How Ebonie Smith is Changing Who Gets Heard — on Music, Tech, and Power in the Music Industry

Send us Fan Mail Who gets heard in the music industry—and who gets left out? In this episode of She Creates Noise, producer, engineer, and Gender Amplified founder Ebonie Smith shares how she’s building a more open, collaborative, and equitable future for music—from the studio to the systems behind it. Ebonie Smith discusses her production work and origin story. From Memphis, where hymns and call-and-response shaped her music, to New York and LA, where Grammy-nominated projects and Broadway musical recording filled her credits, Ebonie shows how leadership, faith, and enlightened approach to engineering can create an open environment in the studio and elevate the artist’s voice. We spotlight her journey and follow the choices that built her reputation: invite artists to the console, demystify the gear, and treat technology as a shared canvas and support system instead of an obstacle. The story doesn’t stop at credits. While building records for Hamilton, Janelle Monáe, and Cardi B, Ebonie launched Gender Amplified, first as a college thesis, then as a movement. She uncovered a vibrant, often unseen network of women producers and DJs, then built platforms where their work could be found, hired, and celebrated. We dig into why charts show where power sits—not where value lives—and how storytelling, community, and access can shift who gets heard and who gets paid. The conversation widens into the AI surge and why fear isn’t a strategy: audio jobs will change, and those who learn new tools, refine taste, and lead collaboration will thrive. From her Recording Academy leadership to her AES keynote, Ebonie pushes a provocative idea: artists should build the tech that moves their art. Distribution solved a problem and created a gap between creators and their money. Her playbook points to ownership—of masters, publishing, audience, and the rails themselves. We talk indie wins, sustainable revenue, and the courage to design your own ecosystem. Then we look ahead: more records, daily piano, new content, and Gender Amplified camps in New York and LA that bring gender-expansive producers into rooms built for their success. Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more creators find these stories—and tell us: what would you build to put artists back in control? https://www.instagram.com/eboniesmithmusic Support the show If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate and share. Many thanks to Anne Tello for her vocals on the theme song and to our sponsor 'Heard City'. Check out https://www.shecreatesnoisepodcast.com for more episodes featuring women who power the music industry. https://www.shecreatesnoise.com/ https://www.sarahnagourney.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shecreatesnoise/ https://www.instagram.com/glassbeatmusic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheCreatesNoise Email: [email protected]