Today, credits database Jaxsta unveiled its list of the world's 100 most successful music producers. Jaxsta's Honors List pulls together the top 100 using an algorithm that takes into account chart performance, streaming figures, number of producer credits, Grammy wins and nominations, and RIAA certifications.
In a staggering example of the recording industry's gender imbalance, the 2022 Honors List contains only six female and non-binary producers. The six credited in Jaxsta's top 100 are Taylor Swift at No. 4, Beyoncé at No. 12, ROSALÍA at No. 29, Sam Smith at No. 41, Shakira at No. 53 and Lady Gaga at No. 86.
The outlook becomes even bleaker when we consider that all of these six are so-called "primary artists" (the main artist performing on a track or album) which also have producer credits on their own work. This means the top 100 doesn't feature a single woman or non-binary person that works solely as a producer contributing to the music of other artists.
These figures reflect a striking disparity in gender across the recording industry. A report published by USC Annenberg last year presented findings that were even more disheartening, finding that across 900 popular songs from the past decade, only 2.6% of producers credited were female.
To address the issue, Jaxsta launched the Fix The Mix campaign in 2022, alongside a coalition of organizations that includes We Are Moving The Needle, Women In Music, SoundGirls, and shesaid.so.
As the first music industry credits database to include gender identifiers, Jaxsta hopes to generate increased work opportunities by making it easier to connect with female and non-binary engineers, producers, mixers and songwriters.
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Fix The Mix grew out of conversations between the team at Jaxsta and Grammy-winning mastering engineer and We Are Moving The Needle founder Emily Lazar, who wanted to create a way to highlight women using Jaxsta's database so that it might become easier to discover and hire female and non-binary professionals.
“It is critical that we enable visibility and connection so that women and gender non-conforming creatives will be elevated,” says Lazar. “We must eradicate the existing gender gap in the recording industry. We need to incite responsible change, rectify imbalance and create opportunity.”
