In the punk world, men have always dominated the stage. But two decades ago, Shira Yevin, lead singer of the band Shiragirl, took matters into her own hands. She drove a vibrant pink RV into the grounds of the Vans Warped Tour, a punk rock festival known for its male-centric lineup. Frustrated by the festival’s lack of female-fronted bands, Yevin’s band crashed the event and set up an impromptu all-female stage. This bold move sparked the creation of the Shiragirl Stage, a platform that featured over 300 bands, including big names like Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Paramore. The stage even earned itself a spot in the Warped Tour exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But Yevin’s journey didn’t stop there. In an interview with TechCrunch, she shared how this experience ignited a “lifelong crusade for carving out a space for women in music and other male-dominated industries.” In 2020, she launched Gritty in Pink, a platform supported by Live Nation that aims to empower women in the music industry.
A few years later, Yevin’s company launched its flagship product, InPink. This job marketplace specifically caters to female and non-binary artists, as well as other professionals in the music and live entertainment industry. From tour managers to photographers, video editors, and graphic designers, InPink offers a platform for freelancers to showcase their services and connect with major brands.
“On the freelance talent side, it’s hard to find opportunities without a network or personal connections. If you’re not in the ‘boys club,’ most jobs aren’t even posted. And then, of course, admin headaches, sending invoices, chasing down payments, and fairly pricing services are major struggles for all freelancers but for women in particular…We’re aiming to build the next-generation career platform for talent and help [women] upscale and network,” Yevin explained.
In addition to its focus on women and non-binary creatives, InPink also prioritizes diversity and inclusion. The platform features a “Diversity” tag that filters creators based on specific diversity criteria, including Asian, Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latina, Queer, and POC.
Since its launch, InPink has gained over 3,000 users and helped facilitate dream gigs for many freelancers, such as bassist Leanne Bowes and guitarist Constance Antoinette, who work with Demi Lovato. Moa Munoz also landed her dream job as the bass player for pop star Olivia Rodrigo through the platform.
The company has already processed a whopping $300,000 in transactions and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, InPink plans to roll out more features in the near future, including two AI-powered tools. The first is a fair pay scale that analyzes market rates to determine fair compensation for female creatives. The second is a matching tool that helps companies discover the most suitable talent for their projects.
“The fair pay scale is particularly notable as female musicians are still being underpaid or don’t know how much to charge for their services. As cited by a study from the Recording Academy, about 18% of respondents who identify as performers or music creators earned less than $40,000 a year in 2019. More broadly, women freelancers reportedly charge 47% less than men on online marketplaces,” the article states.
Yevin shared that the fair pay feature will recommend appropriate prices based on location, service, and project scope. The AI will also pull from diverse sources to ensure accuracy, although Yevin declined to disclose further details as the feature is still in the early stages of development.
As for the upcoming matching tool, it will help job seekers discover projects that best fit their skills and interests. Using past performance data, the AI aims to make perfect matches for companies.
“In the future, it’s going to be more of an AI prompt, so you can prompt what you are looking for and get what you need in a quicker way,” Yevin explained.
The AI features are expected to launch in early 2025, if not sooner.
On the product roadmap, InPink also plans to introduce a paid Pro subscription for high-level talent who have worked with notable names. The company also has its sights set on expanding beyond the music industry and offering services to adjacent sectors in entertainment, such as sports and live events. In fact, InPink is already working with Angel City Football Club, the LA-based women’s soccer league, to help them hire talent for pre-shows.
“We’re already seeing the potential with other industries,” Yevin expressed. “We see InPink transforming the future of work for music, entertainment, and beyond, and making it more flexible and equitable in the process.”
With impressive backing from Alternative Wealth Partners, Gaingels, LiveNation, Long Beach Accelerator, and angel investors, Gritty in Pink has raised over $500,000. The company is set to close a $1 million pre-seed round soon and was recently accepted into the Berkeley SkyDeck incubator.
