Abstract

Mindy Abovitz, publisher of Tom Tom Magazine, the only media company in the world dedicated to female drummers, will discuss the necessity of good representation in the media, her start at the drums and the magazine, and the pros and cons of niche marketing (and identities).

Mindy is a self taught drummer and drum machine programmer with a Masters in Media Studies from The New School. She started Tom Tom Magazine; the first and only magazine about female drummers, in 2009. Tom Tom is full color print magazine based out of NYC that is currently distributed globally and is carried by Guitar Centers and Barnes & Noble nationwide. The magazine is also available for free in all Ace Hotels. She hopes to impact the music industry through print media, new media, showcases, panels and community interactions and see a 50% increase of female drummers in the next ten years.

The magazine has a feminist mission and seeks to raise awareness about female percussionists from all over the world and hopes to inspire women and girls of all ages to drum, while strengthening and building the community of otherwise fragmented female musicians. Mindy has lectured, performed and held panels at: University of Cambridge, Smith College, NYU , Sarah Lawrence, Carnegie Melon, UCSD , UCLA, CalArts, RISD , The Apple Store, Perez Art Museum Miami and MoMA PS1 amongst many other institutions. She has received press in Creative Review, Business Insider, FADER Magazine, i-D, BUST , Miami New Times, LA Weekly, Miami Herald, Gawker and The Smithsonian. She is a receiver of the 2016 She Rocks Award. www.tomtommag.com