Sadly, the music industry can be an unwelcoming place for the female gender. Everyone needs a helping hand along the way, which is why a tenacious Miami musician poured her heart and soul into a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the success rate of women climbing the ranks in hip-hop. Tiffany Miranda founded Girls Make Beats as a means of support and inspiration for girls hoping to become producers, Dj's, songwriters, and even vocal artists.
It takes selfless dedication and a true passion for social justice to become an A3C Action finalist, and the Girls Make Beats organization is pretty solid in both departments! As she made her transition into music at a young age, Miranda quickly faced the many challenges associated with working in a male dominated industry. Declaring music as a passion and producing beats as a form of self expression came at a price. Working as an intern, she was often shot down and rarely received the recognition her talent deserved, but only because she was female. She took it upon herself to filter through the negativity, educate herself on the make-up of the industry, and become more than just the "chicken wing girl" in the studio.
"That's cute" wasn't exactly the response Miranda wanted to hear from male musicians who previewed her beats. She built her own studio and worked overtime to make the additions she needed to take her production to the next level, eventually landing a more deserving internship as an in-house engineer at a recording studio. The Miami music scene began to take notice, and eventually, record labels and associated acts began requesting her directly, including an Artist signed to Pitbull. Her new found success led to her working exclusively with the Mr. 305 label for about a year, which grew into working with notable producers like Cool & Dre and receiving phone calls from influences among the likes of Dj Khaled & Rick Ross.
But even then, Miranda still found people amazed by her talents, gasping "Wow, you know how to do that?" every time she had the chance to showcase her her abilities. Why should meeting a talented female producer come as a surprise? This, needless to say, is where she officially drew the line.
The industry is becoming more and more competitive. To combat the struggles women face in music, Girls Make Beats works with young ladies as young as 8, some of which don't even know what being a music producer is all about. "It's a bit overwhelming a times, but its mostly refreshing and exciting," said Miranda in a phone interview.
When it comes to the business behind GMB, the founding mother of the organization does it all. Miranda takes on a bulk of the work, from maintaining the website, responding to emails, and even meeting with the girls' parents! Though it can be challenging to dedicate your life's work to a non-profit organization, what keeps Miranda going is remembering what the program means the girls and pairing that with the her own challenges of growth within the music industry.
Each A3C Action finalist has a chance to pitch their organization's efforts for a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize, and Tiffany Miranda plans to use that money to change the lives of girls with dreams of conquering center stage. Girls Make Beats runs their programs out of a State of the art facility recording studio, which requires bigger bucks than most sponsorships and government funding can cover. Miranda's mother was a very huge figure and foundation of support for her career, and she hopes to provide the same encouragement for girls who aren't as fortunate to have someone willing to validate their dreams. Being the only girl in a room full of men can be intimidating, but luckily we have the Girls Make Beats team to push the women in music movement forward!
