by abby crabill
photo courtesy of girls behind the rock show
Girls Behind The Rock Show (GBTRS) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping create an equal opportunity environment for women and marginalized genders within the music industry. GBTRS raises awareness through collaborations with current industry professionals in order to promote important discussions regarding the present issues that the industry faces. The organization also strives to share educational resources for those who may otherwise not have the same opportunity to prosper in the industry. Girls Behind The Rock Show continuously works to open doors for future music professionals to succeed, with the hopes of eventually leading to a more safe and diverse environment that brings everyone together with a single focus on enjoying the music.
What inspired you to create the Girls Behind The Rock Show organization?
Olivia: “Shelby grew up in and often attended the pop punk scene, and noticed an alarming amount of people not given opportunities because of who they were. There’s a lack of diversity — whether we’re talking about race, ethnicity, gender, or being disability accessible — in all genres of music, and so Girls Behind The Rock Show was founded on and stands for the principle of female empowerment within the music industry. First just created on paper, Girls has now grown into an organization that has helped close to over 10,000 women, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming music industry professionals in a matter of six years.”
photo courtesy of girls behind the rock show
What is the overall mission of your organization?
Olivia: “Our overall mission at Girls Behind The Rock Show is to provide a community for marginalized individuals, share educational resources, and create equal opportunities by allowing open dialogue about the issues that can come with working in the music industry and how to break down those barriers.”
Can you define "marginalized genders" for those who may not understand the term?
Olivia: “Anybody who doesn't identity as a cisgender man! We like to say anyone who is gender diverse.”
What problems do women and marginalized genders often face in the music industry? Why?
Olivia: “There’s often the issue that women and marginalized genders are not in the room when decisions are being made, and this is an issue across every industry. They often face stereotypical prejudice, some in positions of power believing that they cannot hold leadership positions the same way cisgender men can. Sexism also runs deep in the music industry — whether it’s the pay gap, not booking marginalized genders for music gigs, sexual harassment, and unfortunately so many more issues that can’t just be covered within a matter of one question. There’s no good reason why this is happening, but rather it’s the patriarchal society that we live in that allows these issues to happen and we are just supposed to accept the way things are (which Girls never want to just accept this).”
Can you describe some of the programs that your organization provides?
Olivia: “Some of the programs we’ve done over the past years have been ‘Roadie for A Day’ and ‘Festival Immersion.’ Roadie for A Day allows someone interested in the touring industry to gain hands-on experience, and we’ve proudly partnered with three North American tours to do this partnership! Festival Immersion allows participants a hands-on experience working behind the scenes and gain the opportunity to be mentored by festival directors and work in a variety of departments, along with other programs that include virtual workshops, mentoring, and internship placements.”
photo courtesy of girls behind the rock show
What are some artists/festivals that you have collaborated with in order to help spread awareness?
Olivia: “We’ve proudly partnered with over a dozen artists, festivals, and companies to help spread the awareness of our mission at Girls Behind The Rock Show. Some of our partners have been Bonnaroo Music Festival, Sad Summer Fest, South By So What, Grandson, 1824 at Universal Music Group and more!”
How can someone help support the cause of your organization?
Olivia: “There's a number of ways that someone could support the cause of Girls! We have a website where you can directly donate to us (girlsbtrs.com/donate/), buy our merch, follow us via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and share our content, or join the Networking Group where you can search for those looking for career and internship opportunities, mentorship, and advice.”
Why is this an important cause for you to spread awareness for?
Olivia: “As stated in our mission, we believe that when everyone has a voice opportunity flourishes. Breaking down barriers and creating accessibility for all allows for so many more creative and productive ideas to be flowed for artists, management, tours, and many more alike. Music is all about bringing people together, so why can’t the industry and professionals behind it be the same?”
photo courtesy of girls behind the rock show
How can current industry professionals help to fix this problem in the music industry?
Olivia: “The biggest and most important thing someone can do as a current industry professional is address the problem. We can't fix something that isn't addressed, and we must speak up for those who aren't in the room with us while these problems arise. We also must provide opportunities for marginalized people who may not be the first considered for jobs, internships, mentoring and so forth.”
In regards to these issues, what do you see for the future of the music industry?
Olivia: “There’s been an increasing number of people that have been put into positions of power who are considered marginalized. And while this is more progress than we’ve ever experienced as an industry within the past decade, we need to continue the promotion and hiring of marginalized people for the younger generations who wish to work in music. We need to continue to create conversation around these issues and allow change to be made from those highest in companies, all the way to entry level jobs.”