Berklee and Women in Music Win Innovation Award for 2019 Report
Erin Barra, a Berklee faculty member and Women in Music board member, helped spearhead the 2019 study.
Image courtesy of Erin Barra
Berklee and Women in Music (WIM) received an award for their report, “Women in the U.S. Music Industry: Obstacles and Opportunities, ” at SIM São Paulo in Brazil, one of Latin America's top music industry events.
The Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and WIM released the results of the first study in the U.S. exploring the socioeconomic landscape of women in the American music industry in March of 2019.
The SIM (Semana Internacional de Música) awards celebrate prominent projects, albums, and personalities for their impact on the global music industry. Berklee and WIM won in the Innovation category over fellow nominees TikTok, the Universal Music Group Innovation Challenge, the Björk Digital expo, and others. All winners were chosen by attendants of the music convention via an online voting platform for SIM São Paulo.
Building upon research conducted by Women in Music Canada in 2015, the 2019 study analyzed responses from nearly 2,000 women from a survey conducted during the summer of 2018. The survey explored demographics, employment, and the challenges and opportunities for women in the workplace, among other topics.
In addition to providing the public with factual information and a clearer understanding of the socioeconomic status of women in the industry, the study aimed to identify current opportunities and challenges faced by women, and contribute in a meaningful way to closing the gender gap. Women representing a variety of ages, races, ethnicities, and jobs within the industry responded to the survey from across the country, with 49 states represented, along with Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
“It is an honor to receive an award for the incredible research and work being done by Berklee and Women in Music,” said Erin Barra, a Berklee faculty member and WIM board member who led the project. “We still have a long way to go in achieving equity and supporting women in the music industry, but we appreciate being recognized as an innovative stepping stone in achieving this goal.”