April Duran, Hear Her Roar! One Woman’s Mission to Get Females Heard! RNR: When did you first fall in love with music? April: I fell in love with music, like most people, through my mom and dad. They were always dancing and playing music. Soul Train was always on. R&B was my first genre, Diana Ross to The Jackson 5 and it just carried on. I was going to shows in junior high, and my first show was New Edition. I was the girl that always liked all different genres: Mo’ Town, Rock, Punk. When I was in high school, I would borrow my sister’s ID not to drink but to see live shows. RNR: What was your first taste of the music industry? April: Out of high school I went to San Diego State and majored in Outdoor Rec. I became a mom and then a single mom, which wasn’t in my plans. I had a job, but it was not my passion. That is when I decided to enroll in the Music Institute program. I went to work by day, then went to school at night and finished in a year. I have my certificate and started working in music in 2011. I saw I was not the only one who had a passion for music. I loved studying Tour Management. So much time and energy go into musicians. They work so hard. RNR: When did you start Rag House Media? April: I was encouraged by my parents to start Rag House Media. I was working for Live Nation, and I noticed there was a lack in women in high positions. It was a demanding job, and there was a lack of sisterhood. I started Rag House Records which was all female genres. I realized you need to put in a lot of money into a record label, and that was something I didn’t have at the time. I put it on hold, but then it grew into Rag House Radio in 2015 and now it’s Rag House Media. We specialize in social media, interviews, radio and it’s all about empowering women in all genres. RNR: How did you and Shiragirl get together?
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April: Rag House Media grew into empowering women in music, sports, and entertainment. I was looking for a co-host, because I got sponsored by a production company called Authentic Culture Network. They reached out to me and said they want me to come to Sunset Gower Studios and have my radio station there. Shout out to Richard and Roberto. I could hold it down, but at the same time I was looking for a different point of view to join me. Someone who was different from me. I was looking for a different outlook, and when I saw Shiragirl she had a radio segment and when I heard it I was like, “that’s my girl!” She is from the east coast, younger, and a musician. I reached out to her and she was available. RNR: Why is supporting women so important to you? April: I am going to lay out straight. I have met so many women in this industry that are not okay. They are not cool, and I have had a lot of “not okay experiences.” Maybe they had a bad day. Who knows? I wanted to create something were people would know it’s okay to support one another. We can cross promote, and it was time for something like this to happen. It’s hard to trust people in the music industry, I get it, but I wanted to create something where women felt safe and could trust one another. RNR: How did you get started with HOT 103.9 FM? April: I was a couple years in with Rag House Radio, and the program director John DeSantis reached out to me. He said I have a crazy idea and you are a part of it. They brought me in to be the producer and host of the show, “Local Artist Spotlight” that airs every Sunday night at 10 pm PST on Hot 103.9. I play and promote unsigned singers and song writers here in California. RNR: What do you look for in bands to be on your show? April: I look for talent, style, and different
genres. I will grab a pop indie band from San Diego, a female R&B pop singer from LA, because I want it to be eclectic; a variety of music. I don’t want it to be focused on just one thing, not just male or female. I want a mixture. I want it balanced out. RNR: How have you seen the music industry change? April: Social media affected the music industry, and you have some people who are upset by it. For example, the sales in records decreasing, the lack of money bands are getting as far as income. I hope somehow this gets figured out, so musicians can get paid for all their hard work. The streaming of music all day and not getting paid, bums me out. The upside is we are smack down the middle of this transition period. We can see the music industry changing, and we are evolving with it. That’s exciting. RNR: What does the future hold for April Duran? April: Creating shows and going to shows! Raquel Figlo
