Even now in the 21st century, the music industry is still male dominated, whether this is on stage or behind the scenes, it has never been seen as a place of work for women.
This is clearly shown in the results of a survey conducted in 2009, 66% of workers behind the scenes in the UK are male, and only 30% of backstage workers in London are female. Another statistic is that 47% of women actually involved in the music industry earn less than £10,000 per year which compared to 35% of men probably explains why there are so few women behind the scenes. The statistics show that there isn’t just a lack of females backstage but also in executive and managerial roles too. Jon Webster, chief executive of the Music Managers Forum has been quoted saying that only around 15% of their members are women and that only 6% of women in the music business earn more than £29,000, where as 22% of men earn more than £29,000.
In the past there have been very few well-known female rock artists. The Runaways, Lee Aaron, Debbie Harry, Evanescence, Janis Joplin, Madonna, Avril Lavigne, Annie Lennox and Heart are all bands with females in them or leading them who have achieved success.
In the past there have been very few well-known female rock artists. The Runaways, Lee Aaron, Debbie Harry, Evanescence, Janis Joplin, Madonna, Avril Lavigne, Annie Lennox and Heart are all bands with females in them or leading them who have achieved success.
One of the first ever well known female rock artists was Janis Joplin, she was born in Texas in 1943, and her music career started in 1962. Probably her most famous song is “Me and Bobby McGee”. Her albums, including “Cheap Thrill” and “Pearl” were multi-platinum. She helped bring females in the music industry in front of the public eye and in 2004 Janis was ranked 46th in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
A band who became very popular in the 70s and 80s was Heart; they combined the genres of rock and folk to create a unique sound. Over the decades the band has split and reformed a few times but sisters Anne and Nancy Wilson have always been part of the band. They have released 12 studio albums, some have gone platinum, and sold more than 30 million albums across the globe.
Debbie Harry is well known in the music industry now but when Blondie first formed they didn’t have many fans, possibly because of being a female fronted band. Critics at the time said they would never be famous or find much success but when they released the album “Parallel Lines” in 1978 they took off and became very famous. Today, when you look back at the 70s and 80s Blondie is one of the bands that stand out the most and their music has stood the test of time.
Joan Jett has probably done the most for females in the rock music industry, since she was 15 she has been an active part of the business. Her first band The Runaways weren’t very popular but has since become known for breaking into the male dominated rock music scene. In 2010 a film was released about the band and it showed just how hard it was for females in the music industry during the 70s and 80s. After leaving The Runaways Joan has had 9 top 40 hits, 9 platinum and gold albums and set up her own record label: Blackheart Records. Some of her most famous songs include “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “Crimson and Clover”, they both show her edgy, rock style. Rolling Stone Magazine has listed her one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time, on this list there is only one other female guitarist.
Another famous female from the 80s was Lee Aaron; she is Canadian and was born in 1962. When she released her album “Metal Queen” she was put under the spotlight. After this she has since released multi-platinum albums, nominated for various prestigious awards and became known as ‘The Metal Queen’. Her songs such as “Whatcha Do to My Body” and “Sex with Love” are today metal anthems that are still well known. Although today she still performs some of her rock hits, she is working on her Jazz music.
Evanescence are one of the best female fronted rock bands of today even though they have only released 2 albums, which have sold over 20 million copies across the globe. Amy Lee, the front woman, formed the band in 1994. In 2003 they released their debut album “Fallen”. It spent 43 weeks in the top 10 in the US and sold more than 15 million copies. They were one of the first female fronted rock bands to use music videos as a way of promoting their music. The way Amy Lee is portrayed and the ideas used within the video have shown the potential effect that a female fronted rock band could have on the music industry.
Like Lee Aaron, Avril Lavigne was a big female rock star to come from Canada. When she was 17, her debut album “Let It Go” sold over 16 million copies. Her song “Sk8er Boi” from the album “Let It Go” catapulted her into the spotlight. She has in total sold over 30 million copies of her albums and has also appeared on TV, as well as in films such as “The Flock”. Although her music is a mixture of pop and rock they also have a punk/grunge twist. As one of the youngest females to be signed to a record label, she will stay in the spotlight for a while to come.
All of these female artists mentioned above have already broken through the male-based music business which is why they are better known. The Hype Theory are today, facing just as tough a battle as bands such as The Runaways, as the rock chart is still dominated by male bands, even though there are rock bands with females in them, such as Scarlet's Wake and Rhode Island Red, trying to achieve success. This is shown when you look at the number of female to males in the ‘iTunes Top 10 Rock Albums’ chart. Only one of the bands featured in the chart, Mazzy Star, actually feature a female. All the others are completely male bands. You Me at Six who are 2nd in the chart are a band that have been an influence for The Hype Theory and are a similar band with similar audiences.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazzy_Star
http://www.scarletswake.co.uk/News.htm
http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10rockalbums.html
http://www.rhodeislandred.co.uk/
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazzy_Star
http://www.scarletswake.co.uk/News.htm
http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10rockalbums.html
http://www.rhodeislandred.co.uk/
I'll give more detailed feedback when I;ve sorted out technical problems with posting comments. In the last paragraph you need to explain which female bands are struggling to get signed up to record labels. You also need to include your sources re where you got the information. Any quotes must be acknowledged otherwise the exam board will not accept this as your own work.
ReplyDeleteWell done for your effort.