The Real Value of Women in Music
Thania Garcia for She Is The Music, in collaboration with Jamie Kinelski
To the general public, it may seem as if there are plenty of women in music. Female vocalists make up a fair amount of plays on the radio and are featured on taste-making playlists alike, however, the same ratio doesn’t translate in songwriting and audio production.
For the most part, it’s an avoided conversation — an uncomfortable confrontation of fact that begs loaded questions.
The truth is, there still exists a lack of representation of female songwriters, producers and recording industry professionals. This isn’t to say those women do not exist (because they do and in big numbers), instead the situation highlights the importance of opportunity and collaboration crucial in closing those gaps.
“I had no opportunities at the beginning as a producer. I would write for anyone who wanted to write with me. Literally. Anyone. and I think it was important that I did that and it’s what led me to where I am today where I’m a lot more selective,” says Jennifer Decilveo, American Grammy, Brit and Mercury Prize-nominated songwriter and record producer.
Amy Kuney, who has written for names Kelly Clarkson and Rita Ora, along with releasing music of her own, agrees in the measure of those initial relationships, to better create authentic collaborations.
“My first real writing collaboration was with Michelle Branch, we shared a manager at the time and we really just, threw ourselves into that project. I was able to use the tools that I had honed to work around her expressions, her emotions without having to unload my own sh*t. I lent myself as a tool in that way,” she points out.
Kuney is speaking from years of experience. She’s been independent for most of her career, which first sprouted in 2004. She later signed with Kobalt in 2015, saying: “I’ve had to learn [publishing rights] through trial and error and saying yes to everything. It’s never something I’ve been able to master. With COVID, the landscape is so different and it’s changing so quickly. Even after things kind of started going back to normal, it’s still a lot of new people and writing is all done on Zoom. That’s been very different. When you’ve got an artist in-studio, you’re there for 6 or so hours working and then that’s it. With Zoom, you’re able to come in and out.”
Controlling the environment as a female in the recording industry is a type of power that comes after success. Without it, the politics of ownership can become a tricky issue — “If I’m doing writing sessions here and there, and I have a song come out that I wrote but I didn’t produce it, I have no control,” says Decilveo, “I fight for my split but at the end of the day, I have no control. As a producer, you get a bit more but at the end of the day, the label is in control. They pay the producers. They could pay the writers. They could give the writers points but they don’t because it’s part of the master and they don’t consider songwriting to be a part of the master.”
And if that wasn’t complicated enough, the popularity of streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify has undeniably changed the game altogether. Songwriters, who historically have gotten nothing outside of publishing shares, should be getting a piece of the master. In fact, writers used to get fair disbursement from their respective publishing companies but because streaming pays “per stream,” that landscape is now scattered with obstacles.
“Streaming…it’s tough. It changed a lot of things, I used to make a lot of my money selling CDs and merch and it’s been a bit unfair, I think…I have all my songs up on platforms and there are fees I have to pay every year to keep them up. This sounds cliche, but I love it. I mean, I love the music, the writing, the collaboration. As frustrating as it is, with the numbers and the algorithms, I keep coming back to it,” says Kuney.
In an industry like this one, which is all about open doors, female songwriters and producers thrive on collaboration. We see time and time again the emergence of musical talent from all backgrounds and gender identities. But at the end of the day, progress in representation for women in music is heavily reliant on the chance of opportunity.
Bryce Drew, 25-year-old singer-songwriter, played her first show back from the pandemic Tuesday at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. She shared a set of 9 original songs (mostly unreleased) and one cover of Britney Spears’ “Sometimes.”
After the show, I chatted with her about her thoughts on publishing, collaboration, and female mentorship in music.
TG: So you actually went to school for songwriting which is where you met a lot of your collaborators. What was your experience like collabing with other writers and do you prefer that over writing alone?
BD: As far as my artistry goes, I prefer to write by myself just because I feel like I know what I want to say, sometimes it can feel a little …
T: Too close for comfort?
B: Well, I do enjoy collaborating even when it’s personal because sometimes people can relate to it. Sometimes when it’s really personal, you can’t really find the words for it or understand how you’re feeling until somebody else hears it. I think for my stuff, I feel like I’m a little bit of a slower creative and I like to have that space. When I’m writing with other people, it feels a lot more rushed than what I want it to be and I can’t hear myself.
T: It’s interesting you say that. When I was interviewing other sources I had someone tell me the opposite. They enjoyed writing with others because it kept them on their toes…
B: I like to figure out what I’m hearing and feeling and like when you feel it has to be done by a certain time, it messes with the entire experience.
T: Would you ever consider entering a publishing deal?
B: I thought about publishing. I think because of the type of artist that I am right now, because I mainly write for my own project, that path doesn’t make the most sense for me. I think later on, when there’s more value to it or I need a bigger team then I definitely will consider it more seriously.
T: Are you writing for other people right now?
B: I do that every now and then if I don’t feel like it’s my story or my voice then I would definitely rather [a song] go to somebody else.
T: Have you ever had a female mentor? Or someone you felt comfortable discussing your experience as a female songwriter with?
B: In college, I was given a mentor, she’s also from Miami. They made her my mentor my senior year of college and when I left she was like ‘You’re never gonna lose me!’ so she’s still my mentor. I think it’s important to have older mentors but also mentors in my own age group because they have the experience of what it’s like now.
T: What would you say is the hardest part of your journey in music as of now?
B: The hardest thing for me right now, is just keeping up with the times. Keeping up with social media. I feel like right now, everything’s surrounded by such instant gratification and everybody in the industry that is being seen is writing like every single day online and it makes it very hard to feel like you are also doing enough. Even though I know that my method is different. Even wanting to be in your own creative bubble but knowing that you have to be pushing and promoting yourself. It’s a balance but it can get draining.
