The world of music production has always been, and continues to be, the ultimate boys’ club. In fact, according to a 2021 study by Stacy Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Institute, women make up only 2.6% of music producers. I asked five women at various stages of their music industry careers for advice they have for girls and young women who aspire to produce music.
Here they are and what they had to say:
• Alex Kline: A Nashville-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Alex is the first woman to solely produce a #1 country radio hit. Credits include Tenille Arts, Erin Enderlin, Adam Brand, Terri Clark and more.
• Leslie Richter: Leslie is a Nashville-based recording engineer and producer of over 20 years with credits including Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Rascal Flatts and Kacey Musgraves. Leslie is also an instructor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont University.
• Beverly Keel: As Dean of College of Media and Entertainment at MTSU, Beverly is the first female dean in the college’s history. She is an award-winning journalist who co-founded the “Change the Conversation” coalition to help fight gender inequality.
• Jillian O’Shea: Jill is a recent graduate of Belmont University with a major in Audio Engineering and she is the President of the “Women in Audio” student organization. Jill specializes in sound design for a variety of media including music, film, TV, advertising, and gaming.
• Jo Mackenzie: Jo is an aspiring writer/artist and a self-taught producer who will be attending the University of Southern California to major in music production in fall 2022. Barriers for women exist in the music industry, just as they exist in other fields.
Leslie Richter shared that “people hire who they know – and in music production especially, men tend to know men; in fact, they may not even know a woman producer.” Richter also shared that when a female producer is in the room, “there is often an assumption that she is someone’s girlfriend.”
Alex Kline commented that “female producers are more likely to be brought in to produce for female artists” and that producing for male artist is a bigger barrier to overcome. Additionally, Kline shared that “music is sometimes written in places where it is harder for a woman to work with men, like in a hotel room or on a tour bus.”
Other barriers present themselves closer to home. Kline shared that working long hours in a windowless studio isn’t for everyone and that that can deter some people, especially women with families. Mackenzie worries that when girls see only male producers, they get the subconscious message that “that’s who’s meant for the role” and may opt out. Keel shared that women are often steered into the public relations and marketing aspects of the industry. A female student told Richter that her parents didn’t want her going into a man’s career. “That flabbergasted me,” stated Richter, “and lit a fire under me that, if I can do nothing else in this world, I can represent.”
Recommendations
Despite the gender barriers, all five of our interviewees are motivated and enthusiastic advocates and role models for women. Three overarching recommendations emerged from the five interviews.
Women should
1) take initiative to further their own learning
2) find and access support systems for women in music
3) network diligently.
Take Initiative to Learn
• Kline learned by watching videos on YouTube amd by observing other producers work. O’Shea also learned a lot from free online production and mixing videos on a variety of websites.
• Mackenzie listens to songs she likes and then tries to re-produce them herself to see how closely she can match the original production.
• Keel shared the importance of staying abreast of current issues and trends in the field through reading, conferences and other opportunities.
• “Everyone has to start somewhere and getting feedback is the only way to grow,” shared O’Shea. Mackenzie encourages sharing your work and welcoming creative feedback in spite of any fear of rejection.
Connect with Formal & Informal Support Systems
• Kline joined a small group of female music creators who helped each other grow tremendously – women with whom she met regularly to share stories, provide support and learn new techniques.
• Keel spoke to the importance of being able to talk openly with other women – “‘Yes, that happened to me too.’ It’s important for women to realize they aren’t alone, how to handle it, and how to learn from it.”
• Mackenzie recommended seeking out female mentors. “It is important to see women in the role, to be able to ask questions and share the journey.” Keel stated that “women can be it if they can see it.”
Network Strategically:
• Put yourself out there and meet new people in the industry. O’Shea and Kline both emphasized the importance of building relationships in the industry as a means of opening doors to new opportunities.
• Keel and Richter recommended attending any and all available networking events for women and to join professional organizations.
• Keel recommended that female producers find an artist they believe in and build a creative team around that artist with other women. “Work with those who you believe have the best chance of breaking through.”
In Closing
After decades in the industry, Richter is seeing some steps in the right direction. Several organizations for women in audio have emerged over the last decade (we have curated a list here) which offer an array of supports and opportunities. Women themselves play a role too: Let your work ethic and attitude speak for itself, know the challenges up front and be deliberate in pursuing your dreams. As O’Shea so aptly sums it up, “Women deserve to feel like they have an important place in the world, in ALL areas of life – and that includes music production.”
Dr. Kelley King is a K-12 educator with 35 years of experience in public and private schools, including 20 years as a school principal. King is the author of three books and her work has been featured on The Today Show, in Newsweek magazine and on National Public Radio. During COVID restrictions, King pivoted quickly to offer an innovative music program to her students. She called on her Nashville-based music publisher daughter to help her recruit songwriters to teach songwriting via Zoom. Wildly popular with students, word traveled fast about the songwriting program and soon other schools were replicating it. Since then, the scope of sessions has grown to include learning about all aspects of the music industry, including music production, music business, session musicianship and more. Now retired from the principalship, King enjoys spending her days helping other schools create similar joyful and real-world learning experiences in popular music.