Why Women Need Safer, More Accessible Spaces in the Music Industry

What if the room you're entering is just as important as the opportunity you're being offered?

We talk a lot about giving women opportunities. But opportunity isn't enough if the environment doesn't allow someone to feel comfortable participating.

Social Butterfly was born from this exact tension.

Our founder Lydia Laru experienced the challenges of navigating the music industry as a woman and artist, including situations of exclusion and mismanagement of music projects.

At one performance night, she noticed roughly 10 men for every 1 woman which is far too common for most music line-ups.

Conversations with women at the event revealed feelings of intimidation, isolation and a lack of confidence entering the industry.

That became the beginning of Social Butterfly.

Safety is an access issue

For too long, the default path for an emerging female artist has been an uncomfortable invite to work in a private producer's house, an unregulated environment where you are too often left navigating blurred boundaries and feeling unsafe just to get your vocals recorded!

We are completely changing that dynamic by building the Social Butterfly Studio.

This will be a dedicated, safe recording, writing, and collaboration space in Manchester designed specifically with women in mind.

By offering professional studio sessions at an accessible price, we are taking creative control out of the hands of male-dominated gatekeepers and putting it back where it belongs.

It is more than just a room with a microphone but a foundation for creative ownership, ensuring that a woman's safety is never the price she has to pay to follow her passion.

Representation changes what feels possible

When you see women producing, managing, performing, founding, engineering and leading, the industry starts to feel more accessible.

This is why visibility matters.

And it's why Social Butterfly is committed to spotlighting women in male-dominated spaces.

We're building the room we wanted to walk into.

A community. A creative ecosystem. A place where women can build relationships and careers without compromising who they are.

The Social Butterfly Standard

Ask yourself:

Where do I feel most like myself?

It might be a gig. A café. Your favourite outfit. A studio. Brunch with your girls. A creative workshop.

Find more of those spaces.

You deserve environments where you can be ambitious and still feel like yourself.