IIt only took fifteen minutes for the American singer Beyoncé to sell, on Friday February 3, all the places for her two French spring concerts, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and at the Vélodrome in Marseille. A few days earlier, her compatriot Madonna filled four evenings at the Accor Arena in Paris, also in record time – and at prices –, with the certainty that she could have added a few more given the demand. is strong to attend the next tour of the material girl.
As for French artists, Mylène Farmer, Clara Luciani, Aya Nakamura or even Juliette Armanet do not let themselves be counted with concerts full to bursting in the biggest halls or in the stadiums. Proof if it were needed that singers and musicians really have nothing to envy to their male colleagues when it comes to moving the crowds.
An evidence ? Not really. Behind these notorious successes, abundantly commented on for some, the reality turns out to be much less encouraging for female artists. On stage, in the studio, on streaming platforms and more broadly across the music industry. This is what emerges from the study conducted for the first time by the National Center for Music (CNM) on “the presence of women in the music sector”, unveiled during the second session of equality between women and men in music organized in Marseille on February 9.
Among the most striking figures: women represent only 17% of the 20,000 artists scheduled on stage in 2019, the reference date chosen for this edifying inventory. Against 62% for men (the remaining 21% correspond to the “mixed” gender according to the terminology of the study). A gap that increases further during the festival season. Female artists were in fact only 14% to have appeared in front of the public during the events devoted to contemporary music scrutinized by the CNM that year…
Rap, bad student
The rest is in keeping. Female singers, musicians and composers perform in smaller venues – only 11% sing or perform in front of more than 6,000 people – record fewer records, are broadcast less on the airwaves and in streaming, are less present in the playlists and represent only 40% of the workforce in the sector.
Among musical genres, here again, imbalances die hard. Rap is a bad student with only 5% of production sung by women. An under-representation with serious consequences. This aesthetic indeed weighs 15% of the total production in France. It is especially overrepresented on Spotify and other online listening platforms popular with young people. Grim record. “While the issue of gender equality in music is a hot topic for all players in the sector, parity between women and men on stage and in the studio is not yet achieved. », can only conclude the CNM.
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