According to Spotify data, none of the top 10 most-streamed tracks were performed by women artists or bands in 2017. To change that, consumers can impact their own listening habits through an industry-first API, dubbed the Smirnoff Equaliser.
The Smirnoff Equaliser analyses Spotify users’ listening habits to provide them with a percentage breakdown of the number of men versus women artists they have listened to in the previous six months before providing an equalised playlist tailored just for them, where artists of both genders are equally represented. The Smirnoff Equaliser further supports women musicians by offering a personalised slider, where the user can increase the number of women artists in their playlists. The innovative platform was debuted at the brand’s “Phenomenal You” launch event last night in New York City.
SMIRNOFF Global Senior Brand Manager, Neil Shah said,
“We developed the Smirnoff Equaliser in partnership with Spotify because we believe that when we get to discover talented women artists and their phenomenal music, we’ll all have a better listening experience,”
“The Smirnoff Equaliser not only drives awareness, but also allows Spotify users to take direct action by increasing the number of tracks from women artists in their playlists.”
The goal behind the Smirnoff Equaliser is to get more people listening to more women artists. The bigger their fan bases become, the more opportunities they will have to perform and succeed. The Smirnoff Equaliser platform will run through the summer and can be accessed by Spotify users of a legal drinking age in the Australia, United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico and Argentina.
Vice President, Global Head of Partner Solutions at Spotify, Danielle Lee said,
“We are very proud that SMIRNOFF once again chose Spotify as its brand partner for the ‘Equalising Music’ campaign,” “We share SMIRNOFF’s goal to improve gender diversity in music, and for all the artists, songwriters and producers who create it.”
SMIRNOFF held a launch event in New York City to debut the platform and to celebrate the many women who are phenomenal professionals in one of the world’s most career-focused cities. The event, which took place exactly one week before International Women’s Day, was themed around “Phenomenal You” with SMIRNOFF encouraging each woman to celebrate the inherent power of women across the world, starting with themselves.
Whether you like the motion to empower more women to create music, or simply just want to diversify your playlist, check out the Smirnoff Equaliser.