Safety is the biggest challenge for women in India’s music industry, followed by limited leadership, lack of mentorship, and poor work-life balance, impacting long-term career growth, finds a Spotify-YouGov study.
Over half of women working in India’s music industry identify safety as their most pressing concern, according to new research commissioned by Spotify and conducted by YouGov in September this year.
More than 56% of women surveyed listed a safe and inclusive work environment among their top challenges — ranking it above both work-life balance and family support and representation and freedom of expression, both of which stood at 52%. The issue isn’t merely theoretical: over a third of respondents (36%) reported personally experiencing unsafe or non-inclusive workplaces.
The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 respondents across the country, of which 70% were women, paints a picture of an industry making progress but still grappling with fundamental challenges that affect women’s ability to build sustainable careers in music. It spanned millennials and Gen Z, working across diverse roles — from singers and songwriters to sound engineers, producers, DJs, and employees at music labels and event companies.
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Technical roles face the steepest barriers
Women in technical fields appear to face particularly steep obstacles. Those working as sound engineers and producers reported the lowest perception of growth opportunities, with just 31% rating their prospects as “excellent” — significantly below the 50% reported by women in other roles across the industry.
Many respondents attributed this gap to a lack of mentorship, limited representation in leadership positions, and entrenched stereotypes about women’s capabilities in technical domains.
The mentorship deficit emerged as a recurring theme throughout the study. Nearly 40% of female respondents said they had encountered difficulties due to the absence of peer or mentorship support, while 39% cited limited opportunities to take on leadership and decision-making roles.
A clear majority — 61% — pointed to greater visibility and leadership representation as essential to improving career growth, calling for more women in decision-making positions and better recognition for their contributions across all genres and technical areas.
Work-life balance remains a critical concern
Beyond safety and mentorship, the research highlighted work-life balance and family support as crucial factors determining whether women can sustain long-term careers in music. Just over half (52%) ranked these among their top concerns, while 33% emphasised the need for stronger family and community backing.
“The findings of this study reaffirm that safety, visibility, and inclusion remain central to creating an equitable music industry,” said Dhruvank Vaidya, Head of Music and Podcast at Spotify India. “At Spotify, we’ve been working toward this through initiatives like EQUAL, which celebrates women artists and amplifies their voices globally, as well as by collaborating with partners and communities to build safer and more inclusive creative spaces. Continued dialogue and concrete, ongoing action are key to making long-term change.”
What can help
The research identified several actionable measures that could positively impact women’s representation and growth: creating safe spaces and communities for dialogue and collaboration; increasing leadership visibility for women across creative and production roles; providing mentorship and peer networks; and enabling better work-life balance structures.
Notably, 31% of all respondents — both female and male — agreed that brands and platforms could best support women by creating safe spaces and community networks for feedback and collaboration.
The findings come as Spotify hosted its first EQUAL event in India last week. EQUAL is the streaming platform’s global initiative aimed at fostering equality in the music industry. In India, the programme provides support through playlisting, marketing assistance, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women in music.
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