Female DJs only 15% of AlphaTheta’s user base, gender gap still wide [IMS Ibiza 2026 Report]

Female DJs now account for 15% of AlphaTheta’s registered user base, up from 13% in 2023, according to the new IMS Electronic Music Business Report 2025/26. Notably, the two-point climb points to slow but directional progress on the wider industry gender gap.

The IMS report, authored by MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan, uses AlphaTheta’s account data as an industry gender indicator. Meanwhile, the share has inched up each year. Totals moved from 13% in 2023 to 14% in 2024 and 15% in 2025. In turn, the baseline is shifting at measured pace.

Crucially, the report emphasises that headline festival slots have moved faster than the wider DJ population. Equally, role models for incoming female DJs & producers are more visible than ever. The gap between the headliner tier and the full user base remains wide.

Amelie Lens, Peggy Gou, Sara Landry, Charlotte de Witte and Nina Kraviz all sit near the top of global booking lists. Furthermore, labels led by women, like KNTXT, have built infrastructure that extends beyond headliner marketing.

Still, the 15% figure reflects how ingrained structural bias runs through the broader DJ ecosystem. Booking patterns, mentorship gaps and gear-room culture all contribute. In short, representation at the top has outpaced representation at the grassroots.

Moreover, the report calls for industry-level work to unwind decades of habit. AlphaTheta itself has framed the trend as directional rather than sufficient. Finally, the 2025 data point tracks the right way, but closing the gap fully will require coordinated work from labels, festivals and retailers across the coming cycles. Read the full report here.