Adele, Mabel and Rita Ora feature on list of 100 women ‘changing music’

Adele, Mabel and Rita Ora have been named on a list of the 100 most influential women in music who are “changing” the industry.

Members of the Spice Girls were also included on the Performing Rights Society for Music list after the girl group’s stadium tour grossed more than £60 million, according to the organisation.

The PRS 100 Women Changing Music chart, which features women who are a member of the music royalties society, has been released ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday.

Also featured on the list are Lily Allen, KT Tunstall, Jorja Smith, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX and Annie Lennox.

PRS for Music said it saw a 60% year-on-year increase in women joining the organisation last year.

Of those who joined, 63% were under the age of 30.

However, the organisation’s membership remains heavily skewed towards men, with only 18.4% of its members identifying as female.

Claire Jarvis, director of membership at PRS for Music, said: “While it’s encouraging to see an increase in female songwriters and composers joining PRS for Music, this number is still dwarfed by 5,580 male songwriters joining in the same year, which means there is still work to do.

“As the music industry works together towards a more equal gender balance across every aspect of its landscape, we will continue to work with our members, peers and sister organisations to encourage and support songwriters and composers from every background.”

PRS for Music also claims that the top 10 female songwriters and composers in the UK “generated 67% less revenue from their music being used compared to their top 10 male counterparts”.

Women “at the top of their field receive less opportunities than men for their music to be heard and performed”, the organisation added.

PRS for Music represents more than 145,500 songwriters, composers and music publishers.