03.08.18

Women in the music have hope for future in male-dominated industry

Georgia Davis / Culture Editor

When Jennifer Kash attempted to join a radio broadcasting station on campus, she felt like an outsider in a room with men in leadership positions.

“It was hard to permeate the outside and get in the center to opportunities,” she said. “You can sense that brotherhood or manhood.

Now Kash works with one of those men as the only woman on the A&R (artists and repertoire) and artist development team at Brick City Records. She is seen as an equal at the label, but in the larger part of the recording industry, it is still hard to break into the male-dominated field.

“I completely forget I’m the only woman in the room,” Kash, a sophomore studying music production and recording industry, said. “It is all dudes, but I feel pretty lucky with the dudes that I am with because that just goes out the window with them too. It’s just about creativity and getting the best outcome.”

Women like Beyonce and Rihanna have paved the way for women in the music industry, Kash said.

“Their whole identity is kind of associated with power,” she said. “The No. 1 thing that encompasses a man’s identity is power and strength, so the fact that they can … signify power and strength, especially over other men and empower within their sexuality … I love that.”

Kash also looks up to Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, who she said is empowering in a different way. Kash described herself as a tomboy who is extremely focused on her music.

Hannah Ruhoff | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bailey Panzeca, a sophomore studying music production, poses for a portrait with her guitar on Feb. 6, 2018.

“Her music is just music and there’s really no gender that goes along with it,” she said.

Rihanna is one of the best-selling artists worldwide and has more than more than 114 million sales as of 2016. On the list of the 20 top-selling artists, six are women

“In a completely male-dominated industry, it just gives women courage and faith to be like, ‘I can get to the top,’ ” Kash said. “It’s not about having more. It’s just about being able to reach the same places that (men) do and have equal opportunity and to not think that your voice needs to be quieter to be what you need to be.”

Kash works with Bailey Panzeca, a female artist at Brick City Records, and said the on-campus label made an effort to find more female artists this year.

Panzeca, a sophomore studying music production, said she feels more comfortable working with a team of women.

“I feel like because (Kash) is another female, we can connect better because we can relate better,” she said. “It’s a really nice vibe always.”

One way the recording industry can be more inclusive to women is to nominate women for more awards and choose them to win, Panzeca said. At the 60th Grammy Awards, only one woman wonduring the televised portion. Alessia Cara won for Best New Artist, and many people said Lorde was robbed of Album of the Year for Melodrama.

“That’s ridiculous,” Panzeca said. “There are so many female artist out there doing good s---. … It’s sad.”

Kash is hopeful that the music industry will continue to improve, but she believes it is generational. As long as her generation continues to take the moral high-ground and not compromise its values, the music industry will become more inclusive to women.

Kash believes it will take awhile because women are now exposing problems within different industries, but talking about the problem is a step in the right direction.

“Gender shouldn’t matter, but it does now, and the only way to get there is to talk about it,” she said. “We have to take the steps to get there.”

Development by: Alex Vella / For The Post