BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour to celebrate women in music with 2018 Power List

Woman’s Hour will reveal the top 40 women in a special programme recorded live from Maida Vale on BBC Music Day, Friday 28 September.

The aim of this year’s Power List is to celebrate the successful women around the world thriving in the music industry, in control of their creative decisions and influencing what we listen to. The list will also highlight the women behind the scenes who aren't necessarily well known outside their field and will investigate where women are struggling to be properly represented or recognised.

Tina Daheley will chair the judging panel, this year comprised of singer, songwriter and musician, Kate Nash; producer, Catherine Marks; broadcaster, producer and columnist, Jasmine Dotiwala; and classical music writer and novelist, Jessica Duchen.

Over the next few months Woman’s Hour will feature regular discussions on a variety of topics and across different sectors of the music business to explore where women are breaking through and having the biggest impact, as well as where there aren’t enough women in the industry.

Karen Dalziel, Editor of Woman’s Hour says: "The Woman’s Hour Power list presents a fantastic opportunity to highlight the work of so many talented women in the music industry. In the centenary year of women’s suffrage it seems particularly fitting to look at women’s role in one of the world’s most influential industries and we're excited to learn more about how their creativity and expertise is shaping the music scene today.”

The 2018 Power List will launch on Woman’s Hour this morning at 10am and for the first time the call to action for audiences will also run across BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 and 6 Music as part of The Biggest Weekend. Listeners can nominate the women they’d like to see feature on the list by tweeting @bbcwomanshour using the hashtag #WHpowerlist #WomenInMusic or at bbc.co.uk/womanshour.

The  Woman’s  Hour  Power  List  launched  in  2013  and  featured  the  100  most  powerful  women  in  the  UK,  covering  women  working  in  traditional  power  structures  - politics,  the  law,  big  business - and  was  headed  by  the  Queen.  In  2014  the  list  focused  on  ten  Game  Changers  with  Baroness  Doreen  Lawrence  in  first  place.  In 2015  the  theme  was  The  Power  to  Influence  with  Scotland’s  First  Minister  Nicola  Sturgeon  heading  the  list. The fourth Power List in 2016 celebrated  the  seven  women  who had  made  the  biggest  impact  on  women’s  lives  over  the  past  seven  decades,  as  part  of  the  programme’s  70th  anniversary  celebrations, with Margaret Thatcher topping the list.                                                                                     

Woman’s  Hour  broadcasts  on  BBC  Radio  4  at  10am,  Monday-Friday  and  on  Saturday’s  at  4pm.  The  daily  podcast  can  be  downloaded  from  the  BBC  Radio  iPlayer  app.

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Judging panel

• Chair of Judges, Tina Daheley - Broadcaster, journalist and regular guest presenter on Woman’s Hour
• Kate Nash - Singer, songwriter and musician
• Catherine Marks - Music producer, Winner of UK Producer of the Year 2018 MPG Awards
• Jasmine Dotiwala - Broadcaster, producer and columnist, Channel 4; Head Of Youth Engagement & Media at Media Trust
• Jessica Duchen - Classical music writer and novelist