In The NOCO

If you listen to music at all in 2024 it’s clear that female artists are a dominant force. From Taylor Swift to Beyonce, Dolly Parton to Billie Eilish, women are some of the top-selling artists in the business.  

But behind the scenes? It’s a different story. 

Statistics show only a small fraction of people in the music industry are women – not on the performing side, but in behind-the-scenes jobs like engineering and production. 

A new nonprofit called Project Traction has a mission to create opportunities for women and non-binary music producers.  It was founded by Jim Eno – the drummer for the band Spoon. He hopes to boost the number of women in these important industry roles by providing mentorship and hands-on studio experience. 

And the latest iteration of Project Traction is focused on Northern Colorado. 

Briana Harris, a singer and saxophonist in Greeley, is one of the musicians participating in Project Traction. She got to fine-tune her studio skills alongside Eno, producing a new music track from Denver-based indie rock band Barbara. She joined host Erin O’Toole to discuss the project – and why it’s important to elevate women in all roles across the music industry. 


Project Traction Volume 2 is accepting applications until Friday, June 14, 2024.  

Hear Briana Harris’ solo work here – and check out her work with The Burroughs here. 

“For Good Measure,” the Barbara track Briana co-produced is out now. Listen here: 

Barbara: "For Good Measure" (co-prod. Briana Harris) - KUTX 

What is In The NOCO?

KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.