Over 200 female songwriters assembled in London last weekend to address gender disparity in the field of songwriting for the #GETHEARD event.
The event gave a huge number of aspiring female songwriters the chance to have their original songs heard by some of the most influential experts in the music industry and showcase the breadth of talent possessed by women in the industry.
Carlyn Calder, creative manager at Sony/ATV, Naughty Boy, platinum selling UK artist and Adele White, senior urban A&R manager at Island Records, were among the panel of experts present at the event to hear these original compositions.
#GETHEARD was hosted by Grammy-nominated Carla Marie Williams, founder of Girls I Rate, a non-profit organisation made up of notable women within the creative industries. Carla has long been campaigning against imbalance and inequality in the music industry and has committed herself to creating a movement that provides a strong female presence in the music industry.
The event gave a huge number of aspiring female songwriters the chance to have their original songs heard by some of the most influential experts in the music industry and showcase the breadth of talent possessed by women in the industry.
Carlyn Calder, creative manager at Sony/ATV, Naughty Boy, platinum selling UK artist and Adele White, senior urban A&R manager at Island Records, were among the panel of experts present at the event to hear these original compositions.
#GETHEARD was hosted by Grammy-nominated Carla Marie Williams, founder of Girls I Rate, a non-profit organisation made up of notable women within the creative industries. Carla has long been campaigning against imbalance and inequality in the music industry and has committed herself to creating a movement that provides a strong female presence in the music industry.
Organisers hope that #GETHEARD will encourage more women to take up songwriting as a profession and that the opportunities brought about events like this will create an equal playing field for success in the music industry.
Recent data for the World Economic Forum reveals that women account for 48% of employees within the art, design, entertainment, sports and media sectors.
However, PRS for Music has recently revealed that only 17% of its writer members in the 130,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK, are female.
Carla said: ‘I love hearing new talent. My mission is to use my leverage to get girls heard in the music industry and to help increase female representation on mainstream playlists. I will continue as long as it remains a problem!’
On the issue, Claire Jarvis, Director of Membership, PRS for Music, said: ‘Our research and experience shows that underrepresentation of creative professionals from diverse backgrounds is an industry-wide issue affecting all genres of music. This an exciting and much-needed initiative, and it’s great that PRS for Music is part of the #GETHEARD movement. Creating platforms like this to support the drive for a level playing field and champion new female talent coming through is invaluable.’
To find out more about Carla's campaign, head to the Girls I Rate website.
Recent data for the World Economic Forum reveals that women account for 48% of employees within the art, design, entertainment, sports and media sectors.
However, PRS for Music has recently revealed that only 17% of its writer members in the 130,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK, are female.
Carla said: ‘I love hearing new talent. My mission is to use my leverage to get girls heard in the music industry and to help increase female representation on mainstream playlists. I will continue as long as it remains a problem!’
On the issue, Claire Jarvis, Director of Membership, PRS for Music, said: ‘Our research and experience shows that underrepresentation of creative professionals from diverse backgrounds is an industry-wide issue affecting all genres of music. This an exciting and much-needed initiative, and it’s great that PRS for Music is part of the #GETHEARD movement. Creating platforms like this to support the drive for a level playing field and champion new female talent coming through is invaluable.’
To find out more about Carla's campaign, head to the Girls I Rate website.
