Has there been an upsurge of diversity in songwriting?

It doesn’t take much digging to find reports about the music industry’s lack of diversity, equality, and inclusion. For instance, we recently uncovered disturbing new data indicating that just 15% of the top songwriters are women. 

And just when it appeared that diversity was becoming a fantasy we could only dream about, we were pleasantly surprised to find the exact opposite. In the 2021 Songwriters’ Review, we found that there was higher diversity in the country of origin of songwriters, with new genres and growing markets playing a significant role.

us and uk songwriters stats

The 2020 edition of the report showed that the US and UK combined took 77% of the top 100 songwriters. Just a year later, that number fell to 61%, with spots filled by songwriters from countries like Puerto Rico and India.

Although American and British songwriters still dominate, the rising global distribution of the top 100 songwriters leaves us wondering if the same levels of diversity are found across all streaming platforms, and what factors have influenced the increase.

Which were the most and least diverse streaming platforms in 2021?

Consistent with results from 2020, in 2021 YouTube remained the most diverse platform, with every continent represented on the platform’s top 100 songwriters. Amazon showed the least geographical diversity, with 75% of songwriters from the US, none from South America or Africa, and only one from Asia (Israel).

YouTube top 100 songwriters 2021

YouTube's top 100 songwriters in 2021

Amazon top 100 songwriters

Amazon Music's top 100 songwriters in 2021

YouTube was also the only platform where the US didn’t lead as the country with the highest number of songwriters in the top 100. Taking only 23% of the top 100, America trailed behind India, which took 34%.

What factors are influencing this increase in diversity?

Population

With internet accessibility advancing in emerging markets, it’s a given that local audiences looking to access their favourite songs would increase the number of streams for artists representing their regional sound. A prime example of this is India’s presence on YouTube. With a growing 400 million Indian YouTube users looking to play their favourite songs from popular Indian movies, it shouldn’t be surprising that streaming numbers are drastically increasing.

Genre Popularity

Audience numbers are also quite literally affected by the rise in a genre’s popularity. An example is Latin music, although the genre’s popularity is far from new. Thanks to Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny and Rawu Alejandro, the genre has taken a boost over the last five years and now it seems that one nation is fuelling a whole economy of songwriters. In 2021, Puerto Rico increased their number of songwriters in the top 100 by four, and Latin music megastar Bad Bunny featured within the top 20 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Moreover, he’s collaborated with half of the Puerto Ricans who appear within the top 100.

K-Pop’s decade-long rise in global popularity has birthed the likes of BTS to become the biggest boy band in the world. A songwriter to benefit from that is Korean Teddy Park, YouTube’s number 12, and a writer for prominent K-Pop girl groups like BLACKPINK and 2NE1.

blackpink and teddy park

Left: Jennie from BLACKPINK, Right: Teddy Park

TikTok

With over one billion users and an addictive content-driven algorithm, TikTok has been the engine behind the virality of several songs. One of those songs is Astronaut In The Ocean by Australia’s Masked Wolf. The song was initially released in 2019 but failed to chart. However, after its re-release in 2021, the track caught the TikTok algorithm and snowballed (see image below). As a result of that Masked Wolf is one of four Australians to make the top 100 this year.

astronaut in the ocean chart positions

‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ by Masked Wolf - TikTok Usage against OCC chart performance (2021)

But what does TikTok do that makes it so effective in boosting songs?

TikTok’s key feature is its content-driven algorithm, which it uses to feed its audience content based on their previous activity. By focusing on personalised content over follower count, TikTok makes it more likely for a video to “go viral” without the user having a large pre-existing following. This provides more opportunities for artists worldwide to bring new songs and sounds to the attention of a wider audience.

Should we expect more diversity from this?

The short answer is yes. That’s if we expect social media platforms to continue to break down the geographical barriers and disrupt how music has been traditionally consumed. Only time will tell if the disturbance will become even more excessive, and if the playing field will be levelled for musicians from non-traditional markets. Overall, it’s exciting to hear sounds from all corners of the world breakthrough into the mainstream.


To read more about this topic and others, download Blokur’s 2021 Songwriters’ Review.