One silver lining in the middle of the #metoo movement has been that within drum & bass, many labels, managers and press outlets have begun to step up their representation of women. EQ50, the UK women’s D&B collective, has been working to provide support for female artists and those who want to get into the industry has been around since 2018 and they are constantly working to create a supportive community for “womxn” (the term they’ve coined for cis, transgender, femme and non-binary people). The collective is run by such D&B veterans as DJ FLight, Mantra, SweetPea and AlleyCat as well as MC Chickaboo and Jenna G.
Last month, EQ50 announced their biggest support project to-date, the EQ50 2020 Mentorship program. The collective will choose five “womxn” applicants to provide support in the industry for a full 12 months, but the program doesn’t just include advice. EQ50 partnered with five major labels for this project: Shogun Audio, Critical Music, RAM Records, Function Records and V Recordings. The labels will provide A&R sessions, production masterclasses, business/music industry classes, mentoring and industry representation and opportunities to work with the labels professionally.
If that wasn’t enough, EQ50 are offering their expertise and connections within the industry, including practice DJ sessions in world renowned UK clubs, a space for peer-to-peer support and music sharing, a booking agency masterclass with ESP International and lots of other support to learn and manage one’s career in the music industry. 
This is a wonderful opportunity for women and “womxn” producers who want to break into the music industry but feel intimidated or overwhelmed. The requirements for entry are fairly simple are very straightforward and the last applications will be accepted online tonight at 11:59 pm BST (5:59 pm EST or 2:50 pm PST). If you or someone you know is interested, you’ve got just a couple more hours so check out the application now!
