By Althea Legaspi | March 9, 2022

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Lauded producer/songwriter Linda Perry is teaming up with philanthropist Alisha Ballard for EqualizeHer, an initiative working to bring gender equity to the music industry. It launches at South by Southwest with panels and showcases running March 15 and 16 at Lustre Pearl Rainey in Austin, Texas. The events are open to the public.

“The imbalance of women represented in the music industry has gone on far too long. Alisha and I (and so many others) share in this passion to create a more equitable music business across all aspects of the music industry, from recording studios to stages to board rooms,” Perry tells Rolling Stone. “The plan is to create a strategy and find solutions to shift these numbers. EqualizeHer is a mission to educate, inspire, empower, and create opportunities for women.”

In its efforts to provide resources and access to women to help them succeed in the music industry as well as achieve equal representation, EqualizeHer will host immersive educational programming and panel discussions featuring industry leaders, interviews with musicians performing at SXSW, and live acoustic performances.

Allison Russell, Ezra Furman, Pom Pom Squad, Mattiel, dal:um, Mama Duke, Terror Jr., Ber, Rei Ami, Pleasure Venom, Bad Waitress, Ayoni, Danielle Ponder, and CMAT (solo) are slated to perform.

Panelists include Terror Jr.’s Lisa Vitale, Herizon Music Foundation’s Thea Wood, artist Beatie Wolfe, Physical Music Product’s Piper Payne, Full Stop artist manager Sali Kharazi, Communications Director for I.M.P and the 9:30 Club and VP of NIVA’s Board of Directors Audrey Fix Schaefer, Warner Music’s Jillian Rothman, Allison Russell, Songtradr senior manager Samantha Kolton, Surfbort’s Dani Miller, along with Perry and Ballard.

During the festival, Perry and Ballard will encourage the industry to join the EqualizeHer Pledge, where participants will show their support by committing to raise awareness and foster opportunities for women entering the industry.

“The path to a career in music isn’t an easy one, this is especially true for women,” Ballard said In a statement. “I am proud to be working with Linda to change the dynamic by providing smart and talented women who aspire to make their mark in the music industry with the support they need to reach their true potential.”

By Tahlia Sowa-Gutierrez, KEYE | March 16, 2022

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AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE) – EqualizeHer launched Tuesday at SXSW with another round of panels and showcases slated for Wednesday, March 16. Linda Perry, the music producer, and songwriter teamed up with philanthropist Alisha Ballard to bring the initiative to life.

EqualizeHer is a mission to bring equal opportunity to women in the music business both on and off the stage. "We're giving women the opportunity to be heard and seen, then we can tell everybody about EqualizeHer.” The organization is taking the next steps slowly, Perry added right now they are being proactive and letting people know that there is a problem with the industry.

Currently, women only represent 21% of artists, about 12% of songwriters and 3% of producers.

The goal is to achieve equal representation of women across all sectors of the music industry – from recording studios to stages, to board rooms.

Austin Hip-Hop artist Mama Duke and punk band Pleasure Venom are among the acts featured in the showcase. Mama Duke says they are used to being the only Black-Mexican and gay person in the room.

"I used to look at it like ‘I’m the only one here, but now, I get to tell the story, I get to make the way, I get to be the voice."

The artists in the EqualizeHer showcase are diverse and on the up-and-coming. “Some of them came from the organizations we are working with like Notes for Notes, Black Fret, we asked for their recommendations,” says Ballard. Perry says she accidentally found Mama Duke when a video was sent to her. “We weren’t looking at numbers, we were listening to who we thought who would be great on that stage.”

After SXSW, organizer Ballard says the next step for EqualizeHer is figuring out how to increase the number of women in the industry. “It’s a work in progress.”

The launch continues Wednesday night at Lustre Pearl on Rainey Street. Starting at 7 p.m., young Austin musicians will perform and get feedback from women in the music industry. Austin’s own Pleasure Venom kicks off the showcase at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

By Sage Dunlap | March 20, 2022

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Following its March 15 launch at SXSW, EqualizeHer — an organization aiming to combat gender inequality in the music industry — sponsored a series of events at the festival to raise awareness for the organization and empower female artists.

“We have been planning for a month and a half for (South by Southwest), but we just started running,” EqualizeHer’s co-founder Linda Perry said. “We’re going to move, and we’re hoping people join us.”

Bonded by a shared love for music, singer and producer Linda Perry joined forces with philanthropist Alisha Ballard to empower young female artists to explore careers in the music industry, including behind-the-scenes roles as producers or sound engineers. On March 15 and 16, their new organization, EqualizeHer, sponsored panels and artist showcases at Lustre Pearl to present SXSW audiences with young female artists and producers, such as bands Pom Pom Squad and Bad Waitress and mastering engineer Piper Payne.

Additionally, EqualizeHer partnered with Notes for Notes, an organization that provides young musicians with free musical equipment and recording opportunities, and Black Fret, which provides funding to local Austin musicians, to organize showcases for young female artists in Austin.

“We wanted to put girls on stage to get experience and hunger,” Perry said. “Something happens to you when you perform in front of people, so we wanted to give them that opportunity to shine, to be heard and seen.”

Ballard said hearing about Perry’s experiences working with young female musicians motivated her to take action.

“Female artists come into (Perry’s) studio and feel safe,” Ballard said. “They talk about how they’ve had some really damaging and harmful experiences at the hands of a male producer or a male person that was guiding their career. There has to be safety — a place where girls can … be creative and feel peaceful when recording. If we can prevent someone from trauma, and she gets to go and live her dream and be in music, then that’s a win for me.”

The organization’s SXSW events encouraged attendees to join the EqualizeHer Pledge — a call to action to offer women more opportunities in the music industry. However, Perry said she does not believe a pledge alone captures the immense amount of work needed to rectify the gender inequality issues in the music industry.

“We have to make commitments,” Perry said. “We have to find solutions … as a community. Alicia and I are going to talk to other organizations, like She Is The Music, Moving the Needle, SoundGirls and Women’s Audio Mission, to find out how they need help.”

Perry and Ballard said they are optimistic about the future of EqualizeHer, and SXSW is just the beginning for the organization.

“As a musician, artist, producer, parent and someone who’s very prominent in the music business, how can I not get involved?” Perry said. “It’s about the future of music and getting this balanced out, so we’re not having these conversations.”