6 Key Takeaways from Grace Goodwin on Gender Equality in the Music Industry

In a special episode of the Musiio podcast, Hazel Savage sits down with Grace Goodwin, a PhD researcher and gender equality activist. 

Grace is the founder of Genie, an online database supporting gender equality in music across Europe, and brings her wealth of experience as an artist mentor and session drummer to this conversation.

In the episode, learn about the challenges women face in male-dominated environments, the importance of male allyship, and the startling impact of AI biases on music and tech industries.

Listen to the full episode:

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Here are some of the key takeaways:

1. One woman in the room isn’t enough

There’s a common issue in male-dominated companies: without diverse voices, problems lack the necessary perspectives to be fully addressed.

However, as Grace points out, a woman in a room of men might feel pressured to conform, unable to express differing views. Worse, when women are a minority, male leaders may expect them to represent all women.

“We don’t assume that all men have the same perspective. So why hire one token woman and expect her to speak for all women?”

2. Male participation in gender initiatives is low

The episode explores why gender equality initiatives often see minimal male engagement, highlighting the discomfort or hesitation men might feel in these spaces.

Grace’s perspective is this: “I think there’s an issue of men feeling uncomfortable in women’s spaces… not wanting to disturb the sanctity of it, so they don’t get involved. What upsets me is when men do try, some women say, ‘This is not your issue.’ But we need to bring them in… The balance is so hard to find.

3. We need to work together

Grace and Hazel emphasise in this episode that men, who hold the majority of power in the music industry, need to be open to change and actively support diversity initiatives.

It’s one of the reasons Grace has changed her approach.

She explains: “I've stopped asking women the problems because I don't need to ask another woman about the issues about the music industry. I started to speak to men and ask them their perspective on how they operate in the industry. And how do you hire?”

4. Bias in AI algorithms needs to be addressed

Both Grace and Hazel are concerned about AI perpetuating existing biases in music. One example is an AI associating rock music with male vocals because there are more rock singers that are men compared to women. 

As a founder of an AI company, Hazel points out: “You have to be so careful you don't teach an AI something that you didn't mean to teach it.”

The implications of bias in AI training are vast, ranging from perpetuating misogyny, homophobia or racism, because it lacks a range of viewpoints.

5. UK gender research is facing financial challenges 

Grace opens up about the financial and logistical challenges she faces in expanding her gender equality projects, especially post-Brexit.

While her database of gender equality project across Europe is hugely valuable, because it’s not doesn’t neatly fit into a category, it’s difficult to get government funding. Creative Europe, for example, does fund these sorts of projects. However, because of Brexit, GENIE is ineligible. 

“It seems like Europe is a much better place for this type of work,” shares Grace.

6. Regional inequalities endure in music

Through Grace’s research, it’s become apparent the impact that geography has on career progression in music. Being from Liverpool, Grace has first-hand experience. 

She says: “There's nowhere I could live in Liverpool and pursue a [music] career to the level I'd want to.There's still the glass ceiling of place. I thought after the pandemic, there'd be more opportunity for people to have a hybrid lifestyle. You could work for a major label in London, but still be in Liverpool and commute between the two, but it still seems like it's not on offer.”

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