Carla A. DeSantis of ROCKRGRL Magazine Interview
As founder of ROCKRGRL Magazine, the first magazine dedicated solely to female artists, Carla became an advocate for women in music. Now more than ten years after launching her own magazine, Carla shares about ROCKRGRL, women in music and what you can do to help.
TCZ: Its been ten years since you're own frustration with the mainstream media spurred you to create ROCKRGRL magazine. Can you tell us a little about that frustration and how you decided to counter it with the publication of ROCKRGRL magazine?
Carla: Well, after being a musician in an all-female band and being asked every night if we were "lip synching" I became obsessed with getting to the root of why people think that "girls can't play." I did a survey of music magazines on the newsstand and saw that women were rarely written about - and when they were, it was usually about how they looked or who they were dating. Not really knowing what I was doing, I knew that it was IMPORTANT to have an alternative for women who wanted to play music - either for fun or professionally.
TCZ: Today, ROCKRGRL is a widely respected magazine with fans and artists alike here in the U.S. and overseas. But back in 1995 did you find any wariness among the female artists? How difficult was it for you to find artists willing to contribute to the magazine through interviews and other forms of support?
Carla: A few people - Juliana Hatfield and L7 - did not want to be considered "women in rock" because the term itself suggested a difference in the genders. Our goal has always been to BREAK DOWN those barriers rather than create more. Few artists who are new and looking for press however complained. Most were happy to be taken seriously at all. The first time we asked Sleater-Kinney about their gear was the first time they had EVER been asked about their gear!!
TCZ: You were a musician yourself when you launched ROCKRGRL Magazine, based on the general attitude of the music industry and mainstream media in 1995. Do you feel you made more of an impact on the music industry through the creation of ROCKRGRL than you would of through your music?
Carla: Haha! Probably since at this point my band was something I would never want anyone to ever see or hear.It was the big hair '80s after all!! I do want people to read the magazine, however. But I just do what I do and hopefully people will appreciate it.
TCZ: In the decade since you launched ROCKRGRL how would you say the music industry has responded to female musicians in general. Do you feel in today's music industry female artists are receiving the respect and support they deserve?
Carla: I'm not sure they are getting the respect and support they deserve but thanks to the internet there are lots of places to go now for support. When I started there were no web sites or blogs or organizations to encourage women to keep at it - no matter what!
TCZ: Do you see any trend growing in the music industry that you believe is beneficial to female musicians?
Carla: I think more women than ever feel empowered to BE musicians - I love that there are so many rock camps for girls now - getting these instruments into the hands of teens and pre-teens gives them a great outlet early on. Who doesn't want to be a rock star?
TCZ: ROCKRGRL accepts various submissions from writers, bands, photographers and fans along with hosting a message board anybody can participate in. Do you use any of these tools to determine which artist will appear on the cover or is that strictly an internal decision?
Carla: Well, when we start hearing from a bunch of writers who want to interview the same artist the artist must be HOT!! We try to put someone on the cover that people are most interested in. We've gone out on a limb before and chosen someone obscure for the cover and that just was a disaster. However, when we put Sleater-Kinney on the last cover they were on the covers of EVERY indie magazine on earth so that didn't work out so well either. It's always a gamble.
TCZ: Can you tell us how it helps the magazine to subscribe directly through ROCKRGRL rather than picking up a copy of the magazine monthly at place likes Barnes & Noble and Borders?
Carla: The distributors that sell to Barnes & Noble and Borders charge us back for all kinds of things - reshipping fees, shipping fees, marketing fees - we are even charged MORE than we make when someone STEALS a copy of the magazine. Because what's left is split between us, the store and the distributor we're lucky to see .30 per copy. That doesn't include the amount we are CHARGED BACK for magazines that they don't sell. So it's always better to support magazines you love by subscribing to them instead of getting them from the stores.
TCZ: At the current time ROCKRGRL publishes on a bi-monthly basis. Are there any plans to evolve into a monthly magazine? Or do you believe in order to continue delivering the high quality, informative content ROCKRGRL has a reputation for, a bi monthly release is better suited for that target?
Carla: Well, as a two person operation with one part-time person it's about all we can keep up with. The logistics of ad sales, editing, getting stories from writers, illustrations, coordinating with distributors, proofreaders, photographers, graphic designers, is more time-consuming than you can believe - so we can barely keep up with THIS schedule - we work 7 days a weeks as it is now - let alone kick it up a notch. :)
TCZ: What was your best selling issue? Which artist was on the cover and what do you think they represented that made them so popular with your readers?
Carla: Ani DiFranco is always a good seller - she was the first artist to really do it herself - and that was before the Internet. She really changed the face of the industry and made "indie" a household word.
TCZ: Do you believe today ROCKRGRL is commercially competitive with other music magazines like Rolling Stone?
Carla: No - with the costs of postage and paper escalating - and prohibitive taxes as well, it is pretty impossible to compete with a magazine that is well-funded and an industry standard. Although are people still reading Rolling Stone? I think the Internet is quickly replacing their point of view.
TCZ: In your own words, what do you think ROCKRGRL represents today? Has that changed at all from the message you set out to deliver ten years ago?
Carla: It's pretty much the same - we just do it in a more colorful, glossy package. The message is - here are some role models - now go out and BE a role model!!
TCZ: Have you ever considered writing a book about your experiences in the music industry as an artist and publisher?
Carla: I am seriously considering writing a few books but fortunately none of them are about me!
TCZ: Tell us about the 2005 Music Conference due to be held November 10th -12th in Seattle, Wa.
Carla: The ROCKRGRL Music Conference is a chance for female artists and women working in the music business to have a forum for our issues - how do we create more opportunities for women onstage and on the radio, how do we tour as moms. how do we maintain an image that WE are comfortable with?? These are the issues we discuss as well as giving props to the artists that came before.
Patti Smith is going to be honored at our Woman of Valor dinner on November 10th, which also marks the 30 year anniversary - to the day - of the release of Horses! Patti is also going to give a speech the next morning about her career. On Saturday morning, Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde is going to speak - she is hilarious and a real pro! We will also have panels with VERY A-list participants. Our sponsors include Indiegrrl, The Recording Academy, Oasis CD Manufacturing, The Seattle Mayor's Office of Music and Film and lots more. We will have a trade show, workshops and - oh yeah - more than 200 female artists playing at nearly every club in Seattle over the entire weekend!!!
You can get a registration for as little as $150 through August 31st!!
TCZ: What are some of the things the average fan can do to support women in music, aside from purchasing their music?
Carla: Support ROCKRGRL!! :)