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Women in Music Production Project at Blank Studios 2021
Photo credit: Victoria Wai
WOMEN IN MUSIC PRODUCTION

A PROJECT SUPPORTING WOMEN IN MUSIC PRODUCTION IN NE ENGLAND

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England

Find out more

In 2019, a study of artists, songwriters and producers featured on 700 popular songs recorded between 2012 and 2018, found that only 2.1% of music producers were women.


Source: (USC Annenberg, 2019)

In November 2020, music producer and teacher, Lisa Murphy set out to change this statistic - at least in her local music community in the northeast of England - launching a project entitled 'Women in Music Production'.  The project was made possible by funding from Arts Council England, and intends to support and encourage more women into working in the field of music production. 

Find out more about the project here

WOMEN IN MUSIC PRODUCTION DOCUMENTARY

A documentary featuring interviews from the participants of the Women in Music Production project, where they talk about their experiences as music producers and how they have grown through engaging with this project.

BLOG

"As a woman working in music production, I felt that there was an opportunity to share my knowledge, experience and contacts with women in the northeast who wanted to learn more and access work in this area. So, I applied for arts council funding to run this project. The intention was to ide


– Lisa Murphy (Project Lead)

ABOUT THE PROJECT

In November 2020, Lisa Murphy - a music producer and teacher based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the northeast of England - began a 6-month project titled ‘Women in Music Production’. The intention of this project was to support more women into work as music producers, an area of the music industry in which they are under-represented. 


Four aspiring female music producers were selected to access weekly skills/knowledge development sessions, recording and production projects at professional studios and guest workshops from prominent local music producers. 


In order to capture the success of this project and share with others, we teamed up with local video production company Bridgelight Media to make a mini-documentary. The documentary is the story of the project from the perspective of those involved. We hope that this mini-documentary is a positive insight into the journey of these music producers, and acts as an inspiration to anyone wanting to pursue a career in music production - regardless of their gender. 


This project was made possible using public funding from Arts Council England, through the National Lottery Grants scheme. 


PROJECT DETAILS: 


  • There was a focus on ‘hands-on’ learning, to allow for experimentation and practice with recording, mixing and production techniques. Each participant had full access to the project lead, Lisa Murphy’s studio, Production Room – to practice their skills and record and mix their own music and work with clients.
     
  • Other professional recording studios used during the project for recording sessions or workshops include Blast Recording, The Old Church Studio and Blank Studios.
     
  • The four women who took part in the project were Cortney Dixon, Abby Hillyer, Holly Rees and Grace Alexander. Each has a background in music either as a performer, songwriter or in live sound.
     
  • Guest speaker/workshop sessions were delivered by Hattie Murdoch (singer/songwriter/producer), Paul Gregory (guitarist/producer, Mercury prize nominated Lanterns on the Lake) and Sam Grant (Blank Studios owner, producer and guitarist in Pigsx7). 
  • Lisa Murphy delivered weekly skills workshops on recording, mixing and production techniques in the studio and provided 1:1 support and feedback to help each individual in the group develop their skills and knowledge based on their goals in music production.
     
  • Over the course of the project we also recorded full tracks with local artists and bands including Beth Macari and bigfatbig.


PRESS ARTICLES ABOUT THE PROJECT

High Life North Magazine | 22.05.21

https://www.highlifenorth.com/2021/05/22/sunday-sit-down-with-lisa-murphy/

Audio Media International | 24.05.21

https://audiomediainternational.com/women-in-music-production-documentary-to-debut-this-week/

NARC. Magazine | 26.05.21

https://issuu.com/narc_media/docs/narc._iss173_june_2021/s/12340528

Northern Chorus | 28.05.21

https://www.northernchorus.co.uk/2021/05/28/women-in-music-production-documentary-out-today/

RESOURCES

A list of useful online resources for women in music

North East Women in Music Initiatives


Northeast Sound Women Network - https://www.nesoundwomen.co.uk/

Forward NE - https://www.facebook.com/forwardne 

Sage Gateshead (Turn Up The Quiet project) - https://sagegateshead.com/turn-up-the-quiet/ 



Supportive/Development Agencies for the North East Music Industry

Access Music Production - https://ampcic.co.uk/

Generator NE - https://generator.org.uk/ 

We Make Culture - https://www.wemakeculture.co.uk/

Tracks Darlington - https://tracksdarlington.co.uk/

Tees Music Alliance - https://teesmusicalliance.org.uk/ 

Brighter Sound - https://www.brightersound.com/ 



Facebook Groups for Female Musicians/Producers


2% Rising - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2percentrising 

Equalize Music Production - https://www.facebook.com/groups/equalizeproduction 

Female Music Producers of the World - https://www.facebook.com/groups/832509210532675 

Women Music Producers – https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenmusicproducers 

Loud Women - https://www.facebook.com/groups/loudwomen 

Mamas in Music – https://www.facebook.com/groups/263404845145175 



Research and Resources


Keychange Music - https://www.keychange.eu/ 

Keychange is a movement that counts the discounted. We take action to empower talented underrepresented genders with training, mentoring, and network support plus conferences and showcasing opportunities at partner festivals

Fix The Mix Report - An Anal\sis of Credited Technical Professionals in the Music Industry, highlighting Women and Non-Binary Producers and Engineers Across DSP Playlists, Genres, Awards, Record Certifications & Distributors

https://www.mtsu.edu/media/fix.pdf


Vick Bain – ‘Counting the Music Industry’ a gender gap analysis research report

https://vbain.co.uk/research 


USC Annenberg - 'Inclusion in the Recording Studio?' a report on the gender, race and ethnicity of artists, songwriters and producers across 700 popular songs from 2012-2018

https://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-inclusion-recording-studio-2019.pdf 


The F List - A directory of UK Female Musicians - https://thef-listmusic.uk/ 



WEBSITES (UK)


WOMEN ARE MINT (MUSIC FESTIVAL) - 

https://womenaremint.co.uk/ 

Women Are Mint was originally created in 2018 as a series of events in conjunction with Alphabetti Theatre, designed to give a voice and a platform to women in music. Off the back of their success, Newcastle based musician Martha Hill grew the idea into a three day music event, that not only showcases female talent, but also provides educational opportunities to aspiring female musicians in the North East.


YORKSHIRE SOUND WOMEN NETWORK (YWSN) –

https://yorkshiresoundwomen.com/ 

Yorkshire Sound Women Network (YSWN) was founded in 2015 by women working in the sound technology industry who wanted to use their skills and influence to address gender and racial inequality. Our mission is to support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women at all levels from studio floor to board room, and reflects the diversity of its participating communities.

YSWN enables the artistic and technical development of women and girls through access to resources, skills sharing, and collaborative opportunities. Through its network YSWN provides strong, skilled and professional role models who actively encourage women and girls to participate and develop skills in sound and music digital technology. 


EQUALIZE MUSIC PRODUCTION – 

https://equalizeproduction.com/ 

Equalize delivers courses and workshops in music production, songwriting, and performance. We are a female-led company focussed on bringing equality to the audio industry one session at a time. We believe that everyone has the right to play, create, and follow a passion for audio, regardless of their gender, race, age, ability or sexual orientation. We offer a safe space, free of judgement, and invite anyone with an interest in music to learn and ask questions. 

Thanks to our own journeys and experience tutoring others, we can teach music skills along with confidence, creativity and self-esteem. Equalize specialises in putting all the pieces into place to enable your musical jigsaw to shine!


OMNII COLLECTIVE – 

https://www.omniicollective.com 

Omnii is a collective based in London, aiming to inspire women, trans and non-binary sound enthusiasts to operate in all aspects of audio production. We run workshops to provide and supplement technical knowledge both in the studio and in live sound. 



WEBSITES (WORLDWIDE)


MUSIC PRODUCTION FOR WOMEN (MPW) – 

https://musicproductionforwomen.com 

Music Production for Women (MPW) is a global movement, community and online education platform which aims to encourage and empower women who are taking their first steps into music production. Founded in East London by artist and producer Xylo Aria, MPW aims to provide an environment where individuals identifying as women can feel comfortable and supported through their production journey. 


MPW offers an Introduction to Music Production course which is a hands-on initiative designed to demystify the basics of electronic music production in an accessible and easy-to-follow manner, as well courses and workshops in other areas of music production and mixing.


WOMEN IN MUSIC - 

https://www.womeninmusic.org/

Women in Music is an organization with a mission to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities, and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment, and recognition. Our seminars, panels, showcases, achievement awards, and youth initiatives celebrate the female contribution to the music world, and strengthens community ties.


SHE SAID.SO – 

https://www.shesaid.so/

The shesaid.so community consists of women and gender minorities from all sectors of the music industry: from record labels, artist management companies, and booking agencies, through to technology platforms, creative agencies, composers, artists and more. With headquarters in London and LA, shesaid.so has 18 global chapters around the world including NYC, France, Italy, and Mumbai to name a few. A majority of our members are decision-makers in their fields and we are increasingly welcoming more and more young people to the network as well.


We take pride in having built a safe and authentic space where all women and gender minorities in music are welcome. That's why each one of our members has been carefully curated to ensure everyone shares our values and ethos, and actively participates in the community.


SOUNDGIRLS - 

https://soundgirls.org/

SoundGirls exists to inspire and empower the next generation of women in audio.

Our mission is to create a supportive community for women and under-represented groups in audio and music production, providing the tools, knowledge, and support to further their careers. SoundGirls is an inclusive community for people with a passion for audio to learn from women working in professional audio.


WOMEN PRODUCE MUSIC (WPM) – 

https://womenproducemusic.org/ 

Women Produce Music (WPM) is an artist and producer led non-profit founded by composer and multi-instrumentalist music producer Katia Isakoff.  Founded in 2015 as an online international network, WPM has hosted and chaired panels, conducted research and keynote interviews with pioneering women from across Europe and the USA. 


The mission: to build a global network – one album and city at a time, opening doors to industry’s commercial possibilities and providing career progression opportunities through women-led networks, innovation art and technology. 


SHE KNOWS TECH (SKT) – 

https://www.sheknows.tech/ 

SKT is initiated with the goal achieving gender equality and we want to help provide the younger female students with knowledge and mentorship.

We want to channel waves of trained women into technical roles in the music industry and dispel the notion that there are not enough female professionals in music production and technology. We dream of working in a music industry that is flooded with female-identifying producers, engineers & tech performers.


WOMEN IN SOUND – 

https://www.womeninsound.com/ 

In circulation since 2015, Women in Sound is a print and online zone dedicated to women and non-binary people in all areas of live and recorded sound.

© 2025 Access Music Production CIC

REGISTRATION NO 14123008

info@ampcic.co.uk

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