According to a report published in Music Business Worldwide, there was a sizable wage gap between men and women in some of the largest music companies in the UK this year.
In the UK, companies with over 250 employees are legally required to report their gender pay gap stats by April 4th of each year, a mandate that has been in effect since 2017. However, after reporting deadlines were interrupted by the impact of COVID-19, many UK companies were not required to file their gender pay gap stats. Two of the three largest major music companies in the UK, Sony and Warner, did file their reports, though, in addition to a litany of others, including streaming behemoth Spotify.
As of April 5th, 2019, the average gender pay gap at Sony Music UK was 26.0%, and 31.5% at Warner Music UK. Spotify UK reported a much lower figure at 9.9%. Those numbers represent a marginal improvement on last year’s figures. In 2019, the average gender pay gap across Universal, Sony, and Warner was 29.6%, with the latter tipping the scales at 38.7%.
Among other eye-opening stats reported by Music Business Worldwide are those pertaining to bonuses received by men and women.
At Sony, female executives are paid an average of 53.9% less in bonuses than their male coworkers. Live Nation’s female execs are paid an average of 85.8% less in bonuses than their male counterparts. At Spotify, bonuses are given to 40.9% of males and 42.3% of females, but those given to females are 29.5% less on average. At Warner, bonus pay is given to 87% of males and 75% of females, and MBW pointed to Warner’s policies on bonus eligibility in the company’s 2020 Gender Gap Report.
Credit: Music Business Worldwide
