You GoGirl!

Written by Laura Robida

By Laura Robida

Musicians have a wide variety of resources they can turn to for just about any topic that comes up. Entire internet communities exist for individual genres, equipment, and band topics. There are some great web resources for bands looking for help. Personally, I appreciate Craigslist (www.craigslist.org), Harmony Central (www.harmony-central.com) and site called Guitarglen (www.guitarglen.freeuk.com). While these sites are pretty comprehensive and offer a lot of valuable information, the “communities” that exist here are dominated by (often times) egotistical male musicians who are well passed their expiration date. These are the guys who, in the 1970s and 1980s, aspired to be rockstars. Instead, they never quite reached the brass ring and now harbor bitter feelings to anyone who is trying to create music. (I, in turn, am bitter towards these people.) There are few sites and communities on the web that are geared simply towards female musicians. What lacks in quantity doesn’t fail in quality, GoGirls Music is the premier resource for female musicians on the internet.

While the site offers a paid yearly membership called “GoGirls Elite” for $35, I’d hung around for my first year as a free standard member, participating in the message board discussions and listening (err reading) to the experiences of other GoGirls around the country. I was surprised to find that the GoGirls in the community span the genres playing everything from acoustic folk style music to blistering punk and metal. The community here, unlike its male counterparts, is remarkably upbeat, helpful and downright refreshing. Founder Madalyn Sklar is always available to answer questions and to chat with other GoGirls and she is one of the most valuable resources on the site. (I Tweeted about my upgrade to Elite status and received a reply from Sklar moments later.)

The community’s mission is simple: to promote, support and empower indie women in music. It offers a myriad (there’s a word I don’t use often) of networking opportunities in addition to event opportunities (GoGirls showcases at SXSW in Austin, Texas and numerous other events throughout the world.) GoGirls puts out compilation CDs and offers members the opportunity to get their music to places they might not have found on their own.

Aside from the benefits of being a member, the biggest asset here is the actual community of musicians (male and female) that exist at GoGirlsMusic.com. Members post questions about touring locations, venues, finding bandmates, services, and just about anything else you can think of. While in many communities there might be a lot of negative and information that is simply not useful, the GoGirls responses are a far cry from the norm (though they are quite normal for GoGirls). Everyone is eager to help and share their knowledge and experiences.  

I can think of worst ways to spend $35 each year. I’m proud that my band is GoGirls Elite members. Being associated with such a wonderful community is more than an honor.

Editor’s Note: For more information about GoGirls Music visit www.gogirlsmusic.com.