The Dartmouth Aires, the a cappella singing group, has a chance to WIN NBC's Sing Off - but we all have to vote.
BECAUSE -
I intend to ask them to perform a Hope Sings song!
Remember how the Dartmouth Women's group, the Decibelles, arranged and performed our song, "Hope" last spring?
So that song is ready and waiting for them to perform and raise awareness of/funds for microfinance.
So help MF - and vote! Up to 10 times per email address.
I have a blog on this awesome new site, Better After 50.
It's about my personal "f" word - focus.
One out of every three women under the age of 35 has experienced gender-based violence during her lifetime (according to the Ibero-American Youth Organization). And regional statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean are even more terrifying. For instance, in the Bahamas, 17% percent of deaths/homicides in 2007 were as a result of domestic violence.
In September, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE To End Violence Against Women invited 26 artists from Latin America and the Caribbean to participate in a workshop in Panama City.
Over three days, those artists used their talent to generate compelling messages and other initiatives to raise awareness of and advocate for an end to this scourge of violence against women and girls.
http://www.saynotoviolence.org/join-say-no/26-artists-unite
Are you interested in being involved? Let us know!
Ginni Rometty is the next CEO of IBM. In part, perhaps, because she is full of charm and charisma, theorizes Judith Samuelson's in her post on the Huff Post. (bolds mine)
"In 2002, when IBM purchased the consulting arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the company turned to Rometty to massage the egos and assure a successful transition. At the time, the $3.5 billion purchase was viewed as a big risk...CEO Palmisano..."She did the deal and she made it work" ... George Colony, chairman of Forrester Research, called it a "massive charm campaign" and cited Ginni's "performance and charisma."
Really? The next CEO of IBM is charming? We have promoted a woman to lead the single largest company ever led by a female in the history of the country, because of her charisma? For a Boomer feminist like me, those words should make my skin crawl.
Instead, I say bring it on. A few years back, it was the women who had the courage to speak out on the need for internal business protocols and compensation systems that favor long-term investment over short-termism. Anne Mulcahy at Xerox, Indra Nooyi at Pepsi, Peggy Foran at Pfizer, and Sarah Teslik at Apache Corporation were among the first to lead or persuade their companies to sign on to the Aspen Principles, an unprecedented agreement among companies, investors, and corporate governance professionals who have vowed to dedicate themselves to long-term value creation over short-term profits. I am quite sure that smarts and charm were needed."
So maybe we're getting closer to the day when we'll get to see what the world would look like if women were in charge...
Reprinted from Beth Blatt's Huffington Post blog...
In November of 2010, I learned from my friend Evelyn that UNIFEM, where she worked, was morphing into a brand-new entity -- UN Women -- which would be the umbrella for the UN's other women's agencies.
Before I could think, I blurted out, "They need a theme song." (My social enterprise, Hope Sings, is in the business of creating music to support causes that support women).
And three (very) short months later, they had one. Graham Lyle ("What's Love Got To Do With It" and many other hits) and British/Somalian singer-songwriter Clay composed the music, and I wrote the lyrics, based on stories of women whom UNIFEM/UN Women had helped.
"One Woman" was the grand finale at the launch ceremony in the UN General Assembly Hall, where 1800 guests stood and sang along with the reprise (it's a pretty catchy song).
Over the next few days, requests poured in from UN offices around the world to perform the song in honor of International Women's Day. Frankly, we weren't ready for that kind of reception. We didn't have sheet music, didn't have a demo, didn't have a karaoke track -- nada.
After that, we all knew we wanted to produce the song, and produce it big. The vision was a veritable United Nations of international female singing stars -- a sort of "We Are The World" for women. We'd get Quincy Jones on board, Peter Gabriel, Shakira -- she's tight with the UN (even if it is UNICEF) and personal friends with Michelle Bachelet, the Exec. Dir. of UNW and former president of Chile.
And then, a few weeks back, UN Women said they had the money to produce the song.
So... how exactly do you make a "We Are The World" for women happen -- when you're not Quincy Jones?
That's what I plan to share in this blog.
We have a mind-boggling Wish List of women from every continent. Singers, producers, instrumentalists, even non-singers -- humanitarians, politicians, businesswomen. The list runs to six pages, from Beyonce to Esperanza Spalding to the 13 Grandmothers to Michelle O. and the girls.
There are men, too -- because they are part of the equation, both in the song and in the world.
We also want women from villages all over the world to sing along on the refrain of the song, "We Shall Shine." No idea how to make that happen. But we will.
And of course, we need video. Not just your basic 3-minute music video, but also the "Making Of" video-mentary. Mind you, UN Women doesn't have budget for that. Translation: we need to find a sponsor.
All by March 8, 2012 -- the next International Women's Day, when we have agreed we'll launch the song (on the Today show. Of course. Though they don't know that yet. Unless they're reading this now.)
This blog is a few things.
This blog is my stake in the sand. Your eyeballs make us accountable. Please smile when we soar (or post a comment). Please offer Kleenex when we crash and burn (or post a comment).
This blog is my publicist. Who knows, maybe some of the women on my six-page list will read this and email me. Maybe even a sponsor will email me. One item less on my to-do list.
This blog is also, I'm hoping, a way to inspire others to blurt out things like, "They need a theme song." And then make it happen.
This blog is also (and I swear, after this one, I'm done) a way to share our learning so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. How do you work with a behemoth like the UN? How do you get through to Beyonce? How do you decide which celebrity to call first? Why are celebrities so powerful, anyway? How exactly do you do a global simulcast? I hope I don't lose my nerve to tell it like it happens, hiccups and all. "Tune in" to see.
So, welcome. On my to-do list for next week: finding a way to get to Alicia Keys, our first choice to produce the song.
Beth Blatt is the founder of Hope Sings, a social enterprise dedicated to harnessing the power of song and story to empower, inspire and connect women around the world. Hope Sings was selected by UN Women to create the agency's theme song for their launch in February 2011, and to produce and release the song in time for International Women's Day, March 8, 2012.
Cirila, 46, is a single mother of three children in Peru. Cirila starts work very early every morning, embroidering skirts, capes and other items for traditional festivals in the Mantaro Valley where she lives.
When you buy Hope Sings songs this week, 50% of your money goes right to Cirila and her team (through Kiva/Edaprospro) - and to the artists whose music supports them. Artists like Christine Vaindirlis from South Africa (shooting for the stars and organizing an African music festival in New York next summer ) and Rebecca Brusca (trying to make her music dreams come true in Romania).
50%. That's not a typo. Through Tuesday Monday August 1st.
Why are we doing this??
It's summer. Vacations, doldrums, heat exhaustion. We've got to get your attention somehow.
Go to www.hopesings.squarespace.com/buy/ and pick your songs. If the word "PayPal" makes you break out in hives, it's easier than you think. You don't have to have an account, you can simply pay with your credit card.
Everyone who buys all 12 songs will make the "Nice" list on our website. And everyone who doesn't will be on the "Naughty" list. Well, there won't really be a "Naughty" list. But you'll know who you are (and so will we!).
So shake off that summer lethargy, go to www.hopesings.squarespace.com/buy/ and do your good deed for the day/week/month. Create some good KARMONY (karma+harmony).
THANKS!!!
Love Jenn LaLima Ortmuller! THE most positive person I've met in a long while. Check out her site, and the interview she did with me. We met at the Donna Karan/Urban Zen/Womensphere event a while back. Jenn blogs on the Huffington Post, amongst other inspiring things.
http://bit.ly/pFsty3
Cool on her site today? Tiny Tao Tuesday's. This week is about obscurity and being an observer. That felt GREAT to me - being in a situation where you take the pressure off of yourself to perform and instead, just...be. Listen. Watch. Ah.
Gotta go and "be."
How did all this time go by without telling you folks about the great time Hope Sings had in Miami in April, producing two music events for Sustainatopia 2011?
Well, better late than never!
John Rosser, founder of Sustainatopia, asked us to program some great music around his 7-day conference/culture event that focused on impact investing in Latin America/the Caribbean and women's empowerment.
And so we did. Our first foray into live events in Miami. And thanks to billboard space donated by Fuel Outdoor (thank you, Michael Freedman) and on-air PSA's from Clear Channel radio stations (thank you, Alih's sister) we were a huge hit!
Saturday, April 2, two great Latin bands - Lanzallamas Monofonico and Elastic Bond wowed the crowd. Both groups are fronted by women: Cintia Lovo (Lanzallamas) and Sofy Encanto (Elastic Bond). They even learned our song from Marta Gomez, "La Esperanza Canta," and sang a duet. The bands did shout out's for Hope Sings all night. It was amazing. See some video below.
On Tuesday, the Van Dyke Upstairs on Lincoln Road was the venue for a singer-songwriter night with some of Miami's best women: Omine Eager, Michelle Forman, daphna rose, and Jill Hartmann. I can't imagine four more different - or gifted - performers. Again, shout-out's galore for Hope Sings and the women we're helping.
A big THANK YOU to all the musicians who helped us rock Miami, and likewise to John Rosser for having us!
On May 16, Hope Sings notched another milestone: the debut of the first a cappella version of one of our original songs!
The all-women group, the Dartmouth Decibelles did a special arrangement of "Hope," by Alih Jey and Ines Gaviria. See the video below.
The song was the finale of a fundraising benefit held at Dartmouth for Hope Sings and Grameen U, the initiative from Grameen America that sets up clubs at universities around the country to support them.
Kudos to Campbell Secrest and Mahala Pagan, who organized the event for Grameen U, and Bailey Hoar, the musical director for the Deci's (as they're called). Bailey did the arrangement of "Hope" and rallied the other a cappella groups who performed (the Brovertones and the Cords).
It's one of those fun, synchronicity stories how it all came about. When HS founder Beth Blatt was at Dartmouth, she sang with the Woodswind, as the Deci's used to be called. The musical director of the group back then was Eve Pratt, now Eve Hoar - and by the last name, you can perhaps tell that she is Bailey's mother. About six months prior, Beth was chatting with Bailey, and they noodled on how cool it would be to do an a cappella arrangement of a Hope Sings song. One day.
Enter HS intern Raul Silva-Behrens. One of his tasks was to connect with college campuses and microfinance clubs to let them know about Hope Sings and search for collaboration opportunities. At Bucknell, he found Nicole Meyers, who was heading up the Grameen U effort. Turns out, they'd just formed a chapter at Dartmouth. Wouldn't it be great to do an event with Grameen U and Hope Sings at Dartmouth?
And thus the evening was born.
Money was raised. Awareness of microfinance was raised. The roof was raised by some great singing. Check out the video here, or go to our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/hopesingsmicro#p/a/u/2/S9oxz14Ci9w
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - we now have an a cappella arrangement of the song that ANY GROUP ANYWHERE CAN PERFORM!! What better way to get the word out about the power of microfinance than with the power of song - an original Hope Sings song? Tell all the a cappellistas you know, it's through them that HOPE SINGS!
You can download Bailey's arrangement on our "buy" page.
...to make money in the music business?
At Hope Sings, we're looking at all the different ways - all the potential revenue streams, time/energy cost/benefit analysis - to make enough money to make a difference (ie donating to our MF partners).
I don't recommend reading the following scree by Courtney Love if you're thinking of entering the music business and actually paying your rent. It's very lucid and very funny in a terrifying way.
Here it is - how the label makes 11 million and the artists end up with nothing. Even with a $1 million advance.
Here she goes:
What happens to that million dollars?
They spend half a million to record their album. That leaves the band with $500,000. They pay $100,000 to their manager for 20 percent commission. They pay $25,000 each to their lawyer and business manager.
That leaves $350,000 for the four band members to split. After $170,000 in taxes, there's $180,000 left. That comes out to $45,000 per person.
That's $45,000 to live on for a year until the record gets released.
The record is a big hit and sells a million copies. (How a bidding-war band sells a million copies of its debut record is another rant entirely, but it's based on any basic civics-class knowledge that any of us have about cartels. Put simply, the antitrust laws in this country are basically a joke, protecting us just enough to not have to re-name our park service the Phillip Morris National Park Service.)
So, this band releases two singles and makes two videos. The two videos cost a million dollars to make and 50 percent of the video production costs are recouped out of the band's royalties.
The band gets $200,000 in tour support, which is 100 percent recoupable.
The record company spends $300,000 on independent radio promotion. You have to pay independent promotion to get your song on the radio; independent promotion is a system where the record companies use middlemen so they can pretend not to know that radio stations -- the unified broadcast system -- are getting paid to play their records.
All of those independent promotion costs are charged to the band.
Since the original million-dollar advance is also recoupable, the band owes $2 million to the record company.
If all of the million records are sold at full price with no discounts or record clubs, the band earns $2 million in royalties, since their 20 percent royalty works out to $2 a record.
Two million dollars in royalties minus $2 million in recoupable expenses equals ... zero!
How much does the record company make?
They grossed $11 million.
It costs $500,000 to manufacture the CDs and they advanced the band $1 million. Plus there were $1 million in video costs, $300,000 in radio promotion and $200,000 in tour support.
The company also paid $750,000 in music publishing royalties.
They spent $2.2 million on marketing. That's mostly retail advertising, but marketing also pays for those huge posters of Marilyn Manson in Times Square and the street scouts who drive around in vans handing out black Korn T-shirts and backwards baseball caps. Not to mention trips to Scores and cash for tips for all and sundry.
Add it up and the record company has spent about $4.4 million.
So their profit is $6.6 million; the band may as well be working at a 7-Eleven.
Big Gulp, anyone?
We consider Omine part of the Hope Sings family, since she rocked for us at the show we produced in Miami at the Van Dyke last month.
Here's Lee Zimmerman's thumbs up review of her new album from today's the New Times (Broward Cty):
"Then there's Ominé's Whiskey & Chocolate. Ominé Eager, as she's formally known, is a brash newcomer whose new album is as enticing as its title would suggest. Her sultry, soulful vocals lash out above the instrumental fray while bringing to mind Chrissie Hynde in all her sassy exuberance. After jump-starting the set with the robust rocker "Knock," Ominé keeps the energy intact throughout, her only respite coming toward the set's end. The seductive ballad "Come Back to Me," a sympathetic cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," and the album's country-sounding conclusion "Songbird" moot the aggression and guarantee the diversity. Ominé's combination of attitude and ability works well in sync, but credit is also due Perdomo, who applies his usual agile touch while providing both production and a good portion of the instrumentation. The liner notes find her giving several shoutouts to family and friends, noble sentiments that affirm her clarity and commitment."
It’s Friday. Still stumped for that Mother’s Day gift?
Check out what Hope Sings microfinance partner FINCA has cooked up …
…a special FINCA Mother's Day e-card! It lets you make a gift to mothers who receive FINCA loans in honor of your own mother. After 25 years in the field, FINCA knows that when mothers in poverty stricken areas "start realizing profit and savings, they invest that money in the welfare of their children. First, nutrition improves, and then their housing situation. And, most importantly, they invest in their children’s education."
And if you haven’t yet - buy a Hope Sings song. Profits from our songs go to our partner microfinance organizations to help fund small loans to individuals -- many of them women. You're also helping another kind of woman entrepreneur - the emerging/cross-over artists Hope Sings supports as well!
Every Mother's Day we pay tribute to our own mothers through dinners, gifts, phone calls, cards or fond memories.
This year, celebrate all mothers everywhere - especially those mothers living in poverty, working hard, but not earning enough money to feed their families or send their children to school - with Hope Sings and our partners.
Today, why don't you visit HS partner Kiva.org –
Kiva is offering Kiva Cards that help mothers around the world who lack access to basic opportunities in life - like financial services. "Mothers nurture, love, and support us, and every year we take a day to celebrate this, yet not all mothers around the world have the ability to provide for their children and families as they wish they could. Kiva works to help give Mothers around the world opportunities to succeed."
Another thing you can do in honor of Mom's Day? Buy a Hope Sings song. Profits from our songs go to our partner microfinance organizations to help fund small loans to individuals -- many of them women -- to start small businesses and begin the journey from poverty to prosperity. Direct donations are great, but songs have the potential to reach thousands of ears and create thousands of new donors – that’s the Music Multiplier Effect!
In honor of Mother's Day, we have here on the website an exclusive interview with Colombian wonder woman Andrea Echeverri.
She shares with our correpondent Allie Silver how motherhood is changing her as an artist.
Check it out under the "interview" section. It's four minutes long - and in English!
More installments of Andrea and Allie chatting to come...
We do!
In 1870, in the wake of the bloodshed and destruction of the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe (she also wrote the poem that became The Battle Hymn of the Republic) wrote a passionate demand for disarmament and peace. It was not until 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson made it an official US holiday.
Future Hope Sings artist Aliza Hava was so inspired by Ward Howe's words that she wrote a song (that's what Hope Sings artists do...). Watch her acoustic performance of the song below, performed in the mystical city of Tzfat - cool, right?). Right under the video, we have posted both the declaration and the lyrics - so you can track how life inspires art!
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Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts,
whether your baptism be that of water or tears!
Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!" The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail & commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesars but of God. In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.
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"Arise, Women of this Day!" Composed by Aliza Hava/©2008 FireMusicFaerie Productions/ASCAP
Arise, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts Arise, women of this day! Rise Up! Rise Up!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears Say firmly, We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage for caresses and applause Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we've been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience We, the women of one country Shall be too tender to those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs
Arise, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts Arise, women of this day! Rise Up! Rise Up!
From the bosom of a devastated earth A voice goes up with our own It says, "Disarm! Disarm!" The sword of murder is not the balance of Justice. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel Let them meet first, as women to bewail and commemorate the dead Let them solemnly take counsel with each other As to the means whereby the Great Human Family Can live in Peace
Arise, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts Arise, women of this day! Rise Up! Rise Up!
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Learn more about the amazing Aliza Hava, activist and artist, at alizahava.com
More on Julia Ward Howe:
US feminist, reformer, and writer Julia Ward Howe was born May 27, 1819 in New York City. She married Samuel Gridley Howe of Boston, a physician and social reformer. After the Civil War, she campaigned for women rights, anti-slavery, equality, and for world peace. She published several volumes of poetry, travel books, and a play. She became the first woman to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908. She was an ardent antislavery activist who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic in 1862, sung to the tune of John Brown's Body. She wrote a biography in 1883 of Margaret Fuller, who was a prominent literary figure and a member of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Transcendentalists. She died in 1910. (courtesy of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
Hope Sings offered a brand new song - written in less than a week - for the Stand for Japan to benefit Save the Children in Japan in NYC on 3/29/2011. Music by Yasuhiko Fukuoka, lyrics by Beth Blatt. Singers were amazing - Kiyotaka Kurihara and Akiko.
Organizer Nozomi Terao said the evening raised more than $30,000 and counting!
Photos at hopesings.net.
Video to come!
On March 28, Hope Sings presented the UN Women theme song "One Woman," featuring Traciana Graves and the girls from St. Joseph's High School - Judwina Chery, Krystal Maldonado and Briana Cintron, with Reginal Magloire.
Lots of great women there - Lynn Tilton, Linda Descano, Windows for Widows - amazing!
Photo at www.hopesings.net. Video to come!
My friend Mike Pettry has done something amazing. Read what he says:
"The musical, The Time Travelers Convention, is now available on YouTube in its entirety. We recorded the musical as a radio play with a professional cast, full orchestrations and sound effects, and have posted it on YouTube with an artist's renderings of the scenes. This is the first time anyone has ever created a musical in this way, and it's totally free to watch."
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? IT'S SHOWTIME ANYTIME YOU WANT IT!
direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsfQZDL12I&p=3645FFAA2813E725
More info -
The Time Travelers Convention (book and lyrics by Heidi Heilig, music by Mike Pettry) is a new musical that has been fully realized as a radio play on YouTube. It is the story of the three high school nerds who want to go back in time to change their pasts. They decide to hold a Time Travelers Convention, putting flyers in classic books in the hopes that, in a future where anything is possible, the invitations will be found and a time traveler -- with a time machine -- will come to their party. When a stranger does arrive, the characters have to struggle with the possibilities of dealing with the past, or finding a way to live in the now.
We'll be performing the UN Women song "One Woman" with lead vocalist Traciana Graves and girls from the St. Joseph's High School Girls Choir. Some amazing women are speaking and getting awards (see below). If you are free Monday night, join us!
DONNA KARAN/WOMENSPHERE LINE-UP
ROUNDTABLE CONVERSATION: WOMEN’S GLOBAL VISION & SHAPING THE FUTURE TODAY
LUMINARY AWARDS Honoring Trailblazing Women Leaders who are Shaping the Present & Future
Presented by Madeline Nelson (Urban Zen Foundation) and Analisa Balares (Womensphere)
TRAILBLAZING WOMEN Showcasing Women Changing the World
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