Tomi Rantanen uses design to tackle gender equality issues in the music industry

Gender equality in the Finnish music industry is estimated to be achieved by the year 2150. Tomi Rantanen, who studied in the International Design Business Management programme, decided to accelerate the change. Rantanen's master's thesis, focused on Finnish popular music, aims to bring about structural changes and envisions a gender equality shift for women and non-binary people by 2030.

Tomi Rantanen, who has worked as a DJ and graphic designer for a long time, has noticed the problems of the music industry first-hand. "Research has been done since 2017 and while the problems are identified, there is no strategy to solve them and no follow-up on the implementation of changes." Rantanen says it's nobody's responsibility. He feels there are either no resources or the issue is not considered important enough.

According to him, the problems in the industry are deep and multifaceted, stemming from the general culture of the industry and even the prevalence of sexual harassment. In his thesis, Rantanen addresses the structural problems of the industry using a participatory tool called the transition arena. The transition arena is a strategic tool designed to guide systemic change. Rantanen created a prototype of this tool and piloted it in his thesis.

The transition arena brings together all levels of the industry: organizations, record companies, creatives affected by the problems, decision-makers and experts from outside the industry. The workshop aims to engage each group member as much as possible. The goal is for participants to design their own solutions and commit to their proposals.

 “People need to be inspired and committed in order to bring about change.” In his workshops, Rantanen creates a safe space that allows for genuine discussion.

The results of the thesis were very promising and encouraged him to continue his research. “The solution begins with making this issue a priority in the industry, and stakeholders need to be committed to long-term action.” Rantanen clarifies that the sector needs a coordinating body.

Currently, Rantanen is a Doctoral researcher at Aalto University, where he is implementing and developing the proposal from his thesis and studying its impact. The research involves music copyright organizations Gramex and Teosto.

“I am exploring how design can facilitate equality transitions, not only in the music industry but also in other sectors.” As the problems in the music sector are widespread, Rantanen aspires to make an international impact. “I want to inspire other sectors to make changes as well.”

You can read Rantanen's master’s thesis here.