Female ASCAP Hitmakers Come Together For Nashville Song Camp

ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, will host a lineup of top female songwriters, producers, artists and engineers for its first ‘She Is The Music Song Camp,’ set at Ron Fair’s Faircraft Studio in Nashville, Oct. 17 – 19.

Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated Mary J. Blige will join Big Loud artist Jillian Jacqueline, songwriter Audra Mae, Sony Music Nashville duo The Sisterhood and Grammy-winning writer/artist Emily Weisband.

The industrywide initiative was created in response to a music industry report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with data revealing huge inequalities for female musicians. ’She Is The Music Song Camp’ is aimed at increasing opportunities for and empower female music creators, progressing inclusivity and equality with the goal of transforming the landscape of the business.

Additional participants include writers Stacey Barthe (“Cheers (Drink to That),” Rihanna), Ingrid Burley (“Love Drought,” Beyonce), singer/songwriter/pianist Anna Graceman, ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn prize winner/UMPG writer Caylee Hammack, PJ (Wiz Khalifa, Usher, Chris Brown, Charlie Puth, Fantasia), Priscilla Renea (“Timber,” Pitbull, “California King,” Rihanna), engineer Kesha Lee (Childish Gambino, Migos), engineer Maria Elisa Ayerbe (Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, JLo), producer/singer/songwriter Ali Stone, songwriter/producer Femke Weidema, and production duo The Wildcardz (Justin Park, Carly Paige). The effort was cofounded by Alicia Keys, Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson, Grammy Award-winning engineer Ann Mincieli and WME partner and head of East Coast Music Samantha Kirby.

“I’m looking forward to collaborating with these amazing women and to contribute to the goals of She Is The Music,” said Mary J. Blige. “We all have the power to create change. As we continue to lift each other up, we will be unstoppable.”

“ASCAP is thrilled to be part of this trailblazing effort and bring this incredible group of talented women together for our first She Is The Music song camp,” said ASCAP Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Matthews. “As a company, ASCAP is proud to have a large number of women in executive leadership positions, and we have a long history of successful song camps that have brought men and women together to write some of the biggest hit songs. We believe that still more can be done to further an inclusive music industry culture. To that end, it is important to give women as many opportunities as possible to share their talents with the world. She Is The Music is a wonderful way to bring us all together to focus on that goal.”