She Is The Music Announces ‘SITM12’ Campaign Supported by Major Labels, Disney Music Group, Spotify & More

She Is The Music has announced the next phase of its ongoing work to increase the number of women in music: SITM12, a new campaign in which influential companies will provide the global nonprofit with resources to support its three pillars — all-female songwriting camps, mentorship and a global database of female creatives.

The first partners to commit include 19 major organizations: All three major labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group), Disney Music Group, Billboard, Spotify, ASCAP, BMI, Friends At Work, Women Nation/Live Nation, WME, CAA, UTA, Paradigm, American Express, YouTube/Google, Facebook/Instagram, Gucci and the Annenberg Foundation.

“SITM was created to increase the percentage of women working in music and those numbers are finally beginning to shift,” said SITM co-founder, Universal Music Publishing Group chairman/CEO Jody Gerson. “As we drive forward in full force, this campaign will be crucial to this pivotal moment of change. We are grateful to SITM12’s first partners for their leadership and generosity in helping to create a music world that is equal and inclusive to women.”

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More specifically, the partners’ gifts will fund 12 all-female songwriting camps, for which the companies are invited to choose artist hosts. The partners will also sponsor nationwide artist and executive speaking events for the SITM mentorship program, and will be asked to commit a number of internships from their existing college programs to female students from SITM.

The campaign is named for the 12% of female songwriters represented in popular music over the past eight years, according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. It was the Annenberg Initiative’s initial, groundbreaking 2018 study highlighting the absence of women in music that inspired the creation of SITM. And fittingly, the Initiative’s founder, Dr. Stacy L. Smith, has now joined the SITM board of directors, alongside founders Gerson, Alicia Keys, Jungle City Studios owner Ann Mincieli and WME partner and head of East Coast music Samantha Kirby Yoh.

“The research on women’s participation in the music industry galvanized She Is The Music to action,” Smith said. “By identifying where the problems are, we can work to create real and impactful solutions that make equality a reality for our business.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the Annenberg Initiative’s third annual report, which noted slight but encouraging shifts toward a more inclusive music industry. According to the study, 2020 Grammy Awards nominees included the highest percentage of women in eight years (20.5%), and in 2019, Billboard‘s Hot 100 year-end charts featured the highest percentage of female songwriters in eight years (14.4%).