Female musicians still earn less than men: what about that?

Women remain under -represented in the Dutch music industry. Limited progress has been made in the last five years. The vast majority of professional musicians in the Netherlands are still male, moreover, he deserves more.

This is according to a new research by copyright organization Bumastemra, which manages the rights of 40,000 Dutch music makers. « If certain groups remain structurally under -represented, we miss important stories, insights and creativity, » says interim director Marcel Gelauff in an accompanying press release. Five questions and answers.

1. Did not go well with women in music in recent years?

That looks like it: the big festivals seem to find women better and better in recent years, and more and more headliners. In 2019 Lowlands director Eric van Eerdenburg said: « If you talk about the main acts, the pond with suitable female acts is simply not that big. » But this year, Chappell Roan is one of their headliners, has Pinkpop Olivia Rodrigo as main act, and is programmed as a headliner at Best Kept Secret Eefje de Visser.

Nevertheless, another study, by POPLIVE, shows a research project from, among others, the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, that even again in 2024 fewer women Booked at the festivals.

2. What are the results of the Bumastemra study?

In 2024, 16 percent of the members of Bumastemra were women. That is more than in 2016, then it was still 13 percent, but that is on the low side, the organization writes. That pond that Van Eerdenburg was talking about does not soon become a lake. Among the younger music makers, the percentages are somewhat higher: up to and including 18 years old are 31 percent women, and in the group of 19 to 25 is 23 percent women.

3. Has emancipation in music failed?

Bumastemra has also conducted a survey among 560 members, which shows that although women are more satisfied with working conditions than rather (39 percent in 2017, 45.6 percent in 2024), but that more than half of the women have the feeling that they have to work harder to get their music heard. More than a third does not feel taken seriously at all. For example « because it is assumed that they have no technical or instrumental knowledge. »

The music world is therefore a man's world, finds a vast majority of female respondents. And they are right when it comes to big earners: in the top 100 highest incomes among the Bumastemra members, six women (two more than in 2016) were last year, and their share in total income was 3 percent.

From previous research Commissioned by the British House of Commons It appears that discrimination and sexism are 'deep -rooted problems' in music. Women experience limited possibilities in their career, receive insufficient support and have to deal with gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Moreover, they are systematically undervalued and there is « a disproportionate focus on their appearance. »

4. Is there nothing positive to report about women in the music?

Yes. The number of female music professionals that can call role models of the same sex has risen. This seems to indicate that there are more women in the sector, which are visible enough to be mentioned as a role model. And moreover-even though the pay gap is still considerable-the income of women increases faster than that of men: the average income of the top 100 female members of Bumastemra rose by almost 70 percent. The number of women who respond positively to the statement 'what I look like is important for how people think about me as a music maker/artist' has fallen by 10 percent – that was 75 percent.

5. What to do?

Bumastemra first calls on the experiences of people with other gender identities. Because this is a follow -up study about the differences between men and women, other identities have now not been included. There may also be a combination of multiple forms of discrimination in all kinds of areas.

Bumastemra also says: « Strive to break gender stereotypes with every communication expression. » In this way, thinking patterns and prejudices must be tackled, preferably already with the education of children. This also includes dialogue and policy involving all genders. Marcel Gelauff: « Although progress is visible, there is still a lot of work to be done. »

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