Renowned house and techno DJ Claude VonStroke may be the face of Dirtybird—his independent electronic music record label representing some of the most distinguished names in the industry—but the company is actually run by a group of women.
Dirtybird, which won No. 1 Label of the Decade from Mixmag and was recognized as one of Billboard’s Five Best Independent Dance Labels of 2017, is under the holding company Crenshaw Creative—where Aundy Caldwell Crenshaw is the chief operating officer and chief marketing officer. The other Dirtybird-associated companies under Crenshaw Creative are Motherbird Mgmt—the management company for VonStroke and his Barclay Crenshaw alias—Tailfeather Touring and Tailfeather Events—which are the Dirtybird Campout festivals, Dirtybird BBQ and Claude VonStroke presents The Birdhouse events.
Crenshaw handles all aspects of Dirtybird—the label, tours, merchandise and festivals—while also being the mother of two children.
“The biggest challenge is time and the constant juggling with all the work and personal projects on my brain,” Crenshaw says. “Every working mom struggles with this as you never feel like you’re doing the best job at anything, so it’s all about surrounding yourself with the best team possible.”
Crenshaw has surrounded herself with a group of women who help her: Abi Getto, the day-to-day manager for VonStroke and his Barclay Crenshaw alias; Esther Yoon—the clothing manager for Dirtybird—and Lauren Lipsay, the content and marketing manager for Dirtybird.
These four women are making powerful strides as leaders in a male-dominated industry—even the majority of artists represented under the Dirtybird label are men.
“I think shining the light on successful women both at the top and in the mid-level of their career can inspire younger women to see themselves in the role,” Getto says. “If you see a high-powered role in the music industry as some unattainable thing because there’s no one who looks like you or fits your profile in that role, you’re not as likely to try. That’s why visibility is so important to growing the intersectionality within any industry.”
Getto, who is a DJ herself, says promoters and agents tend to only choose a female artist if she is “exceptional” and keep male artists as the default option.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that all has to do with women not seeing enough women in accessible roles,” she notes. “They see Nina Kraviz and the Black Madonna and think they’re the exception and not the rule—whereas, men have hundreds of thousands of role models as DJs at every level and that inspires them to push for it.”
Getto adds that while there has been a push for more women to perform at festivals, it turns into an issue of commodifying women first and viewing them as talent second. Crenshaw says that the industry is guilty of producing “overly sexual content that objectifies women,” but Dirtybird strives to point out and omit that content.
Despite the obstacles they’ve faced, these four women have helped the brand skyrocket to success. Dirtybird Campout West, a festival that traditionally takes place in California, will now be held in Florida for the first time ever next month from Feb. 2 until Feb. 4 and be dubbed Dirtybird Campout East.
The Dirtybird Campout festivals are an “adult summer camp” experience that combines electronic music with camping and activities, Crenshaw says. She adds that the East Coast location will feature Florida-specific activities, such as an alligator race, a psychic show and alligator wrestling. Getto notes that locally-sourced BBQ will also be available, and VonStroke chose Florida as the location because he wanted fans on the East Coast to experience the festival.
In addition to expanding the festival, Crenshaw says the brand doubled Birdfeed subscribers and clothing sales in 2017.
“As a growing company, we strive to consistently put out new merchandise for every event and season,” Yoon says. “We have been focusing on expanding by creating original pieces, transitioning to cut and sew, and really viewing Dirtybird as a brand—not just a record label.”
Crenshaw and Getto both agree artist interaction has been key in helping Dirtybird successfully grow. Crenshaw says it’s important artists under the label treat fans as friends.
“When [Dirtybird artists] go to Campout, they’re playing the games or in the crowd,” Getto says. “There are so many amazing photos of [VonStroke] from Campout where he’s just in the crowd talking to fans and experiencing other artists’ sets as a fan, and I think breaking down that barrier gives fans a more personal connection to the brand and has really been a driving force in the growth of the label.”
