Music recommendation algorithms increase gender gap by promoting fewer female artists, study suggests

Music recommendation algorithms could be amplifying the industry's existing gender bias problem, according to a study that proposes a new method allowing greater exposure for female artists. The existance of a gender bias in the music industry is not unknown. For instance, a study of the top five music charts in the UK between the years 1960-1995 showed how popular music is affected by a large gender inequality with a bias in listening preferences towards male artists. A recent analysis of music festivals found that lineups are heavily skewed towards male performers and this bias is also said to be prevalent in music streaming apps like Spotify. A growing number of people use streaming platforms to listen to music, and these apps use algorithms to recommend songs based on the users' listening habits.