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Guest Post: How music can move beyond performative allyship

Guest post written by Arusa Qureshi

Illustration by Heedayah Lockman

In early February, the music world celebrated the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, a night lauded by many as a huge success for gender parity due to the number of awards taken home by women in the major categories. While headlines proclaimed that women had dominated or ruled the 2025 Grammys, the wider landscape of nominations paints a much bleaker picture. According to a report by Luba Kassova, titled Missing Voices of Women in Music and Music News, women accounted for just 28% of this year’s Grammy nominees, “slightly more than a quarter of the total 2025 Grammy nominations”. In addition, women accounted for “one in five nominations (20%) out of the 177 given across the top four most-coveted Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist categories”.

The Grammys are just an example, but Kassova’s report highlights how systemic inequalities in the music industry persist, particularly when it comes to structural inequality. While progress has certainly been made, as the Grammy winners indicate, the wider industry still continually falls short of fully embracing diverse voices and ensuring equitable opportunities for all. From racial disparities to gender bias and the exclusion of disabled and LGBTQ+ artists, the music industry – both public facing and behind the scenes – remains an uneven playing field.

Just last year, the Misogyny in Music report, published by the Women and Equalities Committee, was largely welcomed across the creative industries, with its findings of sexual harassment and abuse in the sector resulting in a call for immediate action. And the government’s response to this urgent call? An overwhelming refusal to take on any of the actions recommended by the report, despite acknowledging that “everyone should be able to work in the music industry without being subject to misogyny and discrimination”.

If our own government refuses to help tackle the ‘endemic’ misogyny faced by women working in the sector, how can we expect the gatekeepers, stakeholders and executives in the industry to lead by example? Despite the many initiatives, groups and individuals working hard to make the industry a safer and more equitable space for women and gender minorities, the sad truth is that discriminatory practices and behaviours are still holding women back from progressing in music. To achieve genuine intersectional equality, the music industry has to commit to moving beyond performative allyship and instead, focus on working towards substantial structural change.

Although it looks at the creative and cultural sectors in Scotland more widely, the Equal Media and Culture Centre’s new report on women’s experiences of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives is necessary reading for anyone working towards change in their industry. The report’s summaries make for useful cross-sector topics of discussion, but there are many points that align closely with recommendations that should be taken on by the music industry. For example, early interventions in the educational and professional pipeline, the importance of diverse, inclusive and transparent recruitment practices, and the way in which employers need to give more consideration to EDI initiatives aimed at supporting career progression and retention.

The report also references how “diversification of leadership, including boards and executives, is a key site of necessary change,” adding that “the onus for change is on those in power, rather than on members of marginalised groups to ‘lean in’ to leadership”. This is a crucial fact and something that should be considered a priority for those working in music. When women hold leadership roles, their success can pave the way for future generations to pursue careers in music without facing the same barriers. Until we have change at an executive level, whereby the relevant gatekeepers are willing to step aside or accept adjustments, women will remain underrepresented across the industry.

Though the music industry thrives on creativity, innovation, and diversity, it’s fair to say that it continues to struggle with systemic inequalities that result in higher levels of discrimination, financial challenges, underrepresentation, pay gaps and other structural barriers. By championing intersectional principles and committing to lasting change, including increasing the number of women in executive and decision-making roles, there is a possibility that we can all work towards dismantling the system as we know it. In doing so, there’s the potential to create an inclusive industry where talent transcends gender and a sustainable career is not only possible, but the norm.

Read the Equal Media and Culture Centre’s new report ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: women in media, creative and cultural sectors in Scotland.’ 

Arusa Qureshi is a writer, editor and music programmer based in Edinburgh. She is the current Editor of Fest and the former Editor of The List and writes mostly about music, most recently Flip the Script – a book about women in UK hip hop, published by 404 Ink. Her work has appeared in the Scotsman, Clash, the Guardian, GoldFlakePaint, Time Out, the Quietus, NME and more. She chairs the board of the Scottish Music Centre, sits on the board of the Music Venue Trust and is the co-curator of the award-winning Amplifi series at Edinburgh’s Queens Hall.