Cutting Edge Voices Q & A With Madalyn Sklar CEV:  You started GoGirlsMusic back in 1996, what was it that you had in mind that you wanted to accomplish for women in music with this new organization?  MS:  In the mid-90's I the saw the Internet as a means to connect with others across the country and even the globe. At the time there we no online communities that supported women in music so I set out to combine the two. My goal was to start a forum for female musicians. I sat down on my laptop computer and created the entire site in one day then launched it the very next morning. That was in January, 1996. And here we are almost ten years later! CEV:  Why weren't these goals being met by any of the existing organizations out there and how was it that you were going to approach it differently? MS:  At the time the Internet was new and there were no online organizations such as this. I saw the potential of using this new medium to connect fellow musicians that shared common goals. I wanted to provide resources and information. Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Madalyn Sklar

Cutting Edge Voices Q & A With Author, Daylle Deanna Schwartz CEV:  Tell me about your background in the music industry and what it is that you bring to the table as far as experiences and industry knowledge is concerned. DDS:  I was teaching school in the late eighties when my students dared me to make a rap record. They said a white woman couldn't rap. Davy DMX (Run-D.M.C., Kurtis Blow, etc.), who lived in the neighborhood where I taught, heard about me and invited me over when I was trying to learn how to rap. Through him I met other industry pros. My students gave me the most feedback about how to do my raps well. I recorded three different rap tracks and released two of them on Revenge Records. The media nicknamed me the "rappin' teach". I operated my label successfully for 5 years. Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Daylle Deanna Schwartz