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"I Am Woman"
In 1972, Helen Reddy released the single "I Am Woman." Reddy told interviewers that the song was a "song of pride about being a woman."[1] After entering the Billboard Top 100, the song soon fell off the charts because radio stations refused to play it. Music critics and radio stations believed the song represented "all that is silly in the Women's Lib Movement."[2] Reddy began performing the song on different variety shows. As the song became more popular, women called into radio stations and demanded that they play the song. After these calls, radio stations began playing the song and "I Am Woman" quickly climbed the Billboard Top 100 to number one[1]. "I Am Woman" also became a protest song that women sang at rallies and protests where they demanded equal rights. [3]
Olivia Records
In 1973, a group of five feminists created the first women's owned-and-operated record label called Olivia Records.[4] They created the record label because they were frustrated that major labels were slow to add female artists to their rosters. One of Olivia's founders, Judy Dlugacz, said that, "It was a chance to create opportunities for women artists within an industry which at that time had few." [5] Initially, they had a budget of $4,000, and relied on donations to keep Olivia Records alive. With these donations, Olivia Records created their first LP, an album of feminist songs entitled I Know You Know.[6] The record label originally relied on volunteers and feminist bookstores to distribute their records, but after a few years their records began to be sold in mainstream record stores.[5]
Olivia Records was so successful that the company relocated from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles in 1975[6]. Olivia Records released several records and albums, and their popularity grew[4]. As their popularity grew, an alternative, specialized music industry grew around it. This type of music was initially referred to as "lesbian music" but came to be known as "women's music." [4] However, although Olivia Records was initially meant for women, in the 1980s it tried to move away from that stereotype and encouraged men to listen to their music as well.[5]
Women's Music
Women's music consisted of female musicians combined music with politics to express feminist ideals. [7] Cities throughout the United States began to hold Women's Music Festivals, all consisting of female artists singing their own songs about personal experiences.[8] The first Women's Music Festival was held in 1974 at the University of Illinois.[8] In 1979, Michigan held a Women's Music Festival that attracted 10,000 people from across America.[8] These festivals encouraged already-famous female singers, such as Laura Nyro and Ellen McIllwaine, to begin writing and producing their own songs instead of going through a major record label.[8] Many females began performing hard rock music, a traditionally male-dominated genre. One of the most successful examples included the sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, who formed the famous hard rock band Heart.[4]
- ^ a b Gourley, Catherine (2008). Ms. and the Material Girls: Perceptions of Women from the 1970s through the 1990s. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century. p. 26.
- ^ Gaar, Gillian (1992). She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll. Seattle: Seal Press.
- ^ Harvey, Steve (January 28, 1973). "Radical Chic: How Protest Became Saleable". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d Wollman, Elizabeth. "Women and the Music Industry in the 1970s". The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ a b c Liveton, Sharon (May 14, 1988). "Olivia Records: A Healthy Gain in 15 Years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ a b McKenna, Kristine (December 11, 1977). "Feminist Record Company: Women Who Love the Spin They're In". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "The Women's Liberation Music Archive". The Women's Liberation Music Archive. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Japenga, Ann (September 21, 1980). "Women's Music Festival: Alternative in Yosemite". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2017.