In a groundbreaking initiative to champion gender equity in music production and engineering, We Are Moving The Needle (WAMTN), a US-based non-profit organization, recently unveiled the winners of its first Resonator Awards. The exclusive event, held during Grammy Week in Los Angeles on January 30, 2024, honored outstanding female and gender-minority producers and engineers, showcasing the organization’s commitment to empowering women, non-binary, and trans tech creators in the music industry.
Founded in 2021 by GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar, WAMTN strives to address the stark gender gap in technical roles within recording studios. The organization’s “Lost in the Mix” report revealed alarming statistics, indicating that female and non-binary producers and engineers are outnumbered 49:1 by their male counterparts on popular streaming tracks.
Since its establishment, WAMTN has awarded over $425,000 in scholarships to women and non-binary talents, enabling them to pursue audio education programs globally. Moreover, each scholarship recipient benefits from mentorship through WAMTN’s SoundBoard program, facilitating career advancement and guidance.
The Resonator Awards, a highlight of WAMTN’s efforts, celebrated six exceptional women in the industry: Alanis Morissette, Catherine Marks, Laura Sisk, Caroline Polachek, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Jennifer Decilveo. The event also recognized executives Michael Goldstone and Christine Thomas for their commitment to equity. Notably, the Resonator Hall of Fame welcomed luminaries such as Linda Perry, Alicia Keys, and the late Sylvia Robinson, acknowledging their significant contributions to shaping the recording industry.
This event embodies our commitment to inclusion and advocacy in the recording industry. While the Resonator Awards are a celebration of technical excellence, they are also an opportunity to elevate the studio roles whose contributions are often unrecognized and unrewarded. I believe it is vital to acknowledge them, to honor them, and to celebrate them as we promote conversations on equity in the recording studio. The impact of these awards will go well beyond the accolades by creating new opportunities that will continue to unite our community.
Emily Lazar, Grammy-winning mastering engineer and founder of We Are Moving the Needle
In addition to the awards ceremony, WAMTN introduced the Unity Gain Sessions, a touring series of think tanks aimed at gathering top artists, producers, and engineers to discuss the industry’s future. The first session took place in Los Angeles, preceding the Resonator Awards, with upcoming sessions planned for Nashville, New York, and London in 2024. The Unity Gain Sessions are made possible by a grant from Beatport’s Diversity and Parity Fund.
The new program and award ceremony are major steps in furthering acknowledgement of women, trans, non-binary, and genderqueer people in the music industry while opening doors for the youth that fall into those identities. WAMTN’s mission statement and scholarship information can be accessed here. Knowing that they have already kicked the year off with such a push for equity in music likely means there’s a lot more in store, making the rest of 2024 something to be highly anticipated.
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