Introducing the Backstage Chats Foundation
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 of women in music and accelerating their careers through grants and scholarships.
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.
That said, the modern music industry continues to greatly 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 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.” BCF 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. We are committed to collaborating with proven grass roots organizations like Girls Rock Austin and SoundGirls.org, which empower a new generation of female stars in the music industry. We know massive shifts take time. Help jump start that shift with us!
Even better, BCF’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 will 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. For they 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
