Increase in music industry diversity at entry level

There has been a substantial increase in the proportion of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse employees in younger, more junior and less well-paid roles in the music industry, according to new research from UK Music.

The survey results, published on 19 June as part of the organisation's Workforce Diversity Survey, showed that in 2024 the industry experienced a rise in the total proportion of employees from ethnically diverse communities compared with 2022, increasing from 21% to 25.2%. This included a positive increase at the senior level from 18.2% in 2022 to 22.1% in 2024.

In entry-level positions, the proportion of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse employees also rose from 23.6% in 2022 to 32.5% in 2024, with the proportion aged 16-24 rising substantially from 23.2% in 2022 to 40.6% in 2024. Meanwhile, white respondents were better represented in the older, more senior brackets.

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There were similar findings reflected in reported income, with Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse groups in the UK notably underrepresented compared with their overall survey participation at higher income levels starting from £45-60k, where they made up a fifth of respondents. They were overrepresented at lower income levels, representing nearly 37% of employees earning less than £15,000 and 40% of those who were unpaid.

UK Music said the findings indicate that initiatives across the music industry are improving access for ethnically diverse young people, and this rise suggests that “slight progress” has been made. However, it warned that employers need to continue to invest in schemes to diversify recruitment.

Women leaving the industry

Overall, 53.8% of respondents identified as a woman – a rise from 52.9% in 2022. UK Music Diversity Taskforce Vice-Chair Paulette Long suggested that higher overall female representation "may reflect their deeper interest in contributing to change and their heightened awareness of the gender-specific challenges”.

The proportion of women represented was highest at the entry level, 61.5%, dropping to 52.4% at the mid-level and 48.3% at the senior level. In 2020, just 40.4% of senior-level respondents were women.

Women were also well represented in the 25-34 age category (58.6%), but female representation started to drop in the 45-54 age category (46.6%) and 55-64 age category (39.2%). Females were overrepresented in specific income brackets, including at the unpaid level, where they account for 55% of respondents, and the £15k to £30k level, where they comprised 60.7%.

“One of the key challenges is that the data shows us that while more young women are accessing the industry at an early stage, they start to leave the industry in their mid-40s,” said Long. “We need further work to find out exactly why they are leaving, reverse the trend and retain that talent.”

'Fast and fearless'

UK Music Diversity Taskforce Chair Ammo Talwar said this year's survey showed significant improvements in increasing diversity year after year, citing “brilliant initiatives” and organisations driving change with “integrity and transparency”.

However, he added, “There is still loads more to do” and called upon the next government to be “fast and fearless” in working to remove barriers to entry.

The report makes a series of recommendations to the next government for developing a medium to long-term strategy for music growth.

These include extending the limitation period for discrimination or harassment claims under the Equality Act 2010 from three months to six months and mandating the reporting of ethnicity and disability pay gap data while reducing the threshold to include companies with over 50 employees.

UK Music also calls for an independent review into how the Metropolitan Police and local authorities react and respond to Black music events and a review of the impact of Access to Work on those working in the music industry to ensure claimants receive support within four weeks.

Earlier this year, a report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee on Misogyny in Music made a range of recommendations to the government regarding the protection of women in the music industry.

Its recommendations called for amendments to the Equality Act to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as PAYE employees and the introduction of Section 14 to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.

In a highly critical conclusion, it said that the government's failure to make legislative changes that protect freelancers in line with standard employment law meant “vulnerable people continue to be unable to access the support they need while perpetrators of discrimination and harassment are allowed to go unpunished."

The government ultimately resisted most of the report's recommendations, which led to criticism from WEC and music industry bodies.