SITM Honors Rhone & Moroney
• She Is The Music (SITM), described as “an industrywide movement to empower female creators,” honored multi-platinum singer/songwriter Megan Moroney and industry icon Sylvia Rhone at the second annual Women Sharing The Spotlight event at Delilah in Los Angeles on February 18.
Global superstar and SITM co-founder Alicia Keys spoke to the spirit of opening doors and lifting others up, saying, “Tonight’s event is about being able to say wait, I do have this position and I can open the door. It’s one thing when you’re banging on a door to be let in, and it’s another thing when someone opens the door and says ‘come in and join me.'”
Keys then introduced Megan Moroney as the Artist Spotlight, saying, “Megan and her team are breaking new ground with achievements in an industry where female-led teams are still the exception rather than the norm. We are so honored to have her and her team with us tonight.” In accepting her award, Moroney said, “I think sometimes we’re taught — subtly or not — that there’s only room for a few women at the top. But music and creating art isn’t a competition for oxygen. I’m positive that when one of us wins, it stretches the ceiling higher for the next girl watching.”
SITM Co-Founder & UMPG Chairman & CEO Jody Gerson introduced Sylvia Rhone as this year’s Trailblazer, saying, “She paved the way for me as she has for so many women in this room and beyond. She earned her seat at the table and then she made sure that table got bigger. She has worked tirelessly to keep that glass ceiling broken and to ensure the path that she forged remains open and clear for the women coming up behind her.”
Rhone accepted the honor, commenting, “When I first heard the word ‘trailblazer,’ I smiled. Because the truth is, none of us cleared a path alone. We pushed. We nudged. We reached back. We whispered to one another to pull up a chair. And somewhere along the way, the trail became a road. And now it feels more like a gathering place.”
Rhone went on to say, “Creativity adapts, and women, especially women, innovate under pressure. And as I look around this room, I’m not anxious about the future of our industry. At all. I’m energized by it. Music is in very good hands. So let’s keep opening doors wider than we found them. Let’s protect our industry while embracing what’s next. Let’s mentor generously, negotiate boldly, and lead with wisdom. And yes, always with grace.” [Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre for Getty Images]
