BACKSTAGE CHATS FOUNDATION

Description

While music is truly "The Great Uniter," the modern music industry continues to struggle with gender disparity. While women make up 50% of listening audiences and concert attendees, we are sorely underrepresented on stage, on air, and behind the scenes. Here are just a few of the startling statistics:
9.3% - female GRAMMY nominees 2013-2018
12% - female songwriters of 600 most popular songs 2012-2017
5% - female sound engineers in the United States
2% - female music producers

By promoting female music makers on our podcast Backstage Chats with Women in Music and investing in the next generation, we're looking forward to longterm "gender harmony" in the music industry. Grants go toward scholarships for teen music/sound camps hosted by nonprofits Soundgirls.org and Girls Rock Austin. We've raised over $10,000 in our first 4 months and are gaining momentum toward our $100,000 goal. Companies like Tito's Handmade Vodka and Via313 Pizza have already joined the cause.

Founder and host Thea Wood launched 5 premiere podcast episodes featuring chats about life in the music business from women's perspectives. She has 12 more interviews recorded. With volunteer help, we can launch those episodes and meet/exceed our scholarship grant goals.