The Gender Music Metadata Manifesto
Making algorithms accountable. Making diversity visible.
In the streaming era, who gets heard isn’t just a matter of talent—it’s a matter of data.
Today, most music recommendation systems are built on metadata: structured information about artists, tracks, genres, release dates. But here’s the catch: gender isn’t part of the system. That silence is not neutral—it’s a form of erasure.
That’s why we launched the Gender Music Metadata Manifesto. A collective call to rethink how the digital music industry classifies, recommends, and rewards talent—because the current system is reinforcing gender inequality at scale.
💥 What’s the problem?
Streaming platforms and AI-driven recommenders rely on historical patterns. Without gender metadata:
Algorithms default to male-dominated charts and playlists.
Women and gender-diverse artists are pushed to the margins.
Listeners are served a narrow, biased version of culture.
The result? A feedback loop of invisibility—where gender-diverse voices are excluded not by accident, but by design.
✊ What do we demand?
The manifesto outlines 5 core principles to build fairer systems:
Metadata is not neutral: Every field, every tag is a political decision.
Intersectionality matters: Gender isn’t binary. Data must reflect the full spectrum of identities.
AI needs gender metadata: Without it, bias is baked into the algorithm.
Safety first: Gender data must be managed ethically and securely.
We need open debate: Crowdsourced systems can only be just if they’re co-designed.
🎧 Why this matters
Music is culture. Culture is power. And if AI curates what we hear, then we must demand transparency, representation, and accountability in how those systems are built.
The Gender Music Metadata Manifesto is a tool for artists, platforms, labels, engineers, and fans to disrupt the bias and demand a more inclusive industry.
🚀 This is a manifesto for change.
We’re not just talking about data. We’re talking about who gets heard. Who builds culture. Who gets remembered. Read the full manifesto and join the movement at gendermusictech.org
Let’s make the future of music metadata inclusive, intersectional, and feminist.
