Ladies losing out hits a sour note

Research has found music suggestion algorithms used by streaming services such as Spotify are less likely to put forward female artists, with listeners only hearing women’s voices 25% of the time.

When tested, the widely used formula first recommended tracks by a man – and users had to wait until the seventh or eighth song to hear a woman.

It’s ridiculous but hardly surprising. Practically every industry is guilty of putting women second, especially as men are invariably at the top making the decisions.

Perhaps to redress the balance I’ll play female singers on repeat this weekend. I’m thinking Annie Lennox, Amy Macdonald, KT Tunstall, Sandi Thom and Lulu...