visibility in leadership roles is even greater.”
Who is your favourite female heroine from history?
Let’s end in the major key, however. We asked Charlotte-Anne and María about their personal heroines from history, whether that’s inside or outside the world of music.
Charlotte-Anne’s heroine is deeply personal. “My favourite female heroine is not a famous one. It has to be my grandma,” she says. “She was part of the Windrush Generation and made the journey from Dominica to the UK in the 60s, spent over 2 weeks getting to London by foot, train and boat all in the name of creating a greater future for her family. Though it was a tough journey to make and a hard transition in a new country, she changed the lives of all her descendants who flourished due to her dedication.”
María did pick a musician, who fought the odds to become a success in her own right, when the man in her life was getting all the attention (Marie Curie and Frida Kahlo would have known how that feels).
“This question is complicated,” she begins, “because I have quite a few important role models, but when we talk about music the first one that comes to my mind is Clara Schumann.
“She is one of the best-known examples of sisters, wives or pupils of famous composers, who were really talented composers and musicians by themselves, but as they were born in the 19th century and it was frowned upon for women to develop professionally as composers, their work was pushed into the background or directly forgotten. Unfortunately, these women were often forgotten in favour of the fame and work of their respective men.
“In the case of Clara Schumann, she was a piano prodigy from an early age (she began touring when she was 11 and composed her first work at 8). She married Robert Schumann at a very young age, with whom she had 8 children, a fact that limited her career, especially as a composer. In addition, she had to cope with Robert's delicate mental health and his suicide attempt, as well as the death of four of her children and the care of some of her orphaned grandchildren. After Robert’s death, she resumed full-time touring and teaching music lessons in order to provide for her family.
“I think hers is a great example of a talented performer, composer and a strong and fighting woman, whose presence as a composer is, unfortunately, a step behind in music programming and in the music world in general, something that we have the power to reverse and give these women the recognition and position they deserve.”
That’s two very different answers, which just goes to demonstrate how there’s no single “woman’s” story, and that’s something we should never forget when celebrating Women’s History Month.
Learn more about our commitment to elevating women and non-binary people in production music.
