{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} '''SoundGirls''' is a professional advocacy organization aiming to empower women working in the audio industry.<ref name="SG, About" /> It was co-founded in 2013 by Pearl Jam’s monitor engineer Karrie Keyes,<ref name="HuffPost, 2017" /> and Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato,<ref name="Mix Online, 2017" /> Front of house mixer for Styx, Mr. Big and Elvis Costello. The organization's mission is "empowering the next generation of women in audio"<ref name="SG, About" /> and increasing the number of women in the workforce, which is currently under 5% in some disciplines of the industry (like music production).<ref name="The Atlantic, 2017" />
Keyes and Sabolchick met when they were on a panel together at the 2012 AES Convention in San Francisco. The panel was hosted by the Women's Audio Mission called "Women of Professional Concert Sound" and was moderated by Terri Winston, the founder of Women's Audio Mission.<ref name="Concert Sound Panel" />
Since then, SoundGirls has grown to over 6,000 members<ref name="Tour With Pearl Jam" /> and has several chapters worldwide. The organization assists with mentorships, job placement, workshops, and scholarships. The organization is inclusive of all genders and non-conforming genders. Keyes is currently the executive director<ref name="NPR, 2018" /> and runs the organization on a daily basis.<ref name="Voyage LA" />
== History == In 2015, SoundGirls started holding live sound camps in the summer for girls. These events have been held in California, New York, Philadelphia, and St Louis.<ref name="The Atlantic, 2017" /><ref name="Meet The Woman" />
The soundgirls website features profiles of women working in different sectors of the music and audio industry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Five Percent: Profiles of Women in Audio|url=https://soundgirls.org/profiles/|access-date=2021-02-16|website=SoundGirls.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2018, SoundGirls teamed up with Spotify to create the EQL Directory,<ref name="EQL" /><ref name="Spotify, EQL" /><ref name="Billboard, EQL" /> an international database for women working in audio and music production.<ref name="PSN, EQL" /> They have also partnered with the SoundGym audio training organisation, to offer subscriptions to women training in audio.<ref name="PSN, SoundGym" />
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic left thousands of SoundGirls members unemployed when live events were canceled, with the potential for being out of work for years.<ref name="Tour With Pearl Jam" /> In response, they created the SoundGirls Coronavirus Relief Fund to aid production techs worldwide who were out of work.<ref name="Live Industry" />
SoundGirls also started a podcast in 2020, hosted by Beckie Campbell and Susan Williams. Interviews have included award-winning recording engineer Leslie Ann-Jones, Tana Douglas (the touring industry's first female roadie), NASA's live broadcast engineer Alexandria Perryman, Ann Mincieli, Mary Mazurek, and Jeri Palumbo.<ref name="SoundGirls Podcast" /> SoundGirls also created the SoundGirls Living History project, an oral history project with audio industry veterans to discuss their careers.<ref name="History Project" />
== References == <references>
<ref name="SG, About">{{Cite web |title=About us |website=Soundgirls |url=https://soundgirls.org/about-us/}}</ref>
<ref name="HuffPost, 2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-sound-behind-pearl-jam_us_58b0fc10e4b02f3f81e447ae/ |title=The Sound Behind Pearl Jam |work=HuffPost |date=13 December 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="Mix Online, 2017">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.mixonline.com/live-sound/michelle-sabolchick-foh-and-soundgirlsorg-368322/ |title=Michelle Sabolchick: FOH and SoundGirls.org |website=Mix Online |date=15 November 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="NPR, 2018">{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/588422558/if-you-want-to-be-somewhere-you-ve-got-to-occupy-it/ |title=If You Want To Be Somewhere, You've Got To Occupy It |publisher=NPR |date=27 February 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="Voyage LA">{{Cite web |url=http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-karrie-keyes-soundgirls-soundgirls-productions-los-angeles/ |title=Meet Karrie Keyes of SoundGirls and SoundGirls Productions |website=Voyage LA |date=12 June 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="The Atlantic, 2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/08/why-arent-there-more-women-working-in-audio/537663/ |title=Why Aren't There More Women Working in Audio? |newspaper=The Atlantic |date=30 August 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="EQL">{{Cite web |title=The EQL Directory |url=https://makeiteql.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116143525/https://makeiteql.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=16 November 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="Spotify, EQL">{{Cite web |title=Introducing The EQL Directory: A Database for Women and Gender Non-Conforming Audio Professionals |date=13 November 2018 |url=https://artists.spotify.com/blog/introducing-the-eql-directory}}</ref>
<ref name="Billboard, EQL">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8484771/spotify-soundgirls-eql-directory-launch/ |title=Spotify Pairs With SoundGirls to Launch EQL Directory to Boost Diversity Across Music Industry |magazine=Billboard |date=13 November 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="PSN, EQL">{{Cite web |url=https://www.psneurope.com/studio/soundgirls-founder-on-eql-directory/ |title=Soundgirls co-founder Karrie Keyes on the recent launch of its EQL directory with Spotify |website=PSN Europe |author=Fiona Hope |date=18 December 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="PSN, SoundGym">{{Cite web |url=https://www.psneurope.com/business/soundgym-soundgirls |title=SoundGym and SoundGirls collaborate to support women in audio |website=PSN Europe |author=Fiona Hope |date=23 April 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="Concert Sound Panel">{{Cite web|title=AES 2012 Women of Professional Concert Sound Panel - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB8EKbiGTvs|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
<ref name="Tour With Pearl Jam">{{Cite web|last=Ehrlich|first=Brenna|date=2020-05-27|title=She Was Supposed to Be on Tour With Pearl Jam. Now, She Fears for Her Whole Industry|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/music-in-crisis-karrie-keyes-soundgirls-pearl-jam-1005034/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>
<ref name="Meet The Woman">{{Cite web|title=Meet The Woman Who's Been Pearl Jam's Sound Engineer For 24 Years|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/09/04/492433224/meet-the-woman-whos-been-pearl-jams-sound-engineer-for-24-years|access-date=2021-01-03|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="Live Industry">{{Cite web|title=Live Industry Resource Guide: COVID-19|url=https://www.pollstar.com/article/live-industry-resource-guide-covid-19-143980|access-date=2021-01-03|website=www.pollstar.com}}</ref>
<ref name="SoundGirls Podcast">{{Cite web|date=2021-01-02|title=The SoundGirls Podcast|url=https://soundgirls.org/the-soundgirls-podcast/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=SoundGirls.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
<ref name="History Project">{{Cite web|date=2020-07-30|title=SoundGirls Living History Project|url=https://soundgirls.org/soundgirls-living-history-project/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=SoundGirls.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
</references>
== External links == {{Official website|soundgirls.org}} * {{Cite web |title=The EQL Directory |url=https://makeiteql.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116143525/https://makeiteql.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=16 November 2018 }}
Category:Women in music Category:Women's organizations based in the United States Category:Music organizations based in the United States Category:Arts organizations established in 2013 Category:2013 establishments in the United States