‘Anything For A Hit’ Author, Former A&R Exec Dorothy Carvello To Speak At Change The Conversation Event

Dorothy Carvello, former music executive. Photo: Dorothy Carvello

A&R pioneer Dorothy Carvello will discuss her new book, Anything For a Hit: An A&R Woman’s Story of Surviving the Music Industry, during an event hosted by music industry organization Change the Conversation on March 20 at 6 p.m. at Analog At Hutton Hotel in Nashville.

Change The Conversation was launched in 2014 by Nashville music industry executives Tracy Gershon, Leslie Fram and Beverly Keel and is committed to fighting gender inequality within the country music industry.

“I’m excited to engage Nashville as it is now the creative hub for music,” says Carvello. “We are at a defining moment right now with the treatment of female artists at country radio. Who will stand for the women now, and be on the right side of history?”

Carvello began working in the music industry in 1987, as a secretary to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun; Carvello rose through the ranks to become the label’s first female A&R exec. She also worked with some of the most well-known music executives, including Doug Morris, Irving Azoff, Joe Galante and Don Ienner, at Atlantic, Giant, RCA, Columbia and Relativity.

According to the New York Times, Carvello’s book “goes a long way toward explaining the culture of misogyny that, at best, looked the other way as women were mistreated and, at worst, cultivated abuse.”

“I am hearing stories of sexual harassment and bullying from women and men in the past and present music industry,” Carvello says. “We have abusers currently working in our business. Time’s Up. Every woman has a story of sexual harassment. I want the women entering this business to see my story as a cautionary tale, and embrace the list of what I learned at the end of my book. It’s a road map for proper work place behavior.”

She will also sign copies of her book at the event, which is free and open to the public. RSVPs for the event can be sent to officialchangetheconvo@gmail.com.