SA's music industry is hitting the wrong notes for women

Despite their talent, women artists remain underpaid, underbooked and largely unseen

- By Kristi Lowe

I recently read a piece in Let's Get Local titled “Cape Town is Missing a Music Industry” about the fragility of our local music scene. It hit close to home: dwindling infrastructure, lack of support and transparency. But as I read, a familiar question resurfaced — one that has echoed through every stage, studio and streaming chart I've encountered... Where are the women?

Music in this country is more than entertainment — it's livelihood, connection, a cultural heartbeat. The pandemic muted that pulse, but the rhythm is returning. New voices are emerging, bold sounds are breaking through. Yet female artists remain sidelined, facing systemic barriers at every level.

We're not absent. We're underbooked, underfunded, underrepresented. For many SA women in music, the challenge isn't talent or work ethic - it's navigating a system that is quietly, but consistently, hostile to us.

The structural challenges of SA's music industry - underfunding, minimal government investment and a lack of transparency in systems - affect all creatives, but lived experience, backed by data, shows women pay a steeper price. A survey by the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) of 400 professionals (75% women) found that: