Mentoring

shesaid.so x PRS POWER UP 2024

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In 2024, shesaid.so once again join forces with PRS to run POWER UP, the long-term initiative supporting Black music creators, industry professionals, and executives, while also addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.

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.

  • Mentors are matched with mentees based on experience, aims, needs, background and requirements by a panel of mentoring experts.

  • The mentors must a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black music professionals; extensive experience within your area or a specialist skill set. It is recommended by POWER UP X shesaid.so that mentor pairs dedicate 2 hours per month to the 4-month scheme.

We provide training, a guidance handbook, access to 2x mentorship managers and £175 as a nominal gesture of gratitude for the mentors’ time.

If you can commit to 2hrs per month, please register here by the 31st of January.

To check out the success of year 1, 2 and 3 you can click here.

we.grow with ALLIES Mentoring Program Launch: FMLY Agency

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We are excited to announce our new monthly micro-mentoring initiative, we.grow with ALLIES, a speed-dating-style program that provides shesaid.so members with short-term, one-on-one mentorship from experienced industry professionals.

Mentors are hand picked from our vetted list of corporate ALLIES which includes companies across all areas of the music business and other related fields. Each month, shesaid.so members will have exclusive access to one-hour, one-off mentoring sessions with a mentor from the selected ALLIES member.

we.grow with ALLIES is inspired by the incredible work we have done as part of our mentoring programs and a desire to scale mentorship to as many members of our community as possible.

To kick things off this month, we have invited FMLY Agency, a leading independent booking, management and talent development agency based in the UK. As a shesaid.so member, you will be able to book your 1h mentoring session with one of the 4 mentors provided by FMLY: Amber Brzeski, Agnese Daverio, Jule Konrad and Alasdair Howie.

This program is a shesaid.so-led initiative, designed to to scale mentorship to as many members of our community as possible.

Head here to learn more about how the program works.

we.grow at ADE 2023 Mentorship Program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab

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We are excited to renew our partnership with ADE this year with activities that include a mentoring program for 40 mentors and mentees of all genders and an official shesaid.so space as part of the ADE Lab program on Thursday, October 19th.

we.grow at ADE 2023 is a mentorship program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab that connects mentors from the shesaid.so community with mentees selected by the Amsterdam Dance Event team.

This year, the program will focus on 4 areas of the music business, reflecting the tracks that attendees will be able to engage in as part of ADE Lab 2023:

- Artists

- Producers

- Mixed Media

- Music Professionals

The program will feature a total of 20 mentors and 20 mentees, with 5 mentor-mentee pairs per each of the four Lab areas.

Previous shesaid.so mentors come from companies such as Coachella Music Festival, Warner Music, Armada Music, Universal Music Group, YouTube Music, Meta, WME, CAA and more.

Mentors confirmed so far include Ballantine's Global Senior Brand Manager Lucy Andrews, Ghostly International / Spectral Sound's Label Manager of UK & Europe Yasmin Leung, DJ/Producer Cristina Lazic and Meta's Music Artist Partnerships executive Liz Miller, with many more names to be confirmed.

We are excited to return to ADE and create an environment where the global ADE and shesaid.so communities can connect, learn from each other and experience the latest trends in music. shesaid.so Founder, Andreea Magdalina, states:

“The shesaid.so space and mentoring program we.grow at ADE 2023 will give ADE attendees the opportunity to engage with ideas and people that are guided by values rooted in innovation, equity & intersectionality.

Mentor/Mentee Commitment

  • Read through & apply the information from the mentoring guidelines we share with you prior to their engagement.

  • Attend shesaid.so events at ADE if logistically possible.

  • 3h of mentorship: spend at least 1h together throughout your ADE attendance and 2h after ADE (3h in total between October 18th and December 31st, 2023).

Applications are now extended for mentees until September 29th, 2023.

Click here to apply.

Open to all genders, with priority given to people from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds

MPA x shesaid.so: Coaching for Progress

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The MPA (Music Publishers Association) and shesaid.so announced in February 2023 their collaborative coaching/mentorship scheme “Coaching for Progress.” The program is targeted towards 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 is designed to promote women into senior management positions because of historical discrimination that has led to male-dominated C-suites.

5 successful applicants commenced with the 4-month programme from March 2023 until July 2023. The 5 successful applicants were paired with carefully chosen and well-suited mentors to coach them through the 4-month programme. Both mentee and coach were provided with training and given handbooks to guide the relationship in order to get the most out of it.

shesaid.so & PRS: Power Up 2023

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We joined 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 called out 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 ran 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 looked for acclaimed music professionals, both creators and executives, to mentor and coach future industry leaders.

The mentors had a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black music professionals; extensive experience within your area or a specialist skill set. It was recommended by POWER UP X shesaid.so that mentor pairs dedicate 2 hours per month to the 4-month scheme.

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

To check out the success of year 1 and 2, you can click here.

shesaid.so and Keychange launch 2023 edition of we.grow mentoring programme

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Following a successful online peer-to-peer we.grow mentoring programme in 2020 and 2021, 2022 saw shesaid.so and Keychange relaunch we.grow to offer industry-led mentorship to Keychange’s cohort of participants who were navigating their way through the global pandemic. We’re proud to announce that 2023 will see the we.grow collaboration continue to work alongside music industry professionals to offer one-to-one mentorship to Keychange’s latest cohort of artists and innovators from 12 countries.

The 2023 we.grow programme will run from March - September 2023, and, today shesaid.so and Keychange launch a call-out for senior music industry professionals and artists to volunteer as mentors for the Keychange participants. The mentors must have a minimum of 7 years experience in the music industry, and will be paired with one of the exceptional, hand-picked Keychange participants all chosen as the leaders of tomorrow by a panel of international industry experts.

If you would like to volunteer to be a we.grow mentor, apply here. We welcome applications from all genders, all backgrounds, and all countries.

The we.grow mentorship collaboration was launched in April 2020, when Keychange and shesaid.so united to develop a bespoke peer-to-peer mentoring programme for women and gender expansive artists and innovators. This collaboration endured throughout the pandemic, providing invaluable connections and professional support through difficult times, by bringing more than 100 mentoring pairs together for both peer-to-peer sessions, as well as providing participants with mentorship from music industry professionals from multiple sectors. 

we.grow aims to address trends of growing concern in the music industry - women and gender expansive artists and innovators not showing the confidence they need in order to fulfill their career goals, and a lack of senior role models. This project seeks to explore some of the drivers of these trends and to equip participants to address any challenges they may face. A key part of this is ensuring that women and gender expansive professionals from all backgrounds have the opportunity to meet, learn and be motivated by positive role models.

Meet the Keychange Participants for 2023 here.

About shesaid.so

shesaid.so is a global independent community of women and gender nonconforming people in the music industry. The shesaid.so community consists of women and gender nonconforming people from all sectors of the music industry: from record labels, artist management companies, and booking agencies, through to technology platforms, creative agencies, composers, artists and more. With headquarters in London and LA, shesaid.so has 18 global chapters around the world including France, Spain, and Sweden, to name a few.  A majority of their members are decision-makers in their fields, and they are increasingly welcoming more and more young people to the network as well. Their mission is to connect and empower underrepresented communities towards a more equitable music industry for all, one woman or gender-nonconforming person at a time. shesaid.so organise interactive events for their members and extended network, as well as showcases that shed a light on talented artists and their representatives and work towards increasing the number of women/gender nonconforming people who progress in their careers with our mentoring program we.grow.

About Keychange

Keychange is a pioneering international initiative which transforms the future of music by encouraging festivals and music organisations to achieve at least 50% women and gender expansive artists and professionals in their programming, staffing and beyond. 74 emerging artists and innovators each year from across Europe and Canada will take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations and a programme of creative labs. Keychange aims to accelerate change and create a better, more inclusive music industry for present and future generations.

Keychange encourages all music organisations, festivals, venues, broadcasters, agencies and beyond to take the Keychange Pledge and to work towards a representative music industry. Join the Keychange Pledge at keychange.eu.

Keychange is led by Reeperbahn Festival, PRS Foundation and Musikcentrum Öst, supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, in partnership with Tallinn Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, BIME, Oslo World, Linecheck/Music Innovation Hub, Ireland Music Week, SACEM, Sound City, Way Out West, Different Sounds, MaMA Festival, MUTEK and Breakout West.

Keychange Ambassadors are Shirley Manson, Imogen Heap, Tony Visconti, Alexa Feser, Dermot O’Leary, Hinds, Emily Eavis, Nadine Shah, Paulette Long OBE, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, iskwē, Corinne Bailey Rae, Joy Denalane, Kate Nash, Sara Potente, Ave Tölpt, planningtorock, Jess Partridge, Carla Marie Williams, Claire Edwardes, Avtomat, Karolina Czarnecka, Darcy Proper, Tones and I, Tegan and Sara, Margherita Vicario, Claudia Pereira, Brisa Fenoy, Linnea  Henriksson, Mari Boine, Samsaya, AURORA, First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid, Anna  Thorvaldsdóttir, Peaches, James Foley, LYDMOR, Flore Benguigui, Andreea Gleeson, Ätna, Suzie Kerstgens and Alice Phoebe Lou.

www.keychange.eu 

Keychange & shesaid.so: we.grow 2022

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Keychange and @shesaid.so were excited to continue their mentoring collaboration, we.grow, which provided the 2022 Keychange participants with one-to-one mentoring throughout the following year! Mentoring is a unique and powerful tool to accelerate careers, create supportive networks and develop skills for both mentors and mentees.

A total of 70 Keychange participants signed up for the mentorship program that lasted from February 2022 - September 2022. Mentorship pairs were expected to meet a total of 2 hours a month, arranged as decided in their pairs. shesaid.so delivered the project which included; finding the mentors, pairing with participants needs, onboarding all mentors, overseeing the mentorship managers, troubleshooting any issues and evaluation of the programme.

Overall the program was a huge success and development for both mentors and mentees. Here are some key stats from our feedback survey:

Mentors

71% of mentors felt the experience widened their professional network

89% of mentors felt it had increased their confidence

79% of mentors felt it increased their industry knowledge

86% of mentors felt it had increased their skills


Mentees

84% of mentees felt the experience widened their professional network

62% of mentees felt it had increased their confidence

78% of mentees felt it increased their industry knowledge

74% of mentees felt it had increased their skills

Overall the mentoring has been extremely successful for many of the pairs, with huge learnings and confidence gains on both sides of the relationship. The positive feedback for mentees focused around the increase in knowledge and the safe-space provided, away from their workplace, a space to be honest about their experience and get honest feedback in return.

we.grow at ADE Mentoring Program 2022

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In 2022 the shesaid.so x ADE mentoring program is back under a new, inclusive name, we.grow at ADE. This year five mentees from the electronic music sphere and five mentees with a more specific focus on the web3 space will be invited along. Mentors are curated from the global shesaid.so community and mentees are invited to apply via the ADE website.

Program Outline

  • 10 mentors & 10 mentees (5 electronic music + 5 web3)

  • 1 Mentor handbook

  • 1 Mentee handbook

  • 1 Mentor/Mentee training session

  • 3 private events

Mentors & Mentees

This year we are excited to invite 5 mentees from the wide electronic music space and 5 mentees with a more specific focus on the web3 space.

The web3 track of the scheme will take place in partnership with ZORA - The open protocol to buy, sell and curate NFTs on Ethereum. We feel particularly aligned with them as a partner, as reflected by their Manifesto.

Web3 is a growing technology area that is changing the music industry as we speak and it is our desire to educate our community about opportunities within it and offer them the chance to learn from the best leaders in this space.

For the regular electronic music track of the scheme, we teamed up with YouTube Music and Meta to host a kickoff and a closing brunch events for mentors and mentees. This is an opportunity for us to create connections for the we.grow participants to these powerful companies. 

shesaid.so & PRS Launch Power Up 2022

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In April 2021, POWER UP announced the 20 music creators and 20 industry professionals and executives who made up Year 1 of the Participant Programme, a key feature of the long-term initiative launched to address anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.

Managed by PRS Foundation and launched in February 2022, the Participant Programme elevated exciting Black talent and attracted 512 applications from 363 music creators and 149 industry professionals at crucial career stages.

Holistic support, specifically designed to fit the needs of the participants, assisted the development of their careers and practice to break through glass ceilings and accelerate change. Participant Programme support includes grant support of up to £15,000 alongside capacity building masterclasses, mentoring (working with mentoring managers, shesaid.so), coaching, mental health and wellbeing support and access to added value support from POWER UP Partners and the peer network which is integral to breaking down barriers.

Through the Year 1 programme (April 2021-April 2022) Participants built a very strong network and we have been inspired by the ways in which Participants are already shaping the future of the music industry. Successes so far include:

  • Award nominations, wins and recognition: Nova Twins received a Mercury Music Prize nomination for their POWER UP-supported album, plus 2 x BRITS nominations; Jennifer John received the Local Hero Award at the AIM Awards, Ego Ella May won Vocalist of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards, TAALIAH won an AIM Award; Laura Lewis-Paul, Eunice Obianagha and Christine Osazuma were recognised on the She Said.So Alt List 2021, and Hannah Shogbola was added to the Music Week Women in Music Awards Role of Honour. Abel Selaocoe’s BBC Proms performance of “Africa Meets Europe” received a 4**** review from The Times, Daniel Kidane received a 4**** review in The Guardian for his BBC Proms piece “Revel” and Nova Twins were displayed on the Times Square NYC Billboards for their critically acclaimed debut album

  • New record, publishing and agent deals for Participants: TAALIAH signed to Primary Talent, KG signed to Paradigm Talent Agency (EU, Worldwide) & Awesome Agency (North, South America) (2021), Nova Twins signed to Marshall records and Aux joined the roster at Primary Talent International and Atlas Management

  • New roles and promotions for Participants: (e.g. Christine Osazuwa was appointed as Chief Strategy Officer at Shoob, and Adem Holness is now Head of Contemporary Music at the Southbank Centre), Despa Robinson joined the AIM board and Daniel Kidane was elected to the Ivors Academy Senate; and Selina Wedderburn joined Rehegoo Music Group then was promoted to Director of Operations

  • New ventures: Errol Anderson curated performances at the White Cube Gallery as part of Frieze Festival, Loretta Andrews launched the “I Am Independent Bootcamp Video course” as a resource for independent artists, Adem Holness curated and delivered the hugely successful 696 Festival at Horniman Museum to explore the relationship between public space and Black live music, Kwame Daniels’ started his own BBC Radio Ulster show, KG now has a Capital show and Abel Selaocoe had a three-part show on BBC Radio 3 titled “Cello Retold”. Des Agyekumhene’s company Soga were behind the Close To Home NFT campaign for Aitch– the first artist to claim an NFT entering the UK’s official album charts.

Keychange & shesaid.so present: we.grow 2021

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shesaid.so and Keychange relaunch we.grow mentoring programme in 2021

Following a successful online peer-to-peer we.grow mentoring programme in 2020 (read more here), shesaid.so and keychange have relaunched the we.grow mentoring programme, which will run June 2021 - September 2021. Recognising the need for more traditional mentoring to help guide Keychange participants through this difficult time, today shesaid.so and Keychange launch a call-out for senior music industry professionals and artists to volunteer as mentors for the Keychange participants. The mentors must have a minimum of 7 years experience in the music industry, and will be paired with one of the exceptional, hand-picked Keychange participants all chosen as the leaders of tomorrow by a panel of international industry experts.

If you would like to volunteer to be a we.grow mentor, apply here. We welcome applications from all genders, all backgrounds, and all countries.

we.grow aims to address a trend of growing concern in the music industry - women and gender minorities not showing the confidence they need in order to fulfil their career goals; and a lack of senior role models. This project seeks to explore some of the drivers of this trend and to equip participants to address any challenges they may face. A key part of this is ensuring that women and gender minorities from all backgrounds have the opportunity to meet, learn and be motivated by positive role models.

she.grows France & Italy

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In 2020 we took our partnership with YouTube Music in Europe to new heights.

Inspired by our collaboration with YouTube Music at MEETSSS, she.grows France & Italy recruited a total of 48 participants: 24 mentees in France and Italy, and a mix of 24 local and international mentors as part of a 6-month programme.

During this time, mentors and mentees will take part in monthly 1to1 meetings, webinars, community sessions and other activities designed to supercharge their career. In addition, participants were awarded free membership access to the international shesaid.so community as well as other resources to help them make the most of their mentoring experience.

she.grows France & Italy is due to end in December 2020.

Click here to learn more.

we.grow: Keychange 2020

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Keychange commissioned shesaid.so to develop we.grow, a virtual mentoring programme for 74 women and gender minorities as part of its 2020-2021 edition.

Keychange is a pioneering international initiative funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union which transforms the future of music whilst encouraging festivals and music organisations to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Each year, the programme selects 74 emerging artists and innovators from across Europe and Canada to take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations and a programme of creative labs.

With three of the thirteen partner festivals postponed to later in the year, training sessions have been moved online. we.grow pairs Keychange 2020 participants with each other, as well as with participants from Year 1 of their scheme. Set up as a peer to peer monthly meeting, the programme will help participants to get the most out of their involvement in Keychange, as well as wider career goals and development.

For more info about Keychange please visit their website.

she.grows at MEETSSS - supported by YouTube Music

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In 2019 we teamed up with YouTube Music to bring she.grows to MEETSSS, shesaid.so’s inaugural female-first, music-forward summit. Five mentees were selected via an open call and invited to attend MEETSSS on an all-expenses paid trip and take part in the mini-mentoring series we designed for the event. The mentors were selected from a wide range of industry experts speaking at MEETSSS.

As part of this collaboration, mentors and mentees alike took part in mentorship training sessions provided by our guest industry experts; guided mentor-mentee exchanges assisted by our shesaidso mentorship managers; and private 1to1 mentor-mentee meetings where all the real magic happens.

A panel discussion introduced our mentoring concept to MEETSSS attendees, featuring Jeanne de Boismilon (Google FR), Mary McGovern (Concord), Holly Manners (Warner Music UK), Shakira Payne (Sonos), and Chi Chi Nwakodo (Sony ATV).

she.grows at ADE 2019

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Beats to bring she.grows to Amsterdam Dance Event, the world’s largest conference bringing together the electronic music industry.

As part of the scheme, we invited 15 woman-identifying mentors from the global shesaidso community - each of whom has achieved success and influence within diverse sectors of the music industry - to mentor young professionals selected by ADE University. Throughout the ADE week, the 30 participants took part in a series of guided events, including introduction to mentoring, meet & greet, and closing brunch, as well as unstructured 1to1 interactions where the mentees had the opportunity to “shadow” their mentor at various ADE events and meetings.

she.grows x Musicians’ Union

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In 2019, the MU and shesaid.so combined forces to support women in the industry by matching fellow musicians together, to help one another grow and succeed in their careers. This project sought to equip women with the tools and confidence to address any challenges they may face in fulfilling their career goals in the music industry. A key part of this is ensuring that women have the opportunity to meet, learn and be motivated by positive female role models from within the same industry.

A total of 20 woman-identifying members of the Musicians’ Union were invited to become either mentors or mentees and take part in our guided mentoring scheme taking place between May-November 2019.

shesaid.so Partners with Sonos to Launch She.grows 001

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In 2018 we partnered with Sonos to launch she.grows 001, the first fully-fledged mentoring scheme featuring a total of 100 woman-identifying industry executives from the UK and India as part of a 6-month programme.

The 50 mentor/mentee pairs were selected from a range of 800+ applications from companies including Ninja Tune, Sony ATV, Cooking Vinyl, MPA Group, Kilimajaro, The Orchard, Deezer, Live Nation, Boiler Room, the FAC, Your Army PR, Universal Music, Sentric Music, Music Sales, Manners McDade, Imagem, MTV, AIM UK, Songkick, and Warner Music Group.

As part of this year’s program, the mentoring pairs will automatically become shesaid.so members and will take part in monthly events curated by the she.grows team as well as individual mentor/mentee meetings. The scheme ran between September 2018 and May 2019.

The 2018 pairs include:

  • 40 pairs in the UK

  • 5 pairs in India - in collaboration with Wild City

  • 5 pairs worldwide - in collaboration with Sonos

she.grows Launches with 4-Month Pilot Program

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she.grows launched in 2017 with a 4-month pilot program that paired 42 women from various areas of the music business in London.

 The 21 resulting pairs were selected by a team of 6 industry leaders from Warner Music, Brits Diversity Committee, Boiler Room & Music Sales. The selection criteria included industry sector, professional compatibility, personal growth objectives and intersectionality.

As part of the program, the pairs benefited from monthly events curated by the she.grows team as well as bi-weekly individual meetups. The events included:

-    Launch event sponsored by Music Ally

-    Presentation on Self care in the creative industries from AMV BBDO

-    CV Workshop for mentees and applicants, with a Senior HR representative from Warner Music Group UK

-    Mental Health with Your Green Room

 

Some of our results:

  • 500+ applicants

  • Mentors/mentees scored their satisfaction with their pairing 7/10 on average

  • 94% said that they were able to communicate honestly and openly with their mentor/mentee

  • 78% would recommend the scheme to a friend or colleague

  • At least 2 mentees were supported and empowered into new positions in the industry over the course of the scheme.

  • Many of the pairs continued working together for the rest of 2018.