Essay Sample on Gender Disparity in Music Industry: Who Makes the Canon?

Introduction

Canonization in music by default revolves around masculinity which reveals a big picture about gender disparity in the music industry across all musical genres. Someone has to make canons before they are handed down. In retrospective to that, the mechanisms that do the consecration of music are predominantly male. As a result, canons in the music industry have been shaped in favor of great male icons that rocked the music scene for decades at the expense of great women whose works have been remarkable. Ann Powers argues that the history of popular music has been narrated through the works of great men. However, she contemplates that without the revision of the music canon based on masculinity, women will always remain unrepresented and on the margins. Therefore, her overall argument revolves the acknowledgment of women in the history of popular music and how they should be embraced in the canon of pop. Powers is surprised by the flourishing nature of gender spectrum across social media yet masculinity reigns in music and pop culture. As a result, Powers and her colleagues at National Public Radio among voted for female albums that have made a mark in music from the 20th century to date and how they should be in the center of music canon.

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Canonization in the music industry is of utmost importance because of gender parity. Men have been recognized as the greatest contributors in the music genre or generally in pop culture at the expense of remarkable women from Aretha Franklin to Beyonce. The current understanding of canonization reflects on the institutionalization of groups of albums made by men instead of integrating the significant contribution of women in music. Music by itself is not gendered or affiliated to either masculinity or femininity. Gender maps out the spaces both men and women occupy in music with tremendous detail. The differential treatment of women and their experiences in pop culture leads to an intriguing conversation of how the male gender has overshadowed the femininity in music. The women's lack of equal appreciation in the history of music and how underrated they are by audiences and critics make women sing to dead microphones. With this note, female musicians are treated differently due to their gender identity or in other words, women are discriminated at both the institutional and personal level reflected in the standard music canon.

Following the NPR's list of 150 greatest albums made by women, it is crystal clear that the feminine gender has played a central role in the growth of music. The list covers women across all musical genres such as soul, country, pop and RnB, hip hop among others and how women stand toe-to-toe with men. Therefore, there is more that needs to be done to embrace women in the music canon. With this note, the 2018 list of the greatest women songs in the 21st century also invokes great emotions and appreciation for the role of women in music. According to this list, I believe that women are empowered and just as capable as their male counterparts to shape the history of music. The list is a reflection of the cross-generational picture of female artists and the illustration of their musical prowess. Therefore, in the history of pop or rock, I am informed by the list the importance of equally representing women in the music industry. Most of the times the picture of women is sexualized and biased instead of revealing the actual potential and role women play in pop. Therefore, I agree with Powers that there is a need to equally represent women in the general history of music. There should be equal gender representation in the canon of music. The society should not be biased in the way women are viewed, judged and represented in pop and even in mainstream media.

According to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a report that investigated the music industry found out how women have been sexualized, stereotyped and underrepresented and that little has changed to alter the narrative. The plight of women in the music industry remains narrowly defined with respect to their contribution as artists, songwriters, performers, and even producers. Women are stereotyped as without skills and sexualized an aspect that creates a roadblock in their career path. This report closely aligns with the topic of gender in Rock 'n' Roll because it is what has shaped the understanding of the standard music canon. According to Powers, female artists are canonized as personalities instead of concept creators in music. As a result, the author hopes to inspire and renew the plight of women in the music industry by stimulating the discussion about the role of women in pop and how they have shaped and continue to invoke or nurture progress in the music scene.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is unfortunate that the history of music is told on the lens of great men while under-representing and understating the role of women. Women have been movers and shakers in the music scene as integral and fundamental blocks just like their male counterparts. Based on the lists of great albums made by women depicted by NPR along with Powers' arguments, truly women need to be appreciated and canonized as well. Women should not be stereotyped and sexualized but instead, they should be appreciated as concept creators that have been important in the music scene and who continue to bring more changes. Personally, I am a big fan of female musicians in the likes of Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill among many more legendary artists. I believe they deserve a standing ovation and canonized as great musical icons.

Bibliography

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"The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women." 2017. NPR. NPR. July 24, 2017.

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"The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women ." 2018. NPR. NPR. July 30, 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/07/30/627400055/turning-the-tables-the-200-greatest-songs-by-21st-century-women-part-10.