How Lilith Fair Change Music

If you are not that familiar with the concept of the Lilith Fair, here is a brief background to give you an idea how it influenced the music scene. In a nutshell, Lilith Fair is a travelling concert tour and music festival established by Marty Diamond (NY talent agent), Sarah McLachlan (famous Canadian musician) and Terry McBride and Dan Fraser of Nettwerk Music Group during the summers of 1997 to 1990. The festival features only female solo artists and female-led bands to raise funds for women charities in North America.

Feminists deemed it is best for the women’s movement to use culture as one of the ways to advance their causes and to continue raising the people’s awareness in the plethora of issues faced by women in the society. In fact, feminism in popular culture media such as music, films and television has been re-emerging in the past decade.

Among all these pop culture materials that have at least a tad of feminist principles in them, the one that is considered to be most influential is the Lilith fair. This music festival has given a huge impact in America’s feminist struggle during the 1990s. Cultural feminism is the primary type of feminism heralded by the music festival. Women all over America were united in celebration of their femininity through the use of music.

Though the occasion is usually consisted of white women, the ideas of feminism indeed permeated the event. The songs convey messages of empowering the women and encouraging them to partake in creating the nation’s history, not just becoming passive watchers of the development’s unfurling. Lilith Fair was also able to bring a diverse crowd together to celebrate womanhood and the blessings of music.

Originally, Lilith Fair was organized to give a better light to the women performers in the music industry because women artists are usually driven into oblivion by boy bands and male solo artists. When the festival/concert tour became incredibly popular, many female artists such as Sarah McLachlan herself graced the covers of many major magazines. They have also been invited as guests to numerous talk shows on television.

Lilith Fair’s most important contribution to the feminist movement was the fact that it has started a new promotional campaign for young ladies and women. Meanwhile, in the music scene, the movement was also very visible due to the numerous event and concert tours that they have organized. Female power and femininity were the most dominant themes of the campaigns headed by the artists. The products they endorsed ranged from Tampax to Special K and to Nike. With the concert tour’s success, it seemed like everybody was cashing in on feminism—the cultural type, that is.

Thanks to Lilith Fair, the musical scene was graced by inspirational and encouraging songs centering on feminism and womanhood. Those who were involved in the movement continue to bring inspiration to women all over the world through their music and their many concert performances.