‘Gender Amplified’ Amplifies Women in Music Production

It’s no secret that the music industry has a gender problem – a notable imbalance in the way that men and women exist within that facet of popular entertainment. Women are often thrust into the spotlight and objectified by male creative directors and producers who dominate the industry. And this is when women make it into the spotlight at all. Many don’t get that far because of their refusal to succumb to industry pressures that include playing up their sexuality in order to sell records.

Men don’t have to submit themselves to sexual objectification to sell records, and they certainly don’t have to work as hard to prove themselves behind the scenes. Males greatly outnumber females in music production, an even harder part of the industry to break into, and one that many women don’t even know exists due to lack of female visibility. Ebonie Smith realized this during her undergraduate college days when she fell in love with making and mixing beats. After immersing herself fully into the world of music, she couldn’t help but wonder, Where are all of the female music producers?

Smith created Gender Amplified in 2007 as a platform to support and help advance women in music production. After recognizing a serious gender gap within the industry, she wanted to start a movement that not only showcased incredible, underrepresented female producers, but to show aspiring producers that they could make a mark of their own. “By organizing public events that foster healthy dialogue about the role gender plays in the music making process, Gender Amplified gives voice to a subculture of women who are using music technology to create their own music and perpetuate their unique identities,” according to the organization’s mission statement. Gender Amplified has become a space of refuge and empowerment for women in the music industry, a movement to inspire the next generation of female producers.

During the last weekend of September, the Gender Amplified Music Festival took place at Smith’s alma mater, Barnard College. The event was a celebration of female music producers, and a chance to educate those who are interested in the field, or didn’t even know that it existed. Uniting, teaching, and empowering women will hopefully help bridge the gender gap in music production.

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