Fix The Mix has released a new report on gender representation in audio and production engineering, stressing that the profession is resoundingly male-dominated.

Fix The Mix is an initiative created by nonprofit We Are Moving The Needle in collaboration with the official music credits database Jaxsta. The initiative seeks to address the lack of employment opportunities for women and non-binary producers and engineers in the music industry, finding data backed solutions to increase diversity.

The inaugural Fix The Mix report compiled studies conducted by We Are Moving the Needle, Jaxsta, Middle Tennessee State University and Howard University, and found that women and non-binary individuals were widely underrepresented in senior roles across the technical field in 2022, the year the surveys were conducted.

Maggie Rogers at 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin. Wednesday 2nd of November 2022. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

The report also found a significant gender gap within the top ten streamed tracks of 2022, with only 16 of the 240 credited producers and engineers being women and non-binary people. These non-male individuals tended to be concentrated in assistant roles, data showed.

The report's analysis accounts that this concentration could be indicative of a "glass ceiling" which averts "this demographic from an upward trajectory," adding:

"This may be indicative of inequity around opportunities for advancement, underscoring the need for greater efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the recording industry to ensure that qualified individuals of all genders and identities have an equal chance to succeed and contribute to the industry's continued growth and evolution."

Brandi Carlile.

The report has garnered significant attention amongst those in the music industry, with many calling for change.

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile stated: "This is a systemic problem in the recording industry that we cannot ignore any longer. I’m not sure everyone knows exactly where to start…but it begins with the courage to take a chance on someone who may not be getting recognised regularly in the field. We have to start somewhere... I urge my fellow artists and producers to make hiring decisions that work toward a more equitable future.”

Singer-songwriter and producer Maggie Rogers added: "We simply have to do better for women and non-binary creators in the industry... It’s heartening to see more women and non-binary individuals enrolling in audio and production programs, and I’m dedicated to supporting their growth through organisations like We Are Moving the Needle."