WOMEN OF NAMM I BY JULIE TAN DEI in the MI Industry
D EI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) has become either a clarion call uniting us or a divisive political hot but- ton driving us apart. I’m a small business owner who happens to be a woman of color. With those limited qualifications, this is how I approach and understand DEI. As a Gen-Xer in the audio space, I do scroll Facebook and comb through some of the audio groups. In those groups, there seems to be more dismissal whenever a woman shares about the way she’s treated or passed over. However, there’s also a lot of generalized
the same. It’s to meet them where they’re at. This concept reminds me of my dreaded high school mile runs as a kid with asthma. Equality is everyone must run. Equity is that everybody has to do the mile, some may run and the asthma kid can walk — as long as we all go the mile. Being able to meet each member of your team where they’re at makes them feel valued and brings their best abilities to the table. As the music industry itself has evolved, there are new opportuni- ties arising. This year, there are more female artists nominated than men in the major categories for the Grammys. This was emphasized in my own personal experience, recently having spent nearly two whole days refreshing Ticketmaster for Billie Eilish tickets for my teen daughter. There are a lot of women spending a lot of money on music and the trend continues. Fender figured this out with FenderPlay, its online instruction platform. If you want to grow your audience, you have to seed and build your audience; and if you want to grow your industry, you have to seed and build your industry. Happy employees, meeting the customers’ needs and expand- ing your market share — isn’t that what every company hopes for? DEI shouldn’t be seen as the practice du jour because it’s politically correct. It should be adopted and practiced because it fosters a more engaged work- place, and it’s good business. MI Julie Tan serves as the owner and CEO of AEA Ribbon Mics and has been working in the MI industry for 30-plus years. She’s a frequent speaker and con- tributor on the topic of women in MI and pro-audio and is eager to help bring up the next generation in our ever-evolving and always exciting community.
name-calling and demeaning of any person who isn’t as experienced or technically savvy — regardless of gender. I believe this shows that while there’s definitely still sexism in our industry, much of this posturing is actually gate keeping in general. We work in a coveted industry. How many people get to hang out with their favorite musicians and do what they love day in and day out? We all bring a certain passion to our professions. Packing boxes in the warehouse or hounding reps for sales for a manu- facturer might not feel like working in entertainment, but we’re entertainment-adjacent, and one of the most important parts of the musical ecosystem. Ensuring that people of all backgrounds, not just those who are already in it, have a chance to find a place in our industry is important to our future growth and development.
Diversity by definition means variety. Different people — whether it’s age, gender, ethnicity or neurodiversity — bring different points of view and different skill sets. A good leader should welcome being questioned and challenged. Of- ten, an opinion that is different from our own is what allows us to see the weak points in our own theories or perceptions. When we surround ourselves with people just like us, it locks us into our own echo chamber. Inclusion feels very self-explanatory, even rudimentary. But do we all practice it at
Women of NAMM seeks to empower female voices to share their insights and perspectives on a range of topics. Here, we hear from Julie Tan of AEA Ribbon Mics on the topic of DEI in our industry.
work daily and in our everyday lives? Do we make everyone feel welcome and treated equally? The reality is that we’re not all in the same headspace or life space. Inclusion means creating an inclusive culture-making a space available for everyone to participate. There are people who are chatty, and others who are more reserved. In the previously mentioned Facebook audio group example, if someone complains about a tough work situation, instead of saying, “Get over it,” try saying, “Tell me more.” Equity required more research to define and feels particularly im- portant. Equity is not the same as equality’s aim to treat everyone
32 I MUSIC INC. I FEBRUARY/MARCH 2025
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