Introducing Herizon Music Foundation
Herizon Music Foundation (formerly Backstage Chats Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on a mission is to promote gender equity in modern music by amplifying the voices and careers of women in music through education, experience, and story telling.
One value our foundation holds true is that “Music is the Great Uniter.” Music brings together people from different cultures, age groups, races, and economic status. Many creative young women often feel like they don’t fit in at school, or they don’t have a female mentor, or like-minded female friends. By providing a safe community to learn new skills and gain experience, girls learn to advocate for themselves, squash imposter syndrome, and can bust through glass ceilings and gatekeepers for an equal chance at success.
You may be surprised to learn that gender disparity in the modern music industry exists at a level that surpasses inequity in the technology and transportation sectors. 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 surprising statistics:
% of female GRAMMY nominees 2013-2018
% of female songwriters of 600 most popular songs
2012-2017
% of female sound engineers in the United States
% of female artists on Billboard’s Top 20 Country Airplay Chart, Dec 2018
Arts patrons throughout our community are paramount to paving the road to inclusivity – what we call “gender harmony.” Herizon Music met its Year 1 (2019) goal of sending 40 teen girls in need to music and sound camps and interviewed 15 women for our podcast Backstage Chats With Women In Music.
In 2020, we are committed to continuing our support of withproven grass roots organizations like Girls Rock Austin and SoundGirls.org. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated our long-term goal to create a mobile educational series that we’re now researching and designing. While projects can pivot quickly, we know massive shifts in cultural and industry norms take time. Help us jump start that shift!
Herizon’s donation tiers include some pretty exciting tax-exempt marketing opportunities should you want to take advantage of them. Our podcast has the potential to reach music lovers internationally who embrace brands that support music. Episodes feature interviews and exposes with female artists, songwriters, engineers, produces, DJ’s, managers, agents, and anyone involved in the music making process. They share their personal stories and the highs and lows of working in the business. We’re putting women in front of audiences by going beyond their red carpet fashion, the size of their Instagram following, or their sex appeal. This is about the human experience and relating to each other in terms of our universal language: music.
Whether you want to be a branded sponsor or an anonymous donor, lifting these women up will lift you up. Their stories remind us to be dreamers, to be rule breakers, and to unleash our inner rock stars!
Thank you for your support!
Thea Wood, President/Host
