The Women that made Music

Presentation given at ROLI's Demystifying Music Tech event for women and non-binary folks interested in Music Tech.

This talk looks at the statistics of the industry today according to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (full report can be found here http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/inclusion-in-the-recording-studio.pdf). It goes on to discuss some of the historical women inventors and music makers that had a big impact on the way music is made today.

Transcript

1. The Women that made Music Amy Dickens My Kind Of Tech @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
2. A bit about me... I started out as a curious Musician then I studied to become an Audio Engineer not long after I became a Computer Scientist I found a voice as an Ambassador for Women in Tech and a job as Web Developer Advocate I am also proud to be a supplier of many stickers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
3. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
4. The STATS @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
5. Beatboxing Artists Composers Engineers Producers Awards @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
6. of Artists in the Industry (in 2017) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
7. of Songwriters @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
8. of Registered Composers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
9. of Audio Engineers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
10. of Producers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
11. of nominations for Grammy Awards over the last 5 years @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
12. Beatboxers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
13. 16.8% of Artists 12.3% of Songwriters 20% of Composers 5% of Engineers 2% of Producers 3/20 Beatboxers @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
14. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
15. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech The Women who made way for the Music Industry
16. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
17. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace
18. Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
19. Ada Lovelace conceived the first computer program… ...and the idea that computers could make music @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
20. “Supposing, for instance, that the fundamental relations of pitched sounds in the science of harmony and of musical composition were susceptible of such expression and adaptations, the engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.” @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
21. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace 1952 - U SA G race H opper
22. Grace Hopper (1906 - 1992) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
23. Grace Hopper wrote the very first compiler… ... and was awarded 40 honorary degrees in her lifetime! @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
24. “The most dangerous phrase in the language is: “It’s always been done that way”” @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
25. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace 1957 - U nited Kingdom D aphne O ram 1952 - U SA G race H opper
26. Daphne Oram (1925 - 2003) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
27. Daphne Oram wrote the first entirely electronic score in BBC history… … and co-founded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
28. “You take a sound, any sound, record it and then change its nature by a multiplicity of operations. You record it at different speeds; you play it backwards; you add it to itself over and over again. You adjust filters, echoes, acoustic qualities… you produce a vast and subtle symphony. It’s a sort of modern magic. We think there’s something in it.” @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
29. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace 1957 - U nited Kingdom D aphne O ram 1952 - U SA G race H opper 1963 - U nited Kingdom D elia D erbyshire
30. Delia Derbyshire (1937 - 2001) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
31. Delia Derbyshire wrote the theme of Doctor Who… ...one the first TV themes to be created by entirely electronic means @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
32. “What we are doing now is not important for itself, but one day someone might be interested enough to carry things forward and create something wonderful on these foundations” @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
33. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace 1957 - U nited Kingdom D aphne O ram 1952 - U SA G race H opper 1963 - U nited Kingdom D elia D erbyshire 1973 - U SA Laurie Spiegel
34. Laurie Spiegel (1945 - present) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
35. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech Laurie Spiegel is known for using algorithmic logic in composition… ...she worked on many early, experimental music generation systems
36. “I automate whatever can be automated to be freer to focus on those aspects of music that can't be automated. The challenge is to figure out which is which." @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
37. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech 1843 - U nited Kingdom A da Lovelace 1957 - U nited Kingdom D aphne O ram 1952 - U SA G race H opper 1963 - U nited Kingdom D elia D erbyshire 1973 - U SA Laurie Spiegel 1986 - U SA Carla Scaletti
38. Carla Scaletti (1956 - present) @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
39. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech Carla Scaletti designed Kyma... ...one of the first graphical programming languages for real time digital audio signal processing
40. “Throughout human history, sound and music have played an intrinsic role in magic, ritual, ceremony, and celebration, transforming the mundane into the sublime, marking everyday events as memorable milestones, and enhancing the flow of experience." @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
41. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech Poppy Crum Chief Scientist at Dolby Labs Rebecca Fiebrink Creator of Wekinator Bozena Kostek Editor of the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society Elizabeth Cohen First Female President of the Audio Engineering Society Anne-Marie Bruneau - Researcher of Electrodynamic Loudspeaker Design Sophie Germain Mathematician, Scientist & Philosopher Bronwyn Jones Developed the first Loudness meters Mara Helmuth Previous President of the International Computer Music Association
42. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
43. 1931 The start of the recording career of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She is considered the “Godmother of Rock n Roll”. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
44. 1958 The rise of Nina Simone starts with the success of “I Loves You, Porgy” Nina paved the way for women of colour in music & is cited as one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
45. 1960 Carole King co-wrote the hit song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” performed by The Shirelles. Carole is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
46. 1966 Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic Records and became known as “The Queen of Soul”. She was the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
47. 1975 Patti Smith leads the New York City punk rock movement with her debut album Horses. She was called the “punk poet laureate” for her seamless fusion of punk and poetry in her work. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
48. 1979 Sylvia Robinson is dubbed “The Mother of Hip-Hop” for being a driving force behind the genre. She was the founder and CEO of Sugar Hill Records. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
49. 1981 Blondie releases the first song featuring rapping that tops the charts. With notable lyrics that namecheck the hip-hop pioneers (Fab Five Freddy & Grandmaster Flash). @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
50. 1992 Björk embarked on her solo career developing her eclectic musical style. She is listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
51. 2015 Kaila Mullady is named the World Beatboxing Champion. She has used her artistry to support using beatboxing as a tool for speech therapy. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
52. @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech
53. womeninmusic.org
54. soundgirls.org
55. shesaid.so
56. hernoise.org
57. omniicollective.com
58. & YOU
59. Thank you! Ask me anything... Amy Dickens My Kind Of Tech @RedRoxProjects | @MKofTech