She Is The Music (SITM) has partnered with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Billboard Media Group and Universal Music Group (UMG) to further its work in the music industry.
Founded in 2018, SITM is a nonprofit focused on achieving equality, inclusivity and opportunity for women in music.
The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative will share its proprietary dataset of more than 400 credited female artists, writers and producers to help grow the SITM Database, which was announced in December 2018.
The directory spans songwriters, engineers, producers, studio positions and live / touring professionals.
Additionally, Billboard and UMG will donate $75,000 to SITM, $25,000 from Billboard and $50,000 from UMG to support the SITM Database and mentorship program.
SITM’s mentorship program will give participants the opportunity to gain experience in all areas of music business – from touring and management, to producing and songwriting.
“She Is The Music believes in an industry that not only values women but demands equality and inclusivity for executives and creators alike. When our entire business unites to take action, we can drive historic change for good – and the revolution is already underway.”
Jody Gerson, SITM cofounder and Global Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group said: “She Is The Music believes in an industry that not only values women but demands equality and inclusivity for executives and creators alike. When our entire business unites to take action, we can drive historic change for good – and the revolution is already underway.
“Along with our cofounder Alicia Keys and all of SITM, we deeply appreciate the generosity and support of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Billboard and Universal Music Group.
“We especially want to thank Sir Lucian Grainge who was the first person to say “yes” and commit to supporting our effort. Partnerships like this enable us to provide women with opportunities that will drive creativity to new heights and make for a better music world.”
“One of the most important ways to increase inclusion is to ensure that more women are considered and hired for positions behind the scenes.”
Dr. Stacy L. Smith, USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Founder and Director of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative added: “One of the most important ways to increase inclusion is to ensure that more women are considered and hired for positions behind the scenes.
“The She Is The Music Database is a critical tool to get more women into creative roles throughout the music industry.
“I am thrilled to support their efforts by sharing our data to expand their database and make She Is The Music the industry gold standard.”
Deanna Brown, Managing Director of Valence Media, said: “This is a time of exciting and long-overdue change in the music business and Billboard is proud to be a part of it.
“Billboard has always been for the industry and about the industry, and we’re proud to be partnering with SITM alongside UMG and Annenberg in this effort to promote diversity and inclusion, which we believe is not only essential for the industry’s future growth and success, but is also simply the right thing to do.”Music Business Worldwide
