(March 22, 2025). In a month where women’s history is being celebrated, it’s worth noting that, while women have made strides in the entertainment side of the music industry, the same cannot be said for the corporate executive side of it, especially where it concerns Black women.
A report in the March 22 issue of Billboard noted that only eight women of color currently hold senior management positions at six major music companies — the Big Three labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group) plus Spotify, iHeart Media, and SiriusXM — amounting to only 10.3% of all executives at those companies.
Instead, the industry is dominated by men — predominantly white men — who, according to the report, represented two-thirds of senior executives at those six major companies. Only 16.7% of the executives were from an underrepresented racial group (male or female).
The number worsens for women of color when the data includes all 106 music companies surveyed (representing 2,793 executives). When considering VP/GM and chief/president roles, only 10% of all executives in those ranks were women of color.
Furthermore, of 37 major and independent music companies, 86.7% of top execs (i.e., CEOs and presidents) were men and 92.1% of those were white. The three non-white executives — two of which were women — ran independent companies.
When comparing it to data collected in 2021 by the same research firm — the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative — it showed that there has been zero progress in the percentage of women and people of color in senior executive positions. In fact, there’s been a decline in the past four years.
None of this should come as a surprise given the longstanding disparities between women and men in the workplace, and particularly between Black women and their counterparts. But it sharply contrasts the standing that women have achieved as entertainers in the modern music era. For example, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are arguably the two biggest artists of the 21st century in America, with Rihanna also in that mix.
While Black women are vastly underrepresented in boardrooms, they have become some of the most visible figures in music — particularly in hip-hop, where their presence has never been greater.
In the past five years, artists like GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Doja Cat, Ice Spice, Saweetie, Latto, Doechii, and Flo Milli have joined the ranks of Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj in a female rap field that’s as large as it’s ever been. Even more telling, these women have enjoyed more chart success since 2020 than Black women who predominantly sing, not rap, with the exception of SZA and Beyoncé (the latter of whom does both).
It’s also compelling that all of these women have been as known for their ass-shaking abilities as they have for their lyrics, with each one having a twerking compilation available on the internet (I Googled it, you should too… for proof, that is).
The irony of this is that Black women have had relatively little chart success in recent years when compared to their white counterparts and when juxtaposed against their viral internet status. Subtract Beyoncé and SZA from the mix, and very few sisters have been represented in the top half of the Billboard Hot 100 on a regular basis since 2023. On the latest chart (March 22), only two Black females populate the entire top 40: SZA and up-and-coming rapper Doechii. GloRilla and Sexyy Red are next down the list at No. 47 with a duet, then you have to go all the way to No. 75 to find the next Black female — R&B singer Summer Walker (who also has a twerking compilation, btw). On the other end of the spectrum, women like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Tate McRae, and veterans like Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, and, of course, Swift, continue to dominate the airwaves and the charts.
The music industry’s power structure reflects a broader cultural dynamic in which women — especially Black women — are often valued more for their entertainment appeal than their leadership potential. That same dynamic has been reinforced in the larger political and social climate, one that no doubt played a role in Donald Trump’s re-election last November.
Additionally, anti-DEI initiatives have increased in recent months as part of that wider movement, particularly in the wake of Trump’s election and inauguration. Many companies have closed DEI programs as the number of lawsuits against such efforts have increased. With the loss of DEI initiatives — largely mischaracterized as “reverse discrimination” by its opponents — there’s little incentive to ensure fairness in hiring practices that allow representation of Black women in ways that don’t involve getting a BBL and donning a string bikini.
Billboard also cited a lack of financial incentive as many of the companies mentioned in the article have had substantial layoffs. This translates to fewer new executives being let in the door (or moved up from within the ranks) as they continue to downsize. Yet, despite cost-cutting measures, labels continue pouring resources into artists — particularly those who fit a certain marketable image — reinforcing the very imbalance that keeps Black women from gaining power behind the scenes.
Whichever way the sociopolitical winds blow going forward, it’s a sad truth that Black women continue to face difficulties moving up in an industry the success to which they’ve greatly contributed.
If the industry truly values the contributions of these women, that respect has to extend beyond viral twerking moments and (increasingly fewer) hit records. It’s well past time for artists and fans alike to demand more from the music industry — more representation, more decision-making power, and more recognition where it truly matters. Until then, the twerking compilations will keep piling up, while the executive boardrooms remain closed.
At what point will the industry — and we — value Black women beyond their ability to move units… and shake those (increasingly expanding) booties?
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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