The impact of Gender Capital in the music industry

Purpose – In recent years, studies on gender capital (Ephraim A. I., 2018; Paoloni, P, 2016; Atkinson, C., 2009; Robinson et al., 2009) have shown considerable interest (Martìn-Santana et al., 2015; Pernille K. A., et al.,2012; Benschop, Y., 2011), especially when someone asks what the impact of diversity is from an economic point of view. In particular, some scholars refer to Gender capital as “the knowledge, resources and aspects of identity available, within a given context, that permit access to specific regime gendered identities” (Bridges, T. S., 2009).Hence, it is possible to consider gender as a dynamic product resulting from culture and the social context (Bruni A. et al., 2005), in which females and males identities insist. While sex refers to the biological differences between males and females, gender capital defines the differences between men and women considering: particular roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors and values that society attributes to them. In this way, this research work aims to investigate the existence of gender discrimination in the perception of copyright (Christoffel J., 2017; Guedes, M. G. et al., 2018; Kravchenko, L.A.), therefore, the impact of the "gender" factor on the number of plays. The choice of the entertainment sector and, in particular of the music sector, is due to the fact that, in recent years, the same has seen the emergence of new business models linked above all to technological developments of the pay-for-download and subscription services such as "Spotify "and Apple Music. Design/methodology/approach – The research proposes a quali-quantitative method with an empirical application based on the study of gender phenomenon in the panorama of Italian singers. In the first phase of the analysis, data concerning male and female singers were collected. In the second phase the factors linked to the individual characteristics are identified. Finally, in the last phase of the research, the impact of the capital of gender was assessed (Yin, R.K., 2013). Originality/value – The originality of this research is related to investigate the discrimination in the music sector through the collection of a data set from the Spotify’s platform and social media. Practical implications – The outcomes of the application of this research contribute to expanding the existing literature on gender studies. The study proposes an analysis of the concept of gender capital in the field of musical entertainment, with the intention of bridging the emerging cultural and social gap in relations between men and women.