Madalyn Sklar is the feisty founder of GoGirls Music, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians. For eight years, their catchy motto (“Cuz chicks rock!”) has been inspiring thousands of musicians, from rock to reggae to folk to ska and more, to exploit the Internet and other DIY tools to get their music out to audiences. GoGirls features killer e-mail lists, discussion boards and free downloads, as well as GigPage.com, a truly kick-ass and extremely affordable events calendar for bands, artists, venues, promoters and event producers. We got this rockin’ chick to tell us all about how she does it with so much style.

Tell me how GoGirls got started.

In 1996, I came up with the idea of starting an online women’s music community after being extremely frustrated with the way I was treated at the local guitar shops in Houston, where I live. I was tired of being ignored and figured there must be others out there experiencing this, too. The Internet was new back then — it seemed like a great way to connect with other female musicians.

How many musicians do you work with?

We work with musicians at various levels. There are GoGirls Elite members, who pay a small annual fee that allows them to take advantage of showcase opportunities, get valuable industry information, and have their CD reviewed. We currently have 350 Elite members, and it grows almost daily! That program was started just over a year ago. We have over 3,000 bands listed in our online band directory. There is also a musicians’ discussion group that has proven beneficial to many of our artists.

What kinds of strategies do you use to keep your community of musicians diverse and interesting?

We work with those who want to help themselves. I love all kinds of music, so I encourage artists of all styles to join GoGirls, not just singer-songwriters or rock bands. I like music that grabs you and musicians who want to get their music heard. And that can be any style.

How are you different from other indie women musician groups/coalitions?

The message of GoGirlsMusic is “GO GIRLS.” Go out there and do it. Believe in yourself, work hard, and if there is anything that GoGirlsMusic can help you with, we will. We help you help yourself. We are truly national, which opens doors for our members to network with one another and get on the road. We encourage our members to put on shows in their own towns and meet other GoGirls. We celebrate our group with a national music fest that benefits a selected charity and we all do it together. It’s not just me who runs GoGirlsMusic; it’s everyone. We all make it happen together.

So, what’s your take on indie bands who sign up with big labels?

There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding this in the women’s music community. If an indie artist can get signed with a major label and gets a good deal that works for them, I think it’s great. Whether you’re an indie or with a big label, you still have to do a lot of the work yourself. As an indie, you have a lot more control over what you do, and this can be great. But with a label, you usually get more support, and that can also work to your advantage. You do what works best for you and your music.

What are the top three things that indie women musicians can do to survive the big corporatization of music?

One, believe in yourself and that will lead you down the right roads. Two, use the Internet. It’s a great way to get your name out there without spending a lot of money. Three, network with other artists. It really does help.


Find out more at http://www.gogirlsmusic.com .

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