WE PUT THE FEMME IN FM, AND WE TURN UP THE VOLUME.

Hello friend! I am Carmel Holt (she/her) - a longtime public radio host, podcast host, audio producer, and lifelong music fan. I founded SHEROES back in 2019 as a small but mighty, femme and queer-powered, 100% independent radio show, with a mission of turning up the volume of women and genderqueer voices on the airwaves and in the music industry, through song and conversation, across genres and generations. We provide listeners an opportunity to hear what an hour of 100% femme and genderqueer voices sounds like, as well as an hour that is fully produced, hosted, and engineered by women. SHEROES is founded on the belief that music and storytelling are the most powerful tools to raise awareness of the unique challenges we face as women and genderqueer people in the music industry (and everywhere), and inspire people of all genders to work together towards equality across all aspects of music, radio, and culture.

As women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights are on the line, this moment is a particularly crucial one for keeping the space of SHEROES going for amplifying and celebrating women+, nonbinary, and queer voices. And as someone who believes that music is one of the most powerful ways to connect us across all generations, identities, and cultures, I have never felt so urgently the importance of keeping SHEROES going. Now more than ever, we are on a mission to amplify femme, queer and nonbinary musicians about their experiences making their art, how that art reflects that experience and our world, and how we can make music a more equal and safe space for EVERYONE. These voices are underrepresented in the industry, and now is the time they must be heard.

But at this very moment, I am facing the most difficult moment thus far in my five years of independently producing and distributing SHEROES and our related SHEROES productions.

For the last couple of years, SHEROES (both the radio hour and the podcast) has been funded primarily via carriage fees paid by public radio station affiliates that carry the SHEROES Radio Hour. With the defunding of public media comes a new era for all of us, and as SHEROES does not have a support staff or membership base to draw from, it leaves us particularly vulnerable if our public radio partners can no longer pay for our programming. My priority is keeping the SHEROES podcast and radio hour available to everyone, regardless of my public radio affiliates ability to pay.

That’s where you come in.

I am super grateful that AIR: the Association of Independents in Radio has taken SHEROES under their wing, and under that umbrella, we are now able to take tax-deductible donations and do fundraising as a nonprofit.

As we continue to seek sustainable funding for the long-term, we hope you will become a SHEROES Supporter. It is a powerful thing to invest in underrepresented voices, and right now, we are counting on generous contributions from music lovers, allies for diversity and equality, and intersectional feminists like you.

Your contribution enables us to provide a platform and unique space on the airwaves to uplift and amplify women's voices in music: not just by featuring songs by women, but by sharing the stories of our SHEROES. Help us keep this space available for the artists we feature each week, and support our efforts in building gender inclusivity on radio and in the music industry at large.Our goal is working towards a world where gender is no longer a genre or a barrier.

WHAT YOUR DONATION WILL PAY FOR:

Audio Production (booking interviews, researching, recording, hosting, editing, producing)
Distribution
Support to our affiliate stations
Marketing
Digital software subscription costs
Fair compensation for our femme mix engineer
Mentorship for femme and nonbinary college interns

SHEROES

SHEROES is an independent, intersectional-feminist syndicated radio show and podcast, 100% produced, hosted, and curated by women. Our mission is to amplify women and nonbinary voices in music through song and conversation, across genres and generations.