People often ask me
what the most challenging aspect of producing an event like the She Rocks Awards is, and my answer is always raising the funds to make it happen. On top of actually creating the event, we have to find creative ways to pay for it. That’s why we include a variety of sponsorships, ticket levels, a silent auction, a raffle and more. It’s daunting to believe every year that we will have the support to pull it off, but as of now, our fifth year, I am confident that the industry is behind us, both financially and in spirit.
Another goal for the She Rocks Awards has always been to make the behind the scenes industry folks feel as important and special as those honorees who are used to being in the spotlight. We strive to spread the love around, selecting women from all walks of the industry – educators, executives, label folks, publicists, retailers, producers, engineers, musicians and more. Their stories are varied and so inspiring.
An outcome that we didn’t anticipate is the power of getting that many women into the same room during a trade show that has typically been male dominated. I think sometimes we forget the value of coming
A Focal Point for Change
Laura B. Whitmore founder of She Rocks and WIMN
It was 2012 and I had been in the music industry for about 30 years. It occurred to me that I didn’t know the other women in the industry, and since we were a minority, we should at least organize in order to meet one another. And so the Women’s International Music Network (the WiMN) and the She Rocks Awards were born.
The awards started out as what I like to call a “humble breakfast,” but in truth there wasn’t anything humble about it. It was a ballsy and disruptive move to raise the awareness level on the issue of gender inequality in the music industry. But instead of focusing on what was wrong, I chose to focus on what was right by shining a spotlight on role models. Innovative women who were out there in the trenches making things happen.
I wouldn’t say that it was an easy beginning, but it felt right. After a couple years of writing a blog for Guitar World focusing on female guitarists, I knew that one of the most important things that we were lacking as a gender was a voice. By bonding together and creating a focal point for women in the industry in the form of the She Rocks Awards, we had a starting point to begin the conversation with the goal of creating change.
She Rocks Awards