Beat Queens is a new compilation release from Stereofox that's seeking to raise awareness surrounding the lack of visibility for female and non-binary producers and beatmakers.
Starting life as a Spotify playlist, the project has grown to become a fully-fledged compilation showcasing the work of 14 producers, including Hippo Dreams, Basmati, Nydia, Moshun and saaaz. The compilation release forms part of a larger initiative from Stereofox to support women in the music industry. In an effort to address the gender pay gap, Stereofox have reduced their cut of any proceeds from the compilation to 20% and pledged any profits from the vinyl campaign to be donated to a charitable cause that supports female creators.
The under-representation of women in the music industry, and music production in particular, is an urgent issue that's not seeing a great deal of progress. Figures from recent studies suggest that the percentage of women and non-binary people working in the average studio decreased by 0.4% between 2012 and 2020. In March, we spoke with Saffron, an organisation devoted to tackling the industry's gender imbalance, about how the problem can be addressed.
Find out more, listen to the Beat Queens compilation or purchase the vinyl at Stereofox's Bandcamp.
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