Esteemed Producers and Engineers of Prince’s Top Albums in Discussion at Pandora Media 

Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) and PRN Alumni Foundation are proud to bring together a group of top female engineers who worked closely with the artist Prince for an unprecedented discussion on the making of his top hits. This July 17, 2019, industry veterans Sylvia Massy, Susan Rogers, Peggy McCreary and Lisa Chamblee will recount their experiences of recording the prolific star’s albums like Purple Rain, Diamonds and Pearls, Fury, 3121, and D.M.S.R., as well as other tales from his legendary studio, Paisley Park. 

For the Record: Engineering Prince will be moderated by magazine editor and writer, Danyel Smith, formerly of Billboard.
 
As a world-renowned artist, Prince was also ahead of his time in consistently seeking and providing opportunities to talented professional female producers and engineers, who still currently make up less than 5% of the recording industry. Women’s Audio Mission (WAM), a nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts, exists to address this very issue of gender equity in the sector. PRN Alumni Foundation is comprised of former employees of Paisley Park and international icon Prince. The group advances causes close to the heart of their late boss, who supported opportunities for underserved youth to grow in music, arts, tech, and education.

Prince features producers and engineers Sylvia Massy, Susan Rogers, Peggy McCreary, and Lisa Chamblee, who represent some of the first women ever to earn credits with an artist as prominent as Prince. Together, they have gone on to work on projects with iconic artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Lady Gaga, The Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, Toto, Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, Kris Kristofferson, Julio Iglesias, and many more. The event is sponsored by the Recording Academy and Love Conquered Records, and hosted by Pandora at their headquarters in downtown Oakland.
 
“WAM is honored to partner with PRN Alumni Foundation and Pandora to host this groundbreaking discussion,” said WAM Executive Director Terri Winston. “Events like this one allow us to showcase some of the most talented recording engineers and producers out there, who, as women, are often under-recognized for their historic contributions in music. In doing so, we also provide invaluable educational and networking opportunities for our members, students, and community, the next generation of leaders in the music industry.”
 
WAM trains over 2,000 women and girls a year in the recording arts to address the critical lack of women in the audio industry. Over the past year, WAM’s transformative programs have spread nationally – the organization hosted four successful, sold-out recording arts conferences in Nashville at Ocean Way Nashville and The Tracking Room, Los Angeles at Capitol Studios, New York at Jungle City Studios and YouTube Space NY, and Boston at iZotope/PRX Podcast Garage, which served over 600 women, and featured industry giants like Linda Perry, Emily Lazar, and more.

About Women’s Audio Mission:
Women’s Audio Mission is a San Francisco based non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of women in music production and the recording arts. In a field where women are critically under-represented (less than 5%), WAM seeks to “change the face of sound” by providing hands-on training, experience, career counseling and job placement to women and girls in media technology for music, radio, film, television and the Internet. WAM believes that women’s mastery of music technology and inclusion in the production process will expand the vision and voice of media and popular culture. For more information, visit www.womensaudiomission.org.