Sonic Days 2024

Inclusion in the recording studio has become a critical focus within the music industry, highlighting the need for greater representation of women and gender-expansive individuals. Recent initiatives and studies reveal both progress and ongoing challenges in achieving equity.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative conducts annual reports titled Inclusion in the Recording Studio, analyzing gender and racial/ethnic representation among artists, songwriters, and producers in popular music.
Stacy L. Smith is the Founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the leading global think tank studying issues of inequality in entertainment. Dr. Smith’s groundbreaking research examines inclusion across film, TV, and digital platforms, the music business, and includes economic analyses that investigate the relationship between inclusion and financial performance.

The music industry has long been marked by a skewed gender distribution. For the first time, the Partnership for Sustainable Development in Music, alongside 47 organizations and companies, has released a comprehensive report shedding light on gender distribution across various roles and responsibilities in the music sector. The results show good intentions, but a long way to go. In this presentation, we will explore the key statistics on gender representation and discuss the challenges that industry stakeholders face in promoting equality. Join us to learn about the report's key findings and the steps that can be taken to foster gender equity in the music industry.

Immersive is the new holy grail, in everything from entertainment to broadcast, from gaming to communication, from lighting to video. The audio industry has been in turmoil for over a decade. A revolution is underway, with new approaches to producing and transmitting sound in a wider field than stereo.

Spatial audio is all about time and distance. However, is time a good mate?
Localization versus creativity, distances and rhythms, binaural rendering to arena size show, what are the limitations of scalability? During this session, we will open discussions on the new challenges that artists and sound engineers face when preparing and producing an immersive show.