In a male-dominated industry, it can be challenging for women, non-binary, and transgender music producers to carve out pathways to success. The disparity is stark—a recent report by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative revealed that men outnumber women producers by an astonishing 30:1 ratio. While the number of women in music has grown, significant barriers remain. Key challenges cited include a lack of support, gender discrimination, and unequal pay.
Closer to home, unequal representation is reflected in major record label rosters, airtime, streaming services, and festival lineups, where women and gender-diverse artists are still underrepresented.
We caught up with Rosie and Elise, the visionaries behind WOMPP (Women of Music Production Perth), a collective committed to empowering women, non-binary, and transgender music producers. Through events, workshops, and networking opportunities, WOMPP provides a supportive platform for underrepresented music creators to connect, collaborate, and advance their careers.
Elise explains how WOMPP came about and their strategy for bringing about transformation in the industry:
“WOMPP (Women of Music Production Perth) is a vibrant community of over 700 womxn music producers across Australia and New Zealand, starting from grassroots beginnings in Perth. Originally formed with a small group meeting monthly to discuss music technology and production techniques, the network has grown significantly. Many members are self-producing artists, emphasizing the importance of music production as a tool for autonomy and creative control, crucial for empowering women in the broader music industry.
WOMPP supports womxn at all stages of their careers, encouraging both professionals and hobbyists to explore music production and technology. By fostering technological literacy among women, the organization aims to expand creative perspectives and contributions in music. WOMPP also seeks to challenge industry statistics that often overlook self-producing artists, and it works to give proper recognition to women in music production, empowering them to claim their identity as producers.”
WOMPP seeks to establish a more inclusive place for women in music production by hosting the 2024 Writers Camp, a three-day intensive program to stimulate creativity and cooperation. Held at the prestigious West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). It offers participants a one-of-a-kind opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and hone their talent by immersing them in songwriting, music production, and composition. Throughout the camp, participants will collaborate to develop and produce new music, with direction from notable artists and camp mentors such as Alice Ivy, Kota Banks and Miss Genius.
Rosie and Elise shared how they created such an impactful initiative for the Writers Camp:
“When we began writing and producing music in 2015, we quickly realised there was a significant lack of support and connection for women music producers. This led us to found WOMPP in 2017 as a way to create a community for underrepresented voices in music. The idea for the songwriting camp grew naturally out of this movement. WOMPP’s annual songwriting camp, established in 2022, is the only songwriting camp in Australia specifically for women producers at any stage of their career. It's also the only women-focused songwriting event hosted in Perth, which makes it a unique and essential part of our music community.
They also discussed their hopes for the Writers Camp, which was established in 2022 as an annual event. "Through the WOMPP Writers Camp, our primary goal is to support women in music technology, production, and songwriting by providing a platform where they can thrive. We aim to foster connection and skills development among participants, helping them grow both personally and professionally. Additionally, we hope to highlight the importance of community and collaboration for women in the Australian music industry, creating a space where they can share their knowledge, experiences, and expertise.”
Since 2017, WOMPP has been actively running community meetings and workshops, curating festival stages, and hosting showcase events to support and uplift women in music production.
Tangible outcomes have come from this grassroots initiative, as the pair shares:
"We’ve had incredible success stories come out of our WOMPP Writers Camps. Across just two camps, participants have written and recorded 18 original tracks, showcasing the level of talent and creativity in the room. One standout success is Jaguar Jonze’s latest release, "Nothing Left," which was co-written at the 2023 camp by Jaguar Jonze alongside participants Nicole Tanner, Anna Schneider, and Julia Wallace. This track not only highlights the collaborative spirit of the camp, but it also stands as a testament to the quality of music being produced when women and non-binary artists come together in a supportive and creative environment. Seeing a track born in our camp released to a wider audience is a huge win for us and for the artists involved.
We've witnessed both new and experienced artists come together to collaborate and share skills, fostering a community of growth and empowerment.
They also shared their views on ways the industry can foster support and help to empower women, non-binary and transgender music makers and why they think these groups are underrepresented in music production.
“The industry can foster greater support for women, non-binary, and transgender music makers through more initiatives like ours that focus on inclusivity and connection. We need more events that provide support for women at every stage of their career—not just emerging or established artists, but everyone in between. Additionally, there should be more support for mothers and parents, women carers, and those with disability and mental health accessibility needs. We make sure to prioritize all of these at our Writers Camp, ensuring it's a space where all are welcome. It’s also crucial that more events are free to attend or offer honorariums or stipends so that women can afford to participate. Finally, proper funding is essential to sustain and grow these efforts and to truly empower women in the industry.”
We feel that they are under-recognised as well as underrepresented—the lack recognition is more of the issues. Women are often taking part in the crucial production decisions of many successful releases, and not appropriately credited as producers. Women are not encouraged to claim their skills and title, and we are working to change this.”
Only through greater awareness and education comes the waves of change that the music industry needs to forge a path toward greater equality, and thanks to groups like WOMPP, they are actively creating that change. The 2024 WOMPP Writers Camp is scheduled to take place from November 20 to 22, 2024, at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in Perth. There is no cost to apply for or participate in the camp. Applications are open until Midnight AWST on Friday, September 13, 2024.
For more information and to apply, visit WOMPP's official website.
About the Author
Debra Sherwood is a Freelance Journalist. Having obtained a Bachelors Degree in Communications/Journalism in 2018, she has been working at honing her skills being a contributing writer for various publications and worked with the Games News Service at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. This has also helped broaden her knowledge base of other industries, but her true passion has always been music. She wants to share her passion for music through her words and hopes that this helps artists prosper in their occupation of making music. When she is not writing about music, she is immersing herself in it, attending live shows and is not afraid to tackle any musical genre. She believes that everyone has a voice to be heard.
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