News

shesaid.so's global Record Store Day picks

in ,

Happy #RecordStoreDay!

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding independently-owned record stores globally.

The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.

Check out the video with our fave picks, including women-owned shops. It was tough to choose!

shesaid.so Portugal and ARDA Academy Launch Scholarship Programme

in ,

shesaid.so Portugal x ARDA Academy launch a Scholarship programme for women and gender nonconforming people for the academic year of 2023/2024

In order to mitigate unequal opportunities in the industry, Arda Academy  is partnering with shesaid.so Portugal to award scholarships for the Studio Engineering and Music Business courses to women and gender non-conforming people for the 2023/24 academic year.

In order to promote career development and professionalization of the audio and music industry in Portugal, the attribution of one scholarship per course will exempt the selected person from paying the tuition fee. 
Applications are open until April 22nd, eligible for beginners or experienced professionals who want to further their studies, just fill in the form available online for the respective course at https://ardaacademy.com/

Note: Courses are lectured in Portuguese and are open to residents in portugal.

The selection of the applications that elect the scholarship holders for the academic year 2023/24 are selected by a diverse and prestigious jury of professionals in the area at the invitation of Arda Academy and shesaid.so Portugal to be announced in early May.

The Studio Engineering intensive course is unique in the country and classes are taught at Arda Recorders studios in Porto, Portugal. Over 6 months, all the details and advanced techniques of audio recording, mixing and mastering are explored. 
The Music Business course is dedicated to the areas of music curation, programming, production and editing. Over 7 months, the course creates a context of information exchange with professionals linked to structures of great importance in the national music scene.

ARDA ACADEMY: Founded by elements with proven professional and formative experience in the audio and music industry, Arda Academy aims to equip its trainees with the fundamental concepts and practical skills for the world of audio recording and post-production in a studio context, and the development and application of projects related to curation and programming, event production and phonographic editing.

https://ardaacademy.com/sobre

https://www.shesaid.so/portugal 

Find all info at:

www.ardaacademy.com

Contact: info@ardaacademy.com
Photos © Arda Academy

On Beatport & workplace toxicity part 2: IMS updates

in ,

Dear community,

We are writing to inform you of our decision to pause shesaid.so's partnership with the International Music Summit (IMS) this year.

As some of you may be aware, over the years, shesaid.so has collaborated with IMS on various initiatives, including panel discussions, workshops, networking events, and artist showcases. During this time, IMS has taken significant steps to increase diversity and inclusion in their programming as well as in their audience - and we are proud of the contributions we have made towards this change.

After a thorough review, we have decided to pause our partnership for its 2023 edition. This decision was not made lightly and is primarily motivated by the recent acquisition of IMS by Beatport (announced on February 1st, 2023), in addition to financial and strategic considerations that we are forced to make given the current economic climate. 

As an organization dedicated to empowering women and underrepresented communities in the music industry, it is important that we partner with organizations that authentically share our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We have a responsibility to hold our partners accountable and to ensure that our collaborations reflect our values and mission. Given Beatport’s majority stake in IMS and the recent allegations made against Beatport’s leadership team, it is currently unclear the impact this will have on the summit in 2023 and moving forward. 

Real change is difficult and takes time. We are seeing some positive changes being implemented at the Beatport Group, and we look forward to seeing the results come into full effect over the next few months and years. In the meantime, we remain open to conversations with both IMS and Beatport in regards to reigniting our partnership in the future so long as a firm and authentic commitment to our values will continue to be sustained.

For further context in regards to the allegations surrounding Beatport, on August 23rd of last year, VICE published an article in regards to the toxic workplace culture that permeated the Beatport Group dating back to 2015. We immediately called for a Community Town Hall meeting and asked the community for guidance on how we should proceed. On that same day, we were slated to announce that we would be taking part in Beatport’s inaugural ReConnect Summit in NYC - specifically to host a fireside chat and networking event as part of the summit.

The event was scheduled to take place at the end of September, and, following the Community Town Hall we hosted a week later, we decided to withdraw from the event and announced our decision privately to the community on August 30th. A week after that, on September 7th, Beatport announced that ReConnect is postponed until further notice (to our knowledge, there have not been any further updates since). Our friends at Black Artist Database also suspended their editorial partnership with Beatport on August 24th 2022, a day after the article was published.  On August 29th, 2022, Beatport CEO Robb McDaniels released a statement in response to the article that is no longer available. The general consensus in our community at the time was that it lacked acknowledgement and apology. 

Needless to say, it was an extremely difficult time for all involved; on that note, I want to send my appreciation to everyone who reached out with their words of support. It truly gave me the strength and the clarity to navigate the tumult in the best way possible - not just for shesaid.so, but the music community as a whole. As you can imagine, this story had many intricacies and nuances to consider. Not only the nature and extent of the alleged toxic behavior; the company's response and how this may impact its future, the wellbeing of past and current Beatport staff as well as other people affected; the legal, financial and ethical implications; but also the impact on the music industry. It was brought to our attention that Beatport has taken some steps to address the allegations of workplace toxicity, including hiring an independent consultant to conduct an investigation and implementing new HR policies. However, some current and former employees expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these measures, citing a lack of transparency and accountability. 

At the time of writing this, 7 months had passed since the article was published. To my knowledge, no additional press coverage is currently in the works by the original author. Following our decision to withdraw from ReConnect, we have expressed our interest in collaborating with Beatport to explore best solutions forward, and it wasn’t until the end of March 2023 that two newly appointed Board Members reached out to us to relay the steps they have taken. As Beatport’s acquisition of IMS was getting close to being confirmed, IMS leadership has helped reestablish contact between myself and Robb McDaniels, who later on shared a letter detailing the steps the company has taken or intends to take to further address the issues raised by the article. While we did appreciate this initiative, we believe that in order for real accountability to be upheld, it is best to pause any affiliation with Beatport for the time being until enough time has passed for those efforts to come into effect. 

In the meantime, we will continue to seek out partnerships and collaborations that support our mission and vision. We remain committed to working towards a more equitable and just music industry for all, and we invite other organizations and individuals that share our values to join us in this effort. In doing so, we acknowledge the risks that we face as we aim to nurture partnerships that not only fund our organization but enable us to develop programs that carry our mission forward and invest back into the community. As we navigate this process, we are committed to holding our partners accountable to the best of our ability and, when possible, facilitating change from within.

Today, we are proud to join hands with Black Artist Database in expressing our current position and look forward to continuing these transparent conversations with other partners in the future. We want to thank IMS for their past collaboration and hope that they will continue to uphold their commitment to change as part of the new leadership - with or without our involvement. As mentioned, we remain open to future collaborations and will monitor their developments over the next few months.

We hope that this decision will spark a productive conversation and lead to meaningful change in the industry. We invite our members and allies to further discuss this decision and explore best steps moving forward at our upcoming Community Town Hall on May 9th, 2023. RSVP details and other info will be shared closer to the time.

If you have any thoughts, questions or suggestions in the meantime, please contact hello@shesaid.so.

shesaid.so and Pirate Studios Announce Residency Initiative

in ,

Apply now for a chance to play at upcoming 2023 events.

Are you an artist, producer or DJ based in the UK, US or Germany? We’re teaming up with Pirate Studios for their Residency initiative where selected participants will get the chance to play at one of our upcoming 2023 events in addition to other prizes offered by Pirate - including studio credit, radio play and other showcasing opportunities. Submit your application via this LINK by 27th of March.

Pirate Studios provides a global community of 24-hour spaces, encompassing more than 700 studios, catering to the needs of producers, vocalists, DJs, band members, dancers, and podcasters alike.

shesaid.so x MPA: Coaching for Progress

in , ,

The MPA and shesaid.so have joined forces to present Coaching for Progress – a coaching/mentorship scheme targeting mid/senior level established music publishing executives on the verge of moving into senior leadership roles.

Coaching for Progress aims to elevate our mentees through coaching and, as a result, diversify boardrooms.

The programme has been designed to promote women into senior management positions because of historical discrimination that has led to male-dominated C-suites.

Please apply using this link by Wednesday 15th March.

You will be contacted if you have been selected to be part of our first cohort of Coaching for Progress by the MPA x shesaid.so.

5 successful applicants will commence with the 4-month programme from March 2023 until July 2023. The 5 successful applicants will be paired with a carefully chosen and well-suited mentor to coach them through the 4-month programme. Both mentee and coach will be provided with training and given handbooks to guide the relationship in order to get the most out of it. If you fit the criteria below, please respond to our questionnaire in the link. A minimum of 2 years experience in music publishing, including sync, A&R, copyright, sampling, and business affairs.

Protected characteristics: people representing age, disability, gender reassignment (being an individual who is 'proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process or part of a process to reassign their sex'), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (being a man or a woman), and sexual orientation (LGBTQIA+); Aim to step into a leadership role.

Farewell Christine Osazuwa, new UK Director Advisory Role opens

in ,

At the end of March 2023, Christine Osazuwa will be leaving her role as UK Director, after making a significant impact on shesaid.so. Her fresh perspectives and valuable insights have been instrumental in shaping important discussions, solutions, and community growth. Let's take a moment to express our gratitude and admiration for her contributions.

Christine Osazuwa

After a fantastic year as UK Director for shesaid.so I'll be stepping down from the role at my one year mark at the end of March 2023. It's been an incredible privilege to be in this role and to be able to represent gender minorities and encourage discussion, provide solutions, and help foster & grow the shesaid.so community.

During my tenure, I've had the privilege of representing shesaid.so internationally attending ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) where I spoke on a shesaid.so hosted panel about community & music and also served as mentorship manager for our ADE edition of shesaid.so's we.grow mentoring program.

As a representative of shesaid.so I also moderated panels at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg and at A2IM Indie Week in NYC to facilitate discussions on gender inequity in the music industry and highlight solutions such as mentorship & allyship.

Closer to home, I was able to provide insights & recommendations for the Musician Union's newly launched Musicians Census. I also provided stakeholder feedback for the Be The Change Women in Music Study and the UK Government's Women & Equity Committee's Misogyny in Music Inquiry. I also represented shesaid.so on panels at Brighton Music Conference, Musician's Union Members Conference and Keychange's London Meetup and hosted a breakfast and curated a shesaid.so all woman panel at NTIA's Night Time Economy Summit.

In the summer, I hosted an in-person community mixer that featured a performance and an incredibly inspirational talk from Madame Ghandi plus a fantastic set from Lex on the Decks. And in the background, I've recommended women for roles & opportunities, made introductions, celebrated successes, and remained a sympathetic ear for so many underrepresented people in the music industry.

I'll be taking part in and hosting several more shesaid.so events in February & March as I close out my tenure. I'm thrilled to continue to be a member of this incredible community. I remain continuously in awe of the work & dedication Andreea Magdlina brings to this community she's founded. I cannot wait to see what the next chapter looks like for shesaid.so.

If you want to be part of shaping that next chapter, please consider applying for the role of UK Director. It's been an amazing opportunity to grow, learn and give back. If you're interested, you can find more information here and please feel free to drop me a note at christine@shesaid.so & CC hello@shesaid.so if you have any questions. I'd be more than happy to answer!

we.grow x Power Up Mentoring Program 

in ,

We're joining forces with POWER UP - an ambitious, long-term initiative which supports Black music creators and industry professionals and executives, as well as addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.

POWER UP are calling for an experienced and diverse cohort of mentors to volunteer and get involved in this mentorship scheme, focusing on mentoring outstanding Black music creators and professionals who are at a crucial career tipping point. The mentorship scheme will run in tandem with the POWER UP Participant Programme at the beginning of January 2023, and shesaid.so are the mentoring partner and mentorship managers.

To achieve our aim, POWER UP X shesaid.so are looking for acclaimed music professionals, both creators and executives, to mentor and coach future industry leaders.

If you have a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black music professionals; extensive experience within your area or a specialist skill set, please apply through the link below. POWER UP X shesaid.so recommend mentor pairs dedicate 2 hours per month to the 4-month scheme.

Mentors will be matched with mentees based on experience, aims, needs, background and requirements by a panel of mentoring experts from shesaid.so. Training and support will be provided alongside regular check-ins with your shesaid.so mentorship manager.

To register and join our cohort of Mentors for shesaid.so and POWER UP to choose from, please complete the following Google Form by close of play Monday 28th November 2022:

POWER UP x shesaid.so | we.grow Mentor Form

Eight years of shesaid.so

in ,

The shesaid.so community is celebrating 8 years of awareness, connection and education. Join us as we take a moment to reflect on what we achieved over the last 12 months and what the future may hold.

So far this year; we featured interviews with some of our favorite artists and music industry execs, showcased up and coming talent, embarked on several industry partnerships and projects, discussed issues that are at the core of our community and explored the latest trends in the music industry.

Our 2022 highlights:

Stay tuned as we’ll share more about our achievements throughout the years!

For the rest of the year, we are taking some time to recalibrate and prepare for some exciting announcements in 2023. Take a moment to read an open letter from our founder Andreea Magdalina as she reflects on the past and hints at what the future may hold.

Dear community,

As we take a brief moment to celebrate our 8th anniversary, I feel compelled to deeply reflect on our past achievements and take our time contemplating the future.

We've learned and achieved so much over the last few years together with our members and partners. From countless events and online sessions, through to mentoring programs and editorial content that strived to educate and bring the community closer together. Since shesaid.so's launch as a passion project back in 2014, our community has seen and played a part in key moments for the music business and the diversity and inclusion movement - including a pandemic, #metoo, BLM, streaming, the rise (and lows) of the creator economy, web3 and NFTs to name a few. While some of the wider milestones in our society feel like setbacks, we cannot help but move towards the future with a deep sense of hope.

As we look towards the future in a sustainable way, it's imperative that we take a long term and deep thinking approach. Prior to the pandemic, our public-facing focus was on creating awareness of our mission & goals via events. The global shift to the digital space forced our community to find new ways of connecting and collaborating with one another and, in some cases, embrace new technologies that are once again reshaping how we produce, distribute and consume online outputs via blockchain. Not only that, but our community has evolved from a group of mostly female music executives to include people of all genders who work in music both in a creative and business capacity; we have grown larger in the US where our identity and our bodies are highly politicized; we have welcomed more artists than ever before and we have expanded in new territories while others have folded.

New questions around identity, community, economic value, inflation, digital governance, privacy and ownership have emerged, pushing the music & creative industries to reimagine their place in the world and on the internet. shesaid.so is no stranger to these questions. As a community, it feels we have arrived at a crossroads: on one hand, we have accomplished our mission to drive awareness of diversity and inclusion, and, on the other, it feels as if this newfound social awareness has created more polarization than ever before. If conversation & awareness were our goals thus far, where do we go from here? What is our place in the music business today and moving forward? Who are we and how do we capture this ever evolving communal agency that makes us, authentically us?

In order to find the most thoughtful answers to these questions, we are taking a step back from all major projects for the remainder of the year to make room for deep investigation. This means our annual Alternative Power 100 Music List campaign is indefinitely going on hold, along with our monthly editions of Artist & Member Spotlights, Community Town Halls and other recurring editorials. We are also going to evaluate our existing partnerships, allies and core members to ensure they continue to be in alignment with our values as we look towards the future with a renewed sense of standards. To improve transparency, we will rearticulate shesaid.so's vision, mission statement and values and reassemble them into a new cohesive documentation system that our community can easily reference internally and externally. Last but not least, we will explore new tools of organization and governance with the goal to increase community participation and reward members based on the level of their contributions. Big changes are looming on the horizon and, as a member, please rest assured that you will play a significant part in bringing them forth.

I'm filled with gratitude as I write this. The 19 year-old me who left Romania to be a student in London would have never thought that, 5 years later, a small act of registering a new domain name with an unusual tld would lead to what shesaid.so is today. While I'm working on clarifying what it will be, I think we can all look back with pride on what it has been. When I sat down to create the very first shesaid.so community platform (the same google group we still use today), I knew we may never reach the ultimate destination in my lifetime. To embark on a journey whose terminus may never be found is a strange feeling for anyone with a strictly logical mindset like mine was eight years ago. And yet I've learned more about myself and my destination from the hidden backwoods that this path has taken me on than I would have from simply crossing the finish line. I'm so excited to continue getting lost together in new ways on the way there.

Yours,

/AM

Member Spotlight #38: Sarah Stam

in ,

On the music industry, representation, cancer recovery and The k*tkanker Book Project

Sarah Stam is an Amsterdam based music enthusiast who launched her own boutique artist management company set the tone . over five years ago. With a background in marketing, branding, PR and project management for international record labels and music brands, Sarah worked with companies like Spotify UK, Armada Music, Armin van Buurenand labels like UKF, NCS and TheSoundYouNeed amongst others. With a focus on developing young, independent talent, set the tone’s roster includes electronic producer Ellis, jazz fusion artist Hemai and R&B/soul vocalist Laura Roy amongst others.

Sarah was working as a freelancer in the music industry during the pandemic , when in November 2020, she was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer.

Sarah says: “During my recovery process, I tried to find hope and inspiration in other women’s stories who had been through a similar diagnosis, because I had no idea how I was supposed to handle everything that I was faced with. As it turns out, there is so much medical information about cancer, but very few resources to help women through the day to day process, both in terms of practical and emotional sources.”

So she decided to create that resource herself, resulting in the k*tkanker book project.

The book touches upon more than just the medical trajectory. Sarah says: “We explore experiences of life with and after cancer. How do you deal with the mental issues that you face after your medical journey? What does the disease do with your sense of feminity and sexuality? This project is here to explore all different types of perspectives to such questions and offer a safe place or recognition for all types of women. A project with 50 different portraits of women between the ages of 20 and 100 years old with cancer from all walks of life.”

Read on for our Member Spotlight with Sarah.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a bit more about your career journey to date and what you’ve most enjoyed?

It’s interesting as I always knew I wanted to work in music from the age of like 12 years old, but being from a small hometown in the north of the Netherlands I never thought I would be able to. I didn’t know anyone in music growing up so it seemed always like a bit of a dreamworld to me in all honesty. I had no idea which jobs were even out there. When I was 15 years old I visited my first festival in the Netherlands, watched Justice and guys like the Arctic Monkeys perform, and I thought to myself: This is the coolest thing ever. I know I don’t have enough talent to be on the stage, but those guys hanging on the side of the stage, maybe I can be like them. I studied general arts and management, and ended up doing my master thesis about streaming platforms. Bluffed my way into Spotify London at the time, when there were like 4 people working there, and that kinda kickstarted it. I definitely learned the most during my time at Dutch record label Armada Music, grew an international network, worked directly with artists and their managers, and got to know everything about the creation and marketing of music. After that I decided to start my own boutique artist management company set the tone. and it’s now exactly 5 years ago I signed my first artist and producer Ellis in London. There is honestly no place I’d rather be in the world right now then what I am doing right now, I can hardly believe I get to do what I get to do half of the time. To witness music being created, setting up the studio sessions, hearing the first session bounce, to then releasing music, putting it out into the world and seeing your artists perform: there is honestly no greater joy in life for me personally.

shesaid.so: What are your biggest learnings or top tips for artists/labels wanting to nail their marketing and branding?

Well that is a great question, with no timeless answer obviously. It’s hard to answer this without going into cliches, and throwing in words like authenticity or real connection with fans. I think my own biggest takeaway from the past few years is everyone is always following trends. but only a few are setting the trends. Do what feels authentic and natural to you, don’t look at others too much. Definitely always invest in growing those channels you control yourself, like soundcloud and youtube or your own Artist Spotify Playlist, so many people often only focus on those things out of their control. And honestly, if you plan timely you can achieve so much. I’be had the pleasure of working with and consulting for some fairly big artists and labels out there, and where it often goes wrong is bad communication and last minute planning. That’s an easy takeaway.

shesaid.so: You have been heavily involved in shesaid.so and she.grows, heading up shesaid.so Ams. What was your motivation to be involved, and what have you been most proud to work on or achieve?

Heading up the Amsterdam chapter of shesaid.so was an absolute pleasure. After meeting founder Andreea at a music conference in Norway and learning about the amazing mission and vision she had for the community, I couldn’t not fall in love with the community and it was an honor that she asked me to start the Amsterdam chapter at the time. We’ve had the pleasure to do some amazing real life events, but the she.grows mentorship program during ADE and Eurosonic were definite highlights, it is just amazing to connect women from all walks of life and see them help each other move forward.

shesaid.so: Throughout your career, what kind of progress have you seen in the industry in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion?

SS: Honestly, not as much as I would have hoped for. It’s shocking to realise it is 2022 and still 80% of the artist managers or music lawyers I deal with are white men. But it is on the other hand hopeful to see more and more companies trying to make an actual change by including more women in their boards as well as appointing diversity managers within their team.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us more about The k*tkanker Book Project and your journey behind it?

SS: Unfortunately I got diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in November 2020, and instantly had so many questions, which started quite plastic (how is my scar going to look, how do you deal with hair loss from chemo) to later more mental focussed questions like: how do I live my life with cancer and how do I go about the insecurity of it all? Although there is a lot of medical information about cancer, I couldn’t find sufficient information about life with cancer. Evenmore so, most medical websites and information flyers are filled with stories from 65+ year old white women. I knew that if I was struggling to find any inspiring role models to gain courage from, this would be even more challenging for women of color. Hence I thought to myself: if I survive this treatment period, I will have to do something that ads to a more divers and inclusive information source about women with cancer. hence I started the k*tkanker project with an amazing team of friends and professionals. K*tkanker is a book and photo exhibition authored by 50 women between the ages of 20 and 100 years old who are battling breastcancer of a form of gynecological cancer. Fifty powerful, inspiring portraits and short stories that includes an additional section with over 100 tips of useful websites, smart insights and practical tips for women with cancer. You can support our project by donating to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ), we need to hit 80% to make this special project a reality. First copies are in Dutch, but you can opt in on an English version of the book through our website: www.kutkanker.com

K*tkanker book project

shesaid.so: How has it been for you to work on the project? What have you learnt about yourself or otherwise?

SS: It’s been such an interesting journey honestly. I feel blessed to have connected with so many likeminded women, to hear so many different stories and learn that I am not alone. And the team of professionals working on this, dedicating their time and energy, and asking little to nothing in return, has been a very humbling experience. They are all such amazing professionals, and together we were able to capture 50 completely individual, different and divers stories. The days when we did the photoshoots for this project have been absolutely magical and special. To have 50 women who all are transformed by this horrible disease, open up and share their most beautiful and vulnerable self has been a unique experience I will carry with me forever.

All these women struggle with their cancer diagnosis on a day to day basis, and so many wished they had a book like this during their process, as it is so important to recognize yourself in someone else. Furthermore, I’ve mainly learned that making a book is way more work than I anticipated and that unfortunately the medical world is still very much behind when it comes to diversity and inclusivity.

shesaid.so: What do you hope it will provide for others?

SS: Speaking to over 100 women, I learned everyone missed something. Myself, I missed a powerful photo of someone who had a temporary stoma (colostamy bag) like myself but who would still go out, work out, travel, go to festivals and date for example. One of the black women in the book shared a very personal insight, saying she “never saw a black person on TV with cancer, thought all her life it was a disease for white people”, showcasing the lack of diveristy in imagery around women with cancer. Or someone else sharing she couldn’t find one photo example of how her scar would look on her pigmented skin after her mastectomy, being a Surinamese Hindustani (not sure this is the right ENGLISH translation) woman. I hope we can make a real change by telling these 50 real life stories and showing 50 powerful portraits of 50 incredible women, who happen to have cancer.

shesaid.so: How can people support the project? (Internationally too)

SS: People can donate to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ) to help bring this book to life. We need a lot of money, due to the fact that we worked over a year on this book with a team of 12 people doing research, interviews and shooting 50 portraits, combined with relatively high paper prices due to COVID and wanting to create a high-quality full-color photobook for a reasonably low price so it’s accesible for all people at €29,99. You can pre-order a dutch copy of the book through the crowdfund, but also simply donate money without purchasing a book. Internationally, people can opt in on an English translated version of the book through our website (www.kutkanker.com), if we hit 100 opt ins, we’ll get the book translated and shipped internationally.

shesaid.so: One piece of advice that has impacted you?

SS: Fake it till you make it. To an extent. I once heard this said by someone who explained it as: of course don’t lie or get in over your head, but honestly the majority of people don’t know what they are doing, so be confident and know you can probably figure it out along the way. This has really resonated with me, especially when I started for myself as an artist manager, having only a record label background. The older I now get, the bigger the boardrooms I find myself in, the more I realize that indeed a lot of people don’t know what they are doing and you can figure it out along the way. Be informed, be on point and do your best, and you can basically do anything you set your mind to.

shesaid.so: Any music you currently have in heavy rotation that you’d like to share with others?

SS: I just went to Governors Ball in NYC where Tove Lo absolutely blew me away, what an artist, a proper rockstar of our time. Same for Ashniko, amazing performer. And a nice summer song to have on repeat is “Nobody” by Quentyn and KEV!

. . .

Here are those links again to support the k*ktanker book project:

You can support our project by donating to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ), we need to hit 80% to make this special project a reality. First copies are in Dutch, but you can opt in on an English version of the book through our website: www.kutkanker.com

Preparing for your release: A Guide For Independent Artists with shesaid.so, Powered by DistroKid

in ,

shesaid.so and DistroKid partner for a four-part workshop series.

Here at shesaid.so, we love to provide informative resources and equip our members and allies for their careers. So we have teamed up with independent digital music distribution service, DistroKid, to bring members a four-part series to unpack the secrets behind a successful release.

The four sessions take us through the stages of the process from beginning to end, starting with top tips for the pre-release/production stage; moving on to ensuring a smooth distribution process for release; through to making the most of marketing and promo opportunities. Every Tuesday at 10am PDT / 6pm BST, live on our YouTube channel.

Session 1: HOW TO MAXIMISE YOUR PRODUCTION QUALITY

Session 1 kicks off with a focus on maximising your production — from a technical, creative and operational perspective. Hosted by:

  • Lysee Webb, Founder of Van Pelt Management (highlights include multiple GRAMMY award winner Shawn Everett working with the likes of Kacey Musgraves, War on Drugs, and most recently Adele, to up and coming talent like Jason Agel landing projects with serpentwithfeet, Prince and John Legend, and Jonathan Low working on Taylor Swift’s Folklore.)

  • Ebonie Smith, award-winning Music Producer, Audio Engineer & Singer/Songwriter, plus Founder of Gender Amplified, an organisation that supports women and girls in music production.

This first workshop focuses in on the music production stage of a release and how to make the music sound as great as possible.

Session 2: DISTRIBUTION 101

Session 2 is a DistroKid special, hosted by Marketing Manager Mikaela Allen.

Dedicated to helping artists get access to the tools they need to make a living out of their artistry, Mikaela has worked with brands and organizations such as TIDAL, Madison Square Garden Company, Mercedes-Benz, Twitch and more. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Business/Marketing from the Berklee College of Music as well as a Masters Degree in Global Entertainment and Music Business.

An expert on all things distribution, Mikaela takes us through best practices for preparing your music before, during, and after that all important release day.

Session 3: Make Platforms and Marketing Work For You

Session #3 continues with expert advice on how to define your unique message, marketing your music to the world, and how to do this on DSP’s and other such platforms, led by Ultra Music Records VP of Marketing, Bina Fronda.

Bina landed at famed NYC-based dance music label Ultra Music in 2014 and worked her way up to her current role as Director of Marketing. During her time at Ultra Music, Bina has overseen marketing campaigns for artists such as Steve Aoki, Kygo, Sofi Tukker including their recently Grammy nominated album “Treehouse,” Benny Benassi, Deorro, Axwell, Pitbull, Kaytranada & more. Prior to Ultra, Bina also has experience in the festival industry, namely large scale events including Governor’s Ball, EDC NY, Boston calling and The Meadows.

Session 4: Optimising Your Promotional Tools

In Session #4, DistroKid’s Head of Creator Services, Mike Fink, sits down with singer/songwriters and DistroKid artists, Neoni, to talk about their artist journey, putting together a promo strategy, tools that have helped them along the way, tips for other indie artists, and more.

Mike Fink

Mike heads up DistroKid’s Creator Services team engaging with artists and DSPs. Previously he headed up relationships with indie music rights holders, labels and management at Pandora. Prior to moving to California, he produced over a thousand shows at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and co-founded indie label The Kora Records. He also managed several artists in DC, including Anousheh Khalili who shared a grammy nomination for her work with Deep Dish.

Neoni

we are sisters who argue and write songs One Colorado summer on the corner of Washington & 13th we opened our guitar cases and started playing. Today we write bold music and collaborate with artists from around the globe.

Tune in to find out:

  • How the artists got started in music.

  • What are the most impactful tools that have helped them along the way (can be on the promotion and or creation side)?

  • What tips do they have for other independent artists trying to make a career out of their music?

A huge thanks to our partners at DistroKid for making this series happen and for supporting our work.

If you are an artist wanting to find out more about DistroKid services, check out the DistroKid website here.

And if you would like to get access to these sessions or any future content from shesaid.so, become a member or ally today.

Meet the women behind Recording Artists and Music Professionals With Disabilities (RAMPD)

in ,

RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) is a fast-growing coalition dedicated to making disability inclusion and access a reality in the mainstream music industry. It was founded in May of 2021 by award-winning recording artist and advocate Lachi after a public talk with the Recording Academy revealed a serious lack of visibility, access, and representation for disabled music creators and industry professionals. Covered in Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times, RAMPD is a new force advancing disability culture to mainstream discussion, focusing on the competitiveness and unique voice disabled creators bring.

According to the CDC, over 36 million women in America have a disability, and YAI reports that a third of the LGBTQ+ community have some form of disability too. Run primarily by a diverse female-identifying leadership, RAMPD advocates for artists and professionals of all intersections.

Co-founded by violinist Gaelynn Lea, and other top talent, RAMPD is making its mark as the go-to place for mainstream discussion on inclusion for creative professionals who identify as disabled, deaf, neurodivergent, or having a rare disease or chronic illness.

shesaid.so was lucky enough to speak to some of the brilliant women behind the organization…


. . .


shesaid.so: So how did RAMPD first come about?

Lachi: “Hi, I’m Lachi, She/Her Black Girl Cornrows, and I identify as legally blind. In my photo I’m wearing a pink dress and holding a pink Glam Cane. As an EDM recording artist, I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, traveled the world for my art, and have had the pleasure to collaborate with the White House, GRAMMY’s, Kennedy Center, and perform on Netflix to advance disability culture and arristry.

“I founded RAMPD — along with co-founder Gaelynn Lea, and other amazing founding members — because, while I could find some support as a female artist and as a black artist, there was no such voice, platform and community for musicians with disabilities on a competitive level. With few role-models for young disabled artists to look up to, the cultural stigmas fueling the oppression and discrimination of disabled people will never break. It’s time for that to change. And it is music that has always mastered the needle at shaping culture.

“I’d like to pass the mic to my sisters to chime in. Thank you shesaid.so for highlighting the women here at RAMPD.”

Image: Lachi

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a few current initiatives or ways in which RAMPD amplifies disability culture and advocates for accessibility and inclusion in the music industry?

Andrea Jennings: “My name is Andrea Jennings, Secretary and Founding Member of RAMPD. I have an M.Mus in Music and Music Business and Entertainment Industries. I am a disability advocate and equity in entertainment strategist and founder of Shifting Creative Paradigms.

“I am so proud to be a part of the RAMPD family and coalition, purely focused on impacting real change and equitable opportunities in the music industry for music professionals who identify as having a disability. RAMPD amplifies disability culture in that we are changing the paradigm of how people with disabilities are viewed and portrayed in mainstream discussion, giving creative professionals a respectful platform to celebrate their unique voice and perspectives. At RAMPD, we elevate disability culture as a diverse collective and as individuals by empowering ourselves to use our authentic voices, music and artistry to affect change.”

Image: Andrea Jennings

shesaid.so: What are some ways that an artist or individual in the music industry can make steps in their own work to be more inclusive of artists or music professionals with disabilities?

Gaelynn Lea: “My name is Gaelynn Lea and I’m a violinist, songwriter and public speaker from Duluth, MN. I am also the Co-Founder and Vice President of RAMPD. Most recently, I was hired to compose and record the score for the Broadway production of Macbeth, directed by Sam Gold and starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga — this production opens in April 2022 at Longacre Theatre.

“Both disabled artists and allies can embrace accessibility in their own careers! For example, you can choose to only play at wheelchair-accessible venues, to make captions and/or ASL available at events whenever possible, and to embrace accessibility in social media by adding captioning and adding image descriptions to all your public posts. Even if you don’t require access yourself, these steps help to normalize accessibility in the music industry.

“The second way you can move the needle is to elevate Disability Culture in your own sphere of influence! Maybe that means doing shows with disabled artists or learning more about the music and activism coming out of the disability community. Or perhaps that means covering disabled artists in your music reporting or including them on your next playlist. Basically the goal is to make sure that disability is represented at every level in your work, from your employees to the artists you represent, all the way up to your Board Members! Increasing disability representation and visibility In the music industry is a key way that we will shape our culture to be more inclusive of disability as a form of diversity. We can all be part.”

Image: Gaelynn Lea

shesaid.so: Would you say you have seen positive progress in the industry since the beginnings of RAMPD and why/how?

Lisa Sniderman aka. Aoede: “I’m Lisa Sniderman, also known as Aoede, an award-winning San Francisco-based artist, playwright, author, filmmaker, disabled artist advocate, and have been battling a rare progressive muscle weakness disease for nearly 14 years while obsessively creating to heal. I use my arts and music to elevate and empower those with chronic illnesses. I’m a RAMPD founding professional member, and I serve on the Partnerships subcommittee. My recent release The Grieving Project, sets the stages of grief to music

“Yes, I’ve experienced first hand, tremendous positive progress in disability culture, inclusion and accessibility since RAMPD formed. Even before officially launching in January, RAMPD had already made big strides. The 2021 the inaugural New York WAVY Awards partnered with RAMPD to make their Music award show as inclusive and accessible as possible, for example, fully incorporating self-descriptions, servomg as a model for other award shows.

“RAMPD has been featured in Billboard, and Variety, New York Times, raising awareness for artists with disabilities and providing industry recognition and clout. As someone living with chronic illness, I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made in just a few short months, to show that artists with disabilities deserve a seat at the table, on the stage, as presenters and performers, and behind the scenes.”

Image: Lisa Sniderman aka. Aoede

shesaid.so: What has been the feedback regarding the RAMPD movement from the community of those who have joined RAMPD, and from the greater music community?

Tabi: “I am Tabi, a singer-songwriter in New York City with Muscular Dystrophy. Having sold out shows in music halls, I’ve been featured on CNN’s “The Human Factor” discussing how singing helps my respiratory challenges. I am also co-chair of the RAMPD PR Committee where I have the pleasure of helping share with the world the multitude of things we are doing to amplify the disability music scene.

“I’ve heard so many wonderful comments about RAMPD from music lovers to music industry folks, saying we’re making a huge difference giving voice to those who’ve been under-represented. I’ve received great feedback on how we showcased our amazing talents at our launch event, the best virtual launch folks have ever seen. In addition, many have all been in agreement with me that when it comes to creativity such as expressing emotions and experiences, we (disabled musicians) do not have to try to tap into that, it is naturally part of us and therefore already part of our art. And they love that. People who can appreciate music in its truest form love that.”

Image: Tabi

shesaid.so: What are some of the major barriers and issues that organizations like RAMPD aim to counter or improve upon in the global music industry?

Eliza Hull: “I am Eliza Hull, a disabled musical artist from Castlemaine, Australia, and a member of RAMPD. I have a physical disability called ‘Charcot Marie Tooth Disorder.’ I recently won the Music Victoria’s Amplify award, am working on a new record produced by Pip Norman and Odette, and am off to SXSW in Austin, performing alongside Ruth Lyon and Lachi.

“The music industry is starting to shift, but there is so much more that needs to be done. I think there needs to be far more representation of disabled musicians on TV, on the radio and in magazines. I want emerging disabled artists to feel represented and know what’s possible. Larger music organizations and record labels need to enable more disabled musicians to have their music heard. As for physical barriers, stages and live music venues aren’t accessible which makes it hard for me to get onto the stage or into the venue. The time is now for change to happen so we can create a more inclusive industry.”

Image: Eliza Hull

shesaid.so: How can others get involved with or support RAMPD, either as individuals or organizations?

Precious Perez: “My name is Precious Perez, and I am a blind Puerto Rican singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music educator, and childrens author. I am proud to be the Membership Chair of RAMPD, and I recently graduated with a double bachelors in performance and music ED from Berklee College of Music.

“We encourage both allies and individuals with disabilities to get involved with this groundbreaking cultural movement. We have a community of over 400 plus members already. Anyone is welcome to join as a community member and sign up to receive updates on news and events, at any time on RAMPD.org. Organizations can get involved by partnering with RAMPD through a brand partnership, sponsoring a RAMPD event, or making a tax-deductible donation to the movement at RAMPD.org, so that we may continue to grow and fulfill our mission of making the music industry diverse, inclusive and accessible.”

Image: Precious Perez

shesaid.so: How has joining the RAMPD community been for you as a music professional who identifies as having a disability?

Molly Joyce: “I am Molly Joyce, a composer, performer and Professional RAMPD Member, who’s been described as one of the “most versatile, prolific and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome” by The Washington Post. RAMPD has provided an invaluable community and network to progress musicianship grounded in disability culture and aesthetics.”

Image: Molly Joyce

Maria Mucaria: “I am Maria Mucaria, a classical trained musician specializing in flutes and recorders. I also enjoy playing whistles, bodhrán and singing folk music from Celtic, Italian, and American cultures. Some of my accomplishments include touring North America and Europe as a musician, and teaching students in the US and UK. As a professional musician, I joined RAMPD to connect with a community of peers who understand being a professional musician and disability culture. Not only did I find a network of amazing musicians from all styles of music, I found a support system to celebrate disability.”

Image: Maria Mucaria

Neesa Sunar: “I’m Neesa Sunar, classical violist, singer/songwriter and licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) in New York State, which has empowered me in maintaining my own mental health condition. For over ten years, I was unable to play music because of my disability, but last year I began gaining strength to play. As a member of RAMPD, I have found a community of folks who understand my experiences, and I finally feel that I can develop my musical talent to share with the world.”

Image: Neesa Sunar

Mercedes Lysaker: “I’m Mercedes Lysaker, a classically trained cellist now devoted heart and soul to electric strings. I’m a Professional Member of RAMPD, rebuilding a career in music after brain injuries that totally rewired how I experience performing, creating, and teaching music. Seeing other disabled music professionals work with joy, purpose, and passion has made me less interested in hiding my identity as a disabled woman, and more interested in making music on my own terms — changing the field for the better.”

Image: Mercedes Lysaker

Anne Leighton: “I’m Anne Leighton, a music publicist, spoken word artist and songwriter. I’ve thrived, sustaining my career and growing and rebuilding it during the Pandemic. I’m part of RAMPD’s PR Committee. Joining RAMPD has helped me find my community and to not hide when I need help for things I can’t do on my own. This attitude gives me a better chance at getting the help I need.”

Image: Anne Leighton

Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions.

Find out more about RAMPD on the website

Read more about shesaid.so or become a member

Meet the Alternative Power 100 Music List 2021 Ambassadors

in ,

We celebrate the New Creative Economy with this year’s #AltList

To say we’re excited about this year’s Alternative Power 100 Music List is an understatement.

We have just come from our brilliant #AltList2021 launch and networking event in Amsterdam with our partners Patreon and we’re eager to share more with you.

This year, the #AltList 2021 is celebrating The New Creative Economy and the new era it is ushering in for the music industry.

The pandemic forced a reckoning of what it means to operate in a system that isn’t sustainable for the music industry’s independent creators, thinkers & entrepreneurs. Alongside our partners at Patreon, we will honor those whose alternative paths lead to a better world for everyone.

From architecting new ways of owning work to community-supported funding, the music industry is building a new creative economy where the independent community can fully thrive.

And we can’t wait to celebrate those at the forefront of this new era.

So get ready to meet our extraordinary ambassadors this year…

MEET THE AMBASSADORS

To help bring our vision to life, this year we are also introducing special awards and ten brand new categories covering industry areas such as Artists, Community, Record Labels and more.

Here are the ambassadors championing this year’s #AltList.

Artists and DJ’s

NJ Ndure — Relationships Manager for North America Catalyst Brand Management, Nike

Based in Los Angeles, during her nearly six years with Nike, NJ has built an impressive project portfolio working with today’s leading talent such as Megan Thee Stallion, IDK and Chika. She has worked on countless cultural moments throughout her career including Air Max Day, All Star Weekend, Super Bowl, and Grammys.

Aly Gilla — Bandcamp

Aly Gillani is the co-founder of First Word Records — an independent UK label focusing on the intersections between Hip Hop, Jazz and Soul. He’s also the UK and Europe label rep for Bandcamp.

NJ Ndure and Aly Gilla

Music and Sound Creators

Aubrey Whitfield — Producer and Songwriter

Aubrey Whitfield is a London based Music Producer and Songwriter who has worked with an array of talent from Kelly Clarkson, Simon Webbe (Blue), Little Mix, J-Fla, Charlotte Kelly (Soul II Soul) and George Shelley, to writing and producing songs for Universal and BMG.

Maria Egan — Chief Music Officer, Splice

At Splice, Maria oversees creative partnerships and music strategy globally, plus is Chair of the DEI Council. Previously she served as President and Head of Creative at Pulse Music Group for seven years. Egan signed and developed writers delivering multiple #1 hits ranging from the record breaking Latin smash ‘Despacito feat Justin Bieber’ (Marty James) to ‘Adore You’ by Harry Styles (Tyler Johnson).

Maria Egan and Aubrey Whitfield (L-R)

Community and Activism

NIKS — Black Artist Database

London based DJ, facilitator, educator and consultant NIKS co-created the database and editorial platform Black Artist Database (B.A.D) with a group of five friends in early June 2020. Now a full-fledged website, B.A.D houses over 3,500 artists, producers, labels, bands and counting.

NIKS

Steven Braines

Steven Braines — CEO, The Weird & The Wonderful & HE.SHE.THEY.

He.She.They. is an international event series/record label/fashion house which aims to create “places without prejudice for people to be people” bringing intersectional audiences and artists together to diversify dance floors and make spaces more inclusive and welcoming to a wider range of people in brave spaces from London, New York and Berlin through to Ibiza, Amsterdam and Mumbai and countless others in between.

Record Label

Andreea Gleeson — CEO, Tunecore

Since joining Tunecore in 2015 Andreea has made significant contributions to the company’s growth, after years as an eCommerce pioneer in the retail industry. Andreea also rose as a fierce advocate for female-identifying creators, commissioning the MIDiA Research study BE THE CHANGE: Women Making Music 2021.

Julia Killer — Head of Music Label Partnerships EMEA, Facebook

Julia Killer joined Facebook as Head of Music Label Partnerships EMEA in 2019 and her team works with record labels on music product opportunities across Facebook and Instagram. Before Facebook, Julia was Director of Artist and Label Services at Soundcloud, managing the international label and artist services team , headed up the Label Relations team at 7digital and started her career in Music Publishing at Kobalt, where she joined in 2006. Julia is also a proud Alt List 2020 Honoree.

(L-R Andreea Gleeson, Julia Killer)

Artist Management

Jameson Thomas — IAMJT

Jameson Thomas is the co-founder of IAMJT, a Los Angeles-based creative agency and management company whose clients have included Off White, Boiler Room, Theophilus London, Seb Wildblood, Biako aka Itai Shapira, and more. He also serves as Artist Relations Board Member at shesaid.so and is a partner at The Foundation, a new management venture with a roster ranging from The Martinez Brothers and Joseph Capriati to Vince Staples, Madeintyo, and Yuna.

Sophia Kearney — CEO, The Weird & The Wonderful & HE.SHE.THEY.

Sophia’s career started at WME Entertainment, after which she moved to ATM artists. Then Sophia and Steven Braines founded “The Weird & The Wonderful”, who manage an eclectic roster of artists such as Maya Jane Coles, Robert Owens, Louisahhh, Emily Nash, SYREETA & Wax Wings. Steven and Sophia launched an event series and fashion house HE.SHE.THEY.

Josh Andriano — Indie Pop

Josh co-founded the artist management company Indie-Pop and has helped to develop hit songs, platinum albums, and the careers of music producers, songwriters, DJ’s, and artists, including Kyle, Yuna, The Martinez Brothers, Joseph Capriati, Carnage, Yellow Claw, Boombox Cartel, MadeinTYO, KSHMR and more. In 2020 he co-founded the label alternative Independent, a boutique and curated full service music distribution company.

(L-R) Jameson Thomas, Sophia Kearney, Josh Andriano)

Events

Ali Harnell — President & Chief Strategy Officer, Live Nation Women

At Live Nation, Ali Harnell spearheads women’s initiatives and women-led programming, for example Oprah’s “2020 Vision” Tour. Prior to Live Nation, Harnell spent 15 years as SVP at AEG Presents, overseeing national tours and more.

Stephanie LaFera — Global Head of Electronic Music, WME

Stephanie leads an international team of agents focused on the genre whose roster includes top electronic music acts, including Kygo, Steve Aoki, TOKiMONSTA, Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Eric Prydz, and Peggy Gou.

Terry Weerasinghe — COO, Boiler Room

Terry is COO at online broadcaster and live events company Boiler Room. He spent seven years at Beatport, and previously spent over five years as the Head of Native Instruments’ Traktor brand, which he grew from a small side business to be the companies major revenue generator.

(Clockwise from top) Ali Harnell, Terry Weerasinghe, Stephanie LaFera)

Creative

Ibrahim Kamara — Digital Entrepreneur and Co-Founder, GUAP

Ibrahim is a 27-year-old digital entrepreneur and co-founder of GUAP, which has grown from the world’s first video magazine to becoming a multi-platform youth media brand, covering all aspects of creativity and culture.

Teresa Aramburu — Global culture marketing activations, Adidas

Over her career so far, Teresa has successfully spearheaded the artist relations, entertainment marketing and partnership departments for companies such as Marshall Headphones and Speakers, Urbanears and FL Studio. Over the years, she has carved out numerous high-profile collaborations with artists and partners including Little Simz, Cuco, Iggy Pop, Tove Lo, Alan Walker, Deb Never, Vagabon, TM88, Amsterdam Dance Event, Afropunk, ComplexCon, Razer, Red Bull and Beatclub, to name a few.

Teresa Aramburu and Ibrahim Kamara (L-R)

Business and Technology

Maria Gironas — Senior Media Partnerships Manager, Creators, Reddit

Maria is a creator and artist development professional, having been a signed artist herself to cultivating publicity or social media campaigns for artists and brands including Fender and Noah Gundersen. Previously, she was Strategic Partner Manager on the Artist Development team at Youtube.

Suzy Ryoo — Co-Founder & President, Q&A

Suzy Ryoo is the Co-Founder & President of Q&A, a music tech startup on a mission to empower the independent future of the music industry. Q&A recently launched software & services platform Venice as a community built to level up independent artists & entrepreneurs including Erick the Architect, Thuy & Kota the Friend.

Suzy Ryoo and Maria Gironas (L-R)

Marketing, Comms & PR

Yasmine Summan — Journalist & Social Media Consultant

Yasmine is a non-binary, South Asian, multi-media music journalist and social media mogul, interviewing your favourite bands by day and going viral on Tik Tok by night.

Whitney Wei — Editor-in-Chief, Resident Advisor

Foremost a journalist and critic, Whitney writes about club culture and experimental dance music scenes from around the world. Her words have appeared in The Guardian, Vogue US, Pitchfork, Mixmag, FACT, Highsnobiety, and Numéro Berlin, among others.

Yasmine Summan and Whitney Wei (L-R)

Sync and Publishing

Shauni Caballero — Founder, The Go 2 Agency & G293 Publishing

Shauni Caballero is a former Universal Music and PRS for Music Exec, founded The Go 2 Agency a Music Publishing and Consultancy company to help artists, writers and producers make money from their music.

Shauni Caballero

. . .

The Alternative Power 100 Music List launched in 2017 as a response to Billboard’s Power 100 List with the aim to challenge conventional music industry standards. Over the past four years the #AltList has evolved into a sought-after distinction by many executives, artists and other creators in the music industry, focusing on traditionally underrepresented communities. The #AltList is open to all genders.

Find out more and get ready to nominate here.