River and Row Management: An Independent Female-Run DIY-Management Company

Since starting at Belmont University in August, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for ways women’s voices are being lifted. In December, my friends Emma Harger and Annie McNamara started River & Row Management, an independent DIY-management company run by women.

Both Harger and McNamara are extremely driven. Harger has experience managing live music through working with community-oriented nonprofit music groups like Wisconsin’s Stevens Point City Band. McNamara, who, like me, has shifted to focusing on other artist’s work rather than her own, has learned about artist development and marketing from cultivating her own career while performing alongside Molly Tuttle and opening for Luke Combs. Harger and McNamara value creativity and want to help artists grow.

Harger states, when discussing who they sign, “We have to believe in their art.” This may seem like a no-brainer, but it can’t be overlooked that an artist’s drive is part of what makes their work valuable. “We can only push [artist careers] so far. You can [detect how driven they are] by what they've already been doing. Are they already booking their own shows? Are they writing every day? Are they [posting] content? What are they doing without us?”

Emma Harger (left) and Annie McNamara (right)

Like many artist managers at Belmont, Harger and McNamara are both in the Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. Curb College, when combined with the College of Music & Performing Arts, gives Belmont a strong community. There are still flaws that Harger and McNamara seek to fix. As Harger puts it, “There is a level of competitiveness that isn't necessary… we're not about that; we're about putting everybody on a stage. Everybody deserves a spotlight.”

Gender contributes to this unnecessary competitiveness. McNamara says, “Belmont does a really good job of fostering community if you're a specific type of person. I've had this experience [as a woman,] where if I can chameleon to be that person… [and] take up the least amount of space, then [I] get rewarded.” She adds that she’s observed a lack of recognition for female bassists, drummers, and guitarists. Nonetheless, there’s been progress. Belmont writer’s rounds, from what I’ve observed, primarily feature women. Belmont’s Showcase series did their Country Showcase with only women this year.

Harger and McNamara want River & Row to be “the first in the line of fire when it comes to [female] safety, especially in live music.” Gender-based discrimination is the same throughout the music industry as in many other industries. Harger explains, “There are so many instances where you are taken advantage of, your intelligence is watered down, or you're talked down to… if we can detect it [in the] early stages, I think that we can prevent those negative experiences from happening. [It’s so easy to see this begin, even in] an email or phone call.”

Going forward, the first goal of River & Row Management is to spread their network and encourage other students to get involved in the music industry. On March 29th, they will be presenting “Sisters In Song - A Night of Women in Folk/Americana” at Nashville’s Exit/In, featuring Eloise Rixey, Monica James, Ella Choi, Ella Molsee, Rocky LeRoe and other special guests. Tickets are available here. You can keep up with the progress of River & Row Management at @river.row.mgmt on Instagram and on their website.

The poster for Sisters In Song, poster by Annie McNamara