She is the Music will honor country superstar Megan Moroney and industry legend Sylvia Rhone at the organization’s second-ever Sharing the Spotlight event next week, the organization announced Wednesday, recognizing the trailblazing women who’ve moved the needle in the music business already while also trying to uplift those on the come up.
Sharing the Spotlight, which takes place February 18 in Los Angeles, calls on all attendees to bring another woman they’d like to “share the spotlight with” in an effort to help champion more women in a business that remains male-dominated both in the c-suite and behind the board in the recording studio.
“The fact that there is the conversation happening, and the ability to have more women across every part of the music, that’s what it’s about,” Alicia Keys, a co-founder of She Is the Music, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve created this conversation of real world action to provide the level of mentorship that puts women in touch with opportunities to get into the door, take a seat at the table and break through these systems that have been in place for years. We’re honoring trailblazers like Sylvia and up and comers like Megan Moroney. But we want to share the spotlight, obviously that’s what the concept’s about. Bring another woman you want to open the door for.”
Moroney, who works with a team of women from management to her booking agents to PR, is being honored with this year’s Artist Spotlight, while Rhone, the first Black and female record executive to be named CEO at a major label, is getting recognized with the Trailblazer Spotlight. Late last year, Rhone stepped down from her post as CEO of Epic Records, where she worked with a wide range of superstars from Travis Scott to Future and 21 Savage.
“Megan’s been really focused on constantly bringing other women into a position of leadership, she’s conscious about it,” Keys says. “And loving the icon Sylvia Rhone, who literally singlehandedly changed and trailblazed the system. In the landscape of music, she’s the godmother in so many ways. It’s exciting to honor her greatness.”
As Moroney said in a statement: “I’m so honored to receive this recognition from She Is The Music. I wouldn’t be where I am today, in my career and in life, without the support of all the incredible females around me. Knowing that some of the most talented women in the business always have my back gives me the creative space to focus on my artistry and for this I’m beyond grateful.”
As Rhone added: “Throughout my career, I’ve believed that real power is about using it to create opportunity for others. I’m deeply honored to be recognized by an organization that understands progress requires both vision and action.”
Keys co-founded She is the Music back in 2018 alongside Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson, recording engineer Ann Mincieli and UTA co-head of music Samantha Kirby-Yoh. The organziation is now eight years old, and since its founding, women have been more centered in conversations around inclusion in the music business.
Still, the industry has significant steps needed to reach true gender parity. There are few female CEOs at the major record labels — after Rhone stepped down from Epic Records last year, Sony Music Nashville’s Taylor Lindsey was left as the last woman CEO in the major label system — and the producer and sound engineer field remains almost entirely male.
“I don’t believe people at the core don’t want women to have a seat at the table,” Keys says. “I just don’t know if it’s always front of mind. Changing that comes back to awareness. In every industry, you’ve got a circle of folks that you know you go to that you associate with X, Y or Z. That doesn’t mean that there’s not a plethora of other people that are also so capable of doing that thing. Even for say, an intern, it comes down to having the consciousness to say ‘let’s hire a young woman for this.’ She is the Music has a database of people you can reach out to. That’s the key to shifting it.”
She is the Music started the Sharing the Spotlight event last year, with Gracie Abrams receiving the ceremony’s inaugural honor. This year’s event partners are Spotify EQUAL, Live Nation Women and Tunecore. THR will once again serve as the event’s media partner.
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