By Allyson J.L. Clayton

The Boys Club is getting very, very boring.
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As is almost everything in the world, the music industry is male-dominated. I hear from people I work with that “there just aren’t any women in the field,” when they are pressed about why their entire crew is made up of men–and mostly white men, at that.

We all grow up indoctrinated into believing that women should be in service to men and nothing else. Women are expected to work three and four times as hard without expecting anything in return, and constantly being put in their place while we men grow up being affirmed that they are owed whatever they desire.

We, along with Mind The Gap and all of their sponsors, want to be a part of changing that narrative.

Pleaser is an independent, women-run online and print music magazine that aims to highlight our favorite artists, their managers, tour managers, photographers, and all other behind-the-scenes players that make the music world go ‘round. We are run by fans, made for other fans and music industry professionals like us. We are extremely passionate about making space for our community of mostly women and gender-diverse people in the male-dominated music industry. We are committed to being a source of encouragement and inspiration for everyone – especially those who are often overlooked.

As most of you reading this will know, we cover an array of live events, from concerts to music festivals and every iteration of those things in between. And, living in a male-dominated society, we often are met with lineups that are mostly white and mostly men, if not completely. It gets tiring and redundant to see the same people get the best opportunities over and over again.

But enter, Mind The Gap! It is a festival sponsored by Live Nation Women (and many other amazing organizations) that “is a celebration of women and marginalized communities while raising awareness about gender equality in Utah and beyond,” according to their website.

We are so, so excited to be a part of this festival as both Media Affiliates and Vendors!

We will be setting up our “Pleaser Fan Mail” activation onsite in Salt Lake City! Anyone can come by and write messages to your favorite artists playing the festival and hear more about what we are up to in the music magazine world!
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Beyond all of the education and wonderful partnerships, the lineup for the festival is one of the coolest I have ever seen.

To highlight just how stacked this lineup is, let’s play a speed round of recommendations:

BEACH BUNNY

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: Cloud 9, Painkillers, Ms. California & Prom Queen <3

Hannah Jadagu

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: Warning Sign, Six Months & What You Did <3

ORION SUN

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: The entire Getaway EP, top to bottom, ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, ‘Mirage’ & ‘Antidote’ <3

COCO & CLAIR CLAIR

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: Cherub, Pop Star, Pretty & Sims 2 <3

BOYISH

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: ‘Is This A Breakdown Baby?’, ‘Kill Your Pain’, ‘Smithereens’, and ‘FUCK YOU HEATHER’ <3

CHEAP PERFUME

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: ‘It’s Okay (To Punch Nazis)’, ‘Fauxminism’, and ‘No Men’<3

26fix

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: ‘Stone Killer’, ‘She Hit Me First’, ‘Peggy Paradise’, & ‘A Pickle’<3

YAEJI

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘One More’, & ‘Raingurl’ <3

BEL

PLEASER SONG RECOMMENDATIONS: ‘PBR’, ‘Cold Brew’ & ‘Are You Okay?’<3

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And that’s only the beginning! There are so many more amazing acts playing this festival that you don’t want to miss.

Pleaser is so stoked to be partnering with this festival and because you are loyal Pleaser Readers, you can take 20% off your ticket with the code ‘PLEASER20’ entered at checkout!

If you are reading this before Wednesday, August 23rd, you can also head over to our Instagram and enter to WIN two GA tickets!

Thank you so much for playing a part in supporting non-men in music and working towards closing the inequality gaps that we constantly face in and our of the music world!

Pleaser <3’s you!