We Are Moving the Needle, a nonprofit organization that aims to close the vast gender gap in the technical fields of the recording industry, announced that seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette has joined its SoundBoard. Additionally, Morissette has invited We Are Moving the Needle to join her on her current tour celebrating 25 years of the groundbreaking, 17x Platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning album, Jagged Little Pill. The non-profit organization will be featured in a pre-show video and have representatives at most stops on the tour to provide information about how to get involved. The U.S. leg of the tour, which also features Garbage and Cat Power, kicks off tonight, August 12, in Austin, TX and wraps up October 6 in Los Angeles.
Morissette joins founder, Emily Lazar, and previously announced We Are Moving the Needle SoundBoard members members such as Brandi Carlile, Maggie Rogers, Brittany Howard, HAIM, Vanessa Carlton, Christina Perri, Imogen Heap, and Linda Perry, along with other prominent leaders in the music industry, who have signed on to bolster the number of women producers and recording engineers. A complete list of SoundBoard members can be found HERE.
“Alanis opened the door for women to express themselves in both an assertive and beautiful way at a time when women were not welcome or encouraged to have a voice. Celebrating the accomplishments of Jagged Little Pill by accompanying Alanis, Garbage, and Cat Power on tour could not be a better fit for We Are Moving The Needle and its mission” says Emily Lazar, President and Chief Mastering Engineer of The Lodge and Founder of We Are Moving The Needle. Lazar, who has worked with Morissette on her past few albums, notes, “I was immediately impressed by Alanis’s artistry, and my admiration and respect for her grew exponentially after learning of her commitment to equity and inclusion by collaborating with women producers and engineers.”
According to the fourth annual iteration of USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study “Inclusion in the Recording Studio,” released earlier this year, only 2% of producers and engineers across popular music were women in 2020. Lazar, who was nominated for three Album of the Year GRAMMY Awards this year for her work on albums by Coldplay, HAIM, and Jacob Collier, founded We Are Moving the Needle to create measurable change by empowering women in the recording and professional audio industry with the education, equipment and mentorship needed to succeed at the highest levels.
We Are Moving the Needle will work to bring equity and inclusion to the present industry as well as guarantee growth and progress for generations to come by awarding scholarships and grants to music technology and recording programs at academies, colleges and universities around the world. The group also has plans for mentorship programming, dedicated internships and entry level positions designated and reserved for women, as well as supporting women who are already progressing in their careers.
About We Are Moving The Needle
We Are Moving the Needle is a non-profit organization that aims to close the vast gender gap in the technical fields in the recording industry. Founded by GRAMMY Award-winning Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar, the group works to educate, equip, energize and employ more women in producing and engineering roles. We Are Moving The Needle is an all inclusive organization for change and we invite everyone to join the initiative at www.wearemovingtheneedle.
