Just because it’s 2021 doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone has equal rights. I mean, we can hopefully all agree that in the working industry, women are not seen as equal to men. It may come as a shock to some, and not a shock to others, but that includes women in the music industry. To break the stigma, Spotify has launched EQUAL, used to support and celebrate women in the audio and music industry.
Who Runs the World?…
… Women music artists, duh!
Without women, we would be nowhere… (literally, we will not exist). And it’s no secret that the music industry has some powerful women, and they deserve every ounce of credit. Not only has Spotify launched EQUAL for women music artists, but that includes women owned podcasts! What does this exactly mean for women? Let’s get into it!
EQUAL Hub
- The EQUAL Hub is a playlist open to public. The EQUAL Hub highlights the best women artists of the month, separating each into a category. Being that EQUAL was launched this month, March, EQUAL has provided a Women’s History Month section. Women’s History Month includes the categories of: Color of Change, Girls Make Beats, She is the Music, and more. Color of Change includes songs curated by women of color in the music industry. In the Color of Change, you will find music artists such as, Solange, Donna Summer, Meg the Stallion. Girls Make Beats highlights the most popular songs by women. Girls Make Beats includes artists such as, Erykah Badu, TLC, Cierra. She is the Music focuses on celebrating women DJ’s, producers and engineers. Aside from this, the EQUAL Hub also has playlists separated by Genre. There’s many music genres, so I won’t list all, but some included are, Women of Latin, Women of Country, and Women of Indie. The EQUAL Hub additionally celebrates Podcasts Led By Women, which include podcasts such as, The Michelle Obama Podcast, TransLash Podcast, and If These Ovaries Could Talk (and more!)
WOMN
- WOMN: Spotify’s own talk-show/podcast featuring only women. Within each episode, women share their personal favorite women artists and speak on the music industry, including the struggles and experiences that come along with it. WOMN has already launched seventeen episodes since March 8th. Women featured in WOMN are TransLash Podcast creator, Imara Jones and body positive activist, Virgie Tovar.
The Equal Board
- The Equal Board: Spotify has teamed up with organizations around the world that help contribute to this new feature and make women in the music industry celebrated and equal.
- EQUAL All Around the World. By April, Spotify is extending EQUAL and its benefits to outside countries, ranging from Japan, Argentina, and the United Kingdom.
I can’t lie, I’m proud of Spotify stepping up to reach equity for women in the music industry. By Spotify’s EQUAL, society will hopefully realize that women have a significant role in the music industry. Maybe this is your sign to switch from Apple Music to a Spotify subscription.
Feature Image Credit: @Whoishaleylawrence
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