Men primarily oversee the multi-billion dollar music industry, making decisions and closing deals on the next biggest star. Outside of their power positions as executives and A&Rs, they also dominate behind-the-scenes roles in engineering, producing and more.
“It’s okay to be upfront, forward, assertive, and vocal. Even if they do call you the B-Word, so what? We have to put our backs up, [and] hold our heads high…” Lydia Caesar, singer, songwriter, and co-owner of Sauce Records
The noticeable gap for women in the music industry shows that change is crucial to end gender inequality.
In collaboration with its Thursday Nights at the Museum weekly series, Missouri History Museum hosted a “Women In Music” panel discussion March 10, focused on the disparities between women and men in the entertainment industry and the improvements needed.
An intimate crowd gathered in the museum’s Lee Auditorium during the discussion moderated by Kayla “KVtheWriter” Thompson featuring producer Alexis “Lexxiiibeatz” Calhoun, Lydia Caesar, singer, songwriter, and co-owner of Sauce Records; and Bethany “Beef” Gratz, sound engineer. They talked about the challenges they all face in a male-dominated industry and their hopes for the future.
Caesar, who got her start in music singing in her father’s church in their hometown of Queens, New York, said she knew she wanted a seat at the table when she saw a lack of women bosses in the business.
Nearly 10 years ago, she stepped into the offices of Atlantic Records and Universal Records with A&R [artists and repertoire] representatives, to discuss songwriting opportunities.
“I noticed there were barely any women in power positions at the labels,” Caesar said. “It was always young or old men. There were rarely any Black women. I always said I wanted to be in one of those seats because I wanted to be the person to give an artist a shot. That day I said I’m going to be the boss, and that is who I am today.”
Lexxiiibeatz, a Black woman producer, found her experience hasn’t been overly challenging, but she frequently feels snubbed or overlooked.
“I remember one time I had just finished a session, and the person after me was standing up trying to tell me what to do,” Lexxiiibeatz said. “I was trying to tell him ‘hey, you gotta do this and this,’ he was like, ‘you don’t know nothing about this Lil mama.’ I’m like, I’m the one which just closed the session before you. I got it set up for you to come.”
Women in entertainment often face workplace harassment, particularly with newer up-and-coming artists. Caesar shared her story of an incident early in her career when she accepted a meeting with a label head who invited her out for dinner without her manager.
“I was this close to signing a publishing deal, and the person who was gonna sign me asked for a second meeting directed to me,” Caesar said. “The first meeting was with my manager and me at the label. He sent me some tracks, I wrote some records, and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna do this deal.’ Then I get a message from him on social media asking me to meet him in the city. I was like, okay, this is weird, but I want this deal. We met at a cafe, and once I got there, I realized it was just him and I. It was blatant, ‘are we gonna do this to make the deal happen.’
She said no and chose to leave because her dignity meant more than the opportunity.
“That was a learning experience for me, and it taught me you can say no. I don’t wanna take the meeting, and if we are going to meet, my manager will be there,” Caesar said. “It’s okay to be upfront, forward, assertive, and vocal. Even if they do call you the B-Word, so what? We have to put our backs up, hold our heads high and say no, thank you; I’m not interested. Let’s talk business, and let’s talk numbers.”
KVtheWriter asked whether women feel pressure to be exceptional or perfect on the job, because of their gender.
“As soon as you choose to be exceptional, they expect you to not wanna be congratulated or to be more humble than they expect any man to be about it,” Beef said. “They think it’s inappropriate for you to be proud of yourself, push yourself and your brand. If you’re going to make me do so much better than everybody else, then I’m going to toot my own horn loudly cause I think that’s acceptable.”
Have there been any changes for women in the industry over the past 15 years?
While there hasn’t been much improvement in the gender pay gap between women and men, Caesar said more discussions like the panel, women standing up for themselves, and more women aiming for senior roles can improve women’s representation in music.
What resources and programs are available to young children, especially girls interested in a music career?
Lexxiiibeatz said she knows about some programs, particularly at the library, and she’s seen local artist and entrepreneur Aloha Mi’Sho help with the music and arts programs in elementary schools.
She wishes those programs existed in her younger years because she thought producing was impossible.
“I think there should be an elective in school where there’s a creative space that teaches you how to practice music and make beats,” Lexxiiibeatz said. “Those are good traits to have in general because you never know what career path you may go down. Having those core skills can help you do anything as long as there’s always a demand for it.”
Caesar recalled recently being on an all-women’s panel for middle school-aged girls. She said the number of young ladies interested in music who contacted her afterward was overwhelming.
“Seeing somebody who looks like you is mighty [for] young girls seeing you,” Caesar said.
Is it challenging to find mentors, or is it interested in women in the field?
Lexxiiibeatz found a mentor in Caesar after being introduced to her through her husband Wayne, her mixing instructor at the now-defunct Extreme Institute by Nelly.
“Being with Lydia exposes me to a lot because I’m her videographer,” Lexxiiibeatz said. “It’s really about how you market yourself and how your vibe is. I think that helps because you don’t know who you can [run] into or meet; you can get opportunities just by being a good person and a nice person.”
The panel concluded by asking what the women hope to see for women in music in the future.
“More women producers in St. Louis because I don’t like how we’re not in the forefront like we should be,” Lexxiiibeatz said. “We’re as good if not better than our male counterparts.”
Lexxiiibeatz is on YouTube, SoundCloud, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Beef is on social media under the name Beef Gratz 110. More information about Caesar is on her website, https://www.everythinglydia.com/.
Search KVtheWriter on social media.
