Last year, the Recording Academy announced the formation of the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion to address biases toward women in the music industry. The initiative arrived in the wake of president Neil Portnow’s comments on women needing to “step up” in the music industry. (Portnow is set to step down from his position this year.)
Now, the Task Force has announced a new initiative geared toward benefiting female producers and engineers. The Producer & Engineer Inclusion Initiative calls upon “any entity or individual responsible for or involved in selecting and hiring producers and engineers to commit to making hiring decisions only after considering a slate of candidates that includes at least two women.” Producers are being asked to “take gender diversity challenges in music’s technical fields into account when determining who to mentor and prepare for development and advancement opportunities.” The Recording Academy has highlighted two nonprofit organizations as resources to connect female producers and engineers with artists: She Is the Music and Women’s Audio Mission.
Artists who have committed to participating in the initiative include Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kacey Musgraves, Pharrell, Common, Ariana Grande, John Legend, the Weeknd, the Chainsmokers, and many more. Notable companies such as Roc Nation, William Morris Endeavor, and A2IM have committed to the initiative as well. Find the full list of participants here.
https://pitchfork.com/news/grammys-task-force-launches-inclusion-initiative-to-benefit-female-producers-and-engineers
