#WomenCrush Music is an international organization whose mission is to connect, educate and inspire rising women songwriters. Since its founding in early 2017, they’ve worked with little or no budget, with the support of 30 dedicated volunteers and a full Board of Directors and have now taken the leap and launched their first-ever crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo.
In early 2017, Ashley Kervabon organized a live showcase to address the need for a stronger community among women songwriters in Portland, OR. The event’s humble turnout, but overwhelmingly positive feedback, struck a chord in Ashley and she quickly reached out to women in other cities who also expressed the need for a similar
Photo Credit: Tasha Bielaga of Electric Daze Magazine
showcase series. Realizing that this was an industry-wide gap, Ashley knew it was time to make a change, so #WomenCrush Music began. Starting with Ashley’s hometown connections in New York City, #WomenCrush Music became a growing vision for women artists and the music industry at large. As the organization expanded to Nashville and across borders to Vancouver, BC, the #WomenCrush mission started attracting artists from across the USA and beyond in search of both local performance opportunities as well as a more expansive network of like-minded women. By January 2018, #WomenCrush was present in 13 cities, cultivating communities through events designed to connect, educate and inspire. Since then, a Lenny Letter feature and big-name partnerships by the likes of SoFar Sounds, have established #WomenCrush Music as a powerful positive force in today’s music industry. Ashley, her fellow team members and a full Board of Directors, look forward to the developments ahead in 2018 and 2019.
Since the organization’s launch, #WomenCrush Music’s Founder/Executive Directress Ashley Kervabon and her team have made it their mission to connect, educate and inspire rising women songwriters. The organization has hosted over 80 events across 13 cities in the USA and Canada, including showcases, networking events and educational workshops, landing them local and national features in notable media outlets. Now, with a full Board of Directors, comprised of radio hosts, national touring artists and experienced industry professionals, #WomenCrush Music is ready to take their mission to the next level with their IndieGoGo campaign. Donations from the campaign will fund the non-profit through the remaining months of 2018 and set its team up to accomplish the goals in store for the new year.
The aim of this campaign is to raise money for the tax exemption application, program costs, merchandise and staff education. As with most startup non-profits, the staff has been working out of their passion for the cause, without pay. This crowdfunding campaign, however, will bring #WCM closer to some of its long-term goals which include providing a salary for the core staff members, stipends for the chapter leaders, competitive base pay for artists and speakers who are a part of ongoing #WCM events and hiring even more creative women to provide photography/videography services at events.
“This is only the beginning of our ultimate vision for the organization,” says #WCM Founder Ashley Kervabon. “Longer term, I’d love to be able to get A-list celebrities involved in mentoring our artists and promoting the organization. It is also my ambition to award recording scholarships, host songwriting retreats, own properties to accommodate touring women artists and much more!”
#WomenCrush Music has entered the picture at a precise cultural moment when the value of supporting women is being emphasized by individuals and industries stronger than ever. At the same moment, this concern has brought to light the personal challenges and systemic obstacles many women still encounter in their careers. A recent study cited in Billboard reported that in 2017, 83.2% of artists in popular content were men and only 16.8% were women. Of the study’s sample of 2,767 credited songwriters, only 12.3% were female. Statistics such as these have inspired #WCM to start The Crush blog, where readers can hear stories from women within the music industry and The #WomenCrush Music Collective, a career-focused Facebook mastermind group. At such a pivotal time, it is no wonder that the #WCM community has flourished.
Please see below for a schedule of upcoming events for October, 2018:
SHOWCASE – Nashville @ The Local – Thursday, October 4th at 7pm
Also, in October, #WomenCrush Music will be relaunching the Chicago chapter & unveiling a NEW chapter.
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