Record Store Day and Vans are collaborating to celebrate women in music by releasing Portraits of Her, a 16-track limited-edition vinyl album featuring tracks donated by groundbreaking female artists, with album sales benefiting We Are Moving The Needle, a nonprofit that supports female recording industry professionals such as audio engineers and producers. All proceeds from the sale of the compilation will benefit women in the recording industry!
Photo Provided by RecordStoreDay.com
Taylor Swift, the first worldwide ambassador for Record Store Day, is among the female artists who have contributed songs to this limited-edition vinyl album. Beyond her tracks, listeners can also expect to hear unreleased music from Bully, Banks, Alice Longyu Gao, Girl in Red, Julia Michaels, Joy Oladokun, Princess Nokia, Mariah the Scientist, Asiahn, K. Flay, Girl Ultra, Leyla Blue, and Boyish.
Vans & Record Store Day to Release Compilation Album “Portraits of Her”
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According to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California's 2021 study, women account for only 21% of all artists, 12% of songwriters, and 13% of industry leaders… Only 2% of music producers and 3% of engineers/mixers in popular music are women behind the boards.
Emily Lazar, founder of We Are Moving The Needle, went in a bit deeper on the subject in the compilations official press release saying:
"Women are an incredible asset to the music industry, yet they are underrepresented across the board, but particularly in recording studios," says Emily Lazar, who established We are Moving the Needle. "To close the vast gender gap in this industry, we must all work together to empower women on and off stage, behind the music, in the studio, and everywhere else in this business. We are grateful for the support from Vans, Record Store Day, and these amazing female artists."
Prior to the release of Portraits of Her, RSD, Vans, and We Are Moving The Needle will get together at SXSW 2022 for a panel discussion about the varied perspectives of women in the music industry. The March 16 session, titled "MOVING THE NEEDLE: Closing Music Industry Gender Gaps," will address gender equality and share real-life tales of women who overcame obstacles to success in the music industry. Linda Perry, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Critic's Choice Award-nominated producer and Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, and advisory board member of We Are Moving the Needle, will join Vans' Tierney Stout on the panel, as will Ericka Coulter, Senior Vice President of A&R, Warner Records.
Portraits of Her will be available at RSD participating independent record stores on Saturday, April 23, which marks the 15th anniversary of Record Store Day.
