Marking two decades since punk band Shiragirl, led by Shira Yevin, made a statement by setting up a renegade all-female stage at the male-heavy Vans Warped Tour, Yevin continues to champion female representation in the music industry. As a gesture against the festival’s gender imbalance, this act led to the formation of the Shiragirl Stage, featuring over 300 female-led acts such as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Paramore, and securing a place in the Rock and Hall of Fame with a dedicated exhibit. Bustle article about Hayley Williams’s experience and NY Times report on Warped Tour’s gender dynamics.
Yevin’s advocacy did not stop there; Gritti in Pink, established in 2020 with backing from Live Nation, was her first step toward creating spaces for women in music. Its growth gave rise to InPink (InPink’s official website), a tailored job marketplace where female and non-binary artists, and other music and entertainment professionals, could showcase their services and connect with prominent brands.
InPink addresses the challenges faced by freelancers, particularly women, in accessing job opportunities and managing administrative tasks related to their services. It also introduces “Diversity” tags enabling searches by specific diversity factors like ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Today with over 3,000 users, InPink has already enabled several artists, including Leanne Bowes and Constance Antoinette, to secure roles with high-profile musicians like Demi Lovato and Olivia Rodrigo, with Moa Munoz landing a bassist position for the latter. The platform has executed transactions amounting to $300,000 so far.
Anticipating the future, InPink is in the process of introducing advanced AI tools for fair compensation analysis and talents matching, aiming for release in early 2023 or sooner. These tools are expected to reduce the persistent pay gap faced by female artists and facilitate efficient hiring for companies.
Yevin expresses her vision for InPink to not only transform the music industry but also to branch out into other entertainment sectors including sports, with early collaboration already seen with Angel City Football Club.
Gritty in Pink has garnered over $500,000 in investments and expects to complete a $1 million pre-seed funding round shortly, alongside entering the Berkeley SkyDeck incubator program.
FAQs about Shira Yevin and InPink
- Who is Shira Yevin?
- Shira Yevin is the lead singer of the punk band Shiragirl, known for creating a space for women in music by establishing the Shiragirl Stage at the Vans Warped Tour.
- What is Gritty in Pink?
- Gritty in Pink is a platform started by Shira Yevin in 2020, with the support of Live Nation, aimed at empowering female artists in the music industry.
- What is the purpose of InPink?
- InPink is an online job marketplace developed by Gritty in Pink for women and non-binary artists and other music and entertainment professionals to find gigs and connect with major brands.
- What kind of professionals can use InPink?
- Female and non-binary musicians, tour managers, photographers, video editors, graphic designers, and more in the music and live entertainment industry can use InPink.
- What is the Diversity tags feature?
- It is a feature on InPink that allows for filtering creators based on specific diversity criteria such as ethnicity or sexual orientation.
- Has InPink been successful?
- Yes, InPink has over 3,000 users, facilitated significant gigs, and has processed $300,000 in transactions as of the reported date.
