Women In Music Industry features women and nonbinary artists who look to provide opportunities and foster mentorship. Members of the club enjoy coming together and uplifting one another while supporting the music industry.
WIMI provides several opportunities, such as workshops, guest speakers, open mics in collaboration with The Union and other events. The organization focuses on building a supportive community and inviting non-music majors to join.
Kourtney Gierke, a senior studying music production and recording industry, is the president of WIMI. She mentioned she is mainly studying her major because of her ongoing involvement in WIMI, and said she began her journey at Ohio University studying media arts production.
“I felt like I could really grow to be the best version of myself through the club, and very shortly after, I changed my major to music production because I realized that was everything to me,” Gierke said. “I felt so confident in taking that leap because I knew I had successful women who were doing exactly what I wanted to do in the club.”
Gierke joined the group her freshman year as a member before becoming WIMI’s treasurer last year. Now in her current role, Gierke is excited to see how the year unfolds for WIMI.
Throughout her time in WIMI, Gierke also emphasized the importance of the membership of women in a male-dominated music industry. She began holding production workshops last year alongside WIMI’s Vice President Cailin Downer.
“These production workshops help women in production, which only about 5% of producers nationwide are women,” Gierke said. “It’s really important that we have these workshops to help women feel comfortable with production, not feel intimidated or scared by music production because it’s very technological.”
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s 2023 study, “Inclusion in the Recording Studio?” by Stacy L. Smith, Katherine Pieper, Karla Hernandez and Sam Wheeler, found women were excluded in the industry.
The study found the ratio of male to female producers to be 34.1 to 1. Across an eight-year study and 800 songs, 2.8% of all producers were women, while men made up 97.1%.
Following this, Gierke also mentioned how her connections to WIMI alumni gave her the opportunity to live in Nashville this past summer for a music marketing internship.
The organization can help those on campus connect with others who share similar interests and career goals. Morgan Dilbone, a senior studying music production and recording industry, shared her experience with WIMI.
“Joining WIMI helped introduce me to a lot of other girls in the major that I would not have met otherwise,” Dilbone said. “We tend to share similar struggles with the production classes that the school offers and music opportunities in general.”
Dilbone joined WIMI her freshman year and encouraged those who are looking into WIMI to give it a chance. Dilbone added that WIMI has connected many members with jobs at “prestigious” record labels.
“I think it’s just really important that you put yourself out there and that you do it because it’s given me a lot of my close female friendships that I have today,” Dilbone said. “It definitely makes me more confident in my major … I would definitely say go for it, 1,000%.”
For Dilbone, being a part of WIMI has changed her experience on campus for the better. Similarly, other members of the board have found WIMI has given them a supportive and welcoming group.
Jillian Kay, a senior studying music production and recording industry, is the public relations officer for WIMI. Kay shared how WIMI has changed her college experience and provides opportunities for her major.
“Everybody was super welcoming, and I just loved talking about music with everybody and getting to talk to some industry professionals,” Kay said. “We have meetings with some really big role models in the music industry that are women, obviously or nonbinary.”
Kay said everyone in the group is looking to form connections and gain experience, and the members will answer any questions about the group or industry.
WIMI hosts easy ways to get involved, including open mic nights starting Sept. 9 at The Union. WIMI meets biweekly on Mondays at 7 p.m., located in the Radio-Television Communications Building in room 265. Updates are posted weekly on its Instagram.
