BE OF BENEFIT TO OTHERS
Rethink An Old Song
We must support organizations that provide access to safe, legal abortion and reproductive health services. This is what I am doing with my rerecorded version of “Sally’s Pigeons” [a song about a lethal back-alley abortion]. “Sally’s Pigeons” was a common story when I was growing up. It is a story we all thought we wouldn’t have to relive. Proceeds from the rerecorded version, as well as other efforts I am working on, will go to the Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights Fund. When I saw the Dobbs draft, my team and I decided to create this fund in order to support organizations that protect safe, legal abortion access and reproductive health, like AbortionFunds.org, and get-out-the-vote efforts, like Vote411.org. —Cyndi Lauper
Use Those Air Miles — For Someone Else
A client of ours had an amazing idea: We should aggregate unused air miles our various touring parties have accumulated and work with the airlines to create an unused miles clearinghouse for women looking to travel out of various states that ban abortion to states like California that are a safe haven. When government fails, it is up to the people to find solutions.
—Jordan Bromley partner/ entertainment group leader, Manatt Phelps & Phillips
Build In Charity Buy-Ins
Indie artists can help make a difference by using the music distribution platform Bandcamp: Its pricing feature would enable them to enact pay-what-you-want charity sales benefiting organizations helping to support abortion access for all.
—Masud “Mally” Hassan founder, Swidlife
Volunteer Locally
You don’t have to start from scratch when wanting to create change. Find people aligned with your values and help them. For instance, I donate studio time at Echo Mountain to nonprofits for silent auctions. I volunteer at a local women’s shelter, and I also let those volunteers park at the studio so they don’t have to pay for parking. We don’t have anything in place now [for abortion funds], but that makes me think I should reach out to a couple of organizations and see if that’s something that could be of use to them. —Jessica Tomasin manager, Echo Mountain Recording; founder, Connect Beyond Festival
Throw A Party
We just can’t let the artists sing or take action on their own. Organize a benefit to raise funds for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Planned Parenthood, et cetera. Reach
out to them: In many cases, they can help get you organized and spread the word for a benefit that can really pinpoint your community/location. Let’s also remember that abortion rights aren’t the only issue these organizations tackle — it’s also free or low-cost screenings for breast cancer, birth control and counseling, among many other things. They need our financial support to continue to provide and to operate. Talk to a local music venue or community center to see if they can donate a night. —Gil Gastelum founder, Cosmica Management & Records
Help Overhaul Health Care
With remote work becoming more widespread and accepted, it’s important for employers with staff in anti-abortion states to guarantee they will be able to get treatment wherever it is allowed. DMG Clearances, which has always been remote, employs people in three states that have or are likely to ban abortion: Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina. We cover 100% of our employees’ health costs and are committed to maintaining their privacy against those who would do them harm. We encourage all other employers to do the same. —Deborah Mannis-Gardner founder/president,
DMG Clearances
Our most recent Women in the Mix study found that women in the music industry are already at a significant disadvantage
because of gender disparities in our health care systems. Right now, we should all be working to expand women’s access to health care, and that’s where we will continue to focus. In this critical time, we have conducted an in-depth review of our internal policies related to reproductive rights — from access to abortion services and in vitro fertilization to mental health benefits.
I’m pleased to say the Recording Academy’s benefits are comprehensive and supportive of women, enabling them to get the care they choose to receive. —Harvey Mason Jr.
CEO, Recording Academy
I absolutely love seeing the music companies that have rallied behind their employees. It’s important that these offers to cover travel and time off for an abortion are frictionless and not contingent on approval or even disclosure to a supervisor. It’s a good idea to seek the help of a third party for matters such as this (and really, if possible, all medical issues) so people don’t have to expose themselves to receive care. This is a space where gender minorities in music organizations can be your partners and advisers.
I also think this opens up an opportunity to discuss health care in the music industry comprehensively. Being employed at a company that already offers comprehensive health care is a privilege that many people in music don’t have. If you’re in the position to offer abortion coverage for your employees, what ability do you have to extend this to the musicians and contractors who help your business persist? While this isn’t always easy or straightforward, it can start with a call to your insurance companies to see if extending coverage to at least your 1099 employees is possible. That’s also a great time to check what coverage is available for abortions, HIV treatment, mental health and prenatal care; to get more generous with your parental leave policies; to get more creative within deal structures to allow for more stability; and, of course, to donate to your local musicians’ health funds so that if you can’t cover them, someone can.
—Christine Osazuwa founder, Measure of
Music; U.K. director, shesaid.so
Schedule Donations
A great way to stay engaged is to set up monthly donations to an organization. Many organizations are set up for this, including the National Network of Abortion Funds, which splits donations among 90 local abortion funds. I think it would be amazing for companies to do this, as well as individuals. Getting in touch with your own capacity for generosity is important. Many people can afford to give more than they do, but it’s common to feel a fear of scarcity, and for some, it’s hard to prioritize benefiting strangers over themselves or loved ones. But your liberation relies on the liberation of all.
—Lucy Dacus
Offer Your
Expertise
If you are a lawyer, you can help individuals and organizations, including your own, by providing advice on what state and local legal protections are available for people in need of reproductive health care.
—Adrian J. Perry partner/ co-chair of music industry practice, Covington & Burling