This story is part of Billboard's 2021 Pride List, which spotlights LGBTQ professionals who are shaping the music industry.
VP, National Independent Venue Association Foundation; owner/artistic director, xBk; founder/board president, Station 1 Records; attorney, business affairs administration, Sony Music Entertainment
At this point in the pandemic, Tobi Parks' xBk music venue in Des Moines, Iowa, has been open for almost half the time that it was closed. The 250-capacity artist space, which she envisioned as a home for LGBTQ+ music fans and others from marginalized communities, had been operating for only six months when the coronavirus halted concerts.
"That one email changed the trajectory of my life,” says Parks, whose previous music industry experience focused on copyright and licensing work for Sony and a nonprofit label/artist-development company she launched in 2015 — the same year she moved with her wife and kids from Brooklyn to Des Moines.
Parks is sensitive to the barriers women and people of color face in this field. Even though she had a full-time position with Sony and owned the xBk building with her wife, every local bank turned her down for a “not terribly significant” construction loan to build out the venue until a white male business partner joined the venture. She has no way of knowing, of course, if systemic bias was at play — bringing a partner on board certainly lowered the risk for banks.
“I’m one small speck in the large spectrum of things, but it’s important for queer women of color to see me having this venue and doing things differently than the other folks in my community,” says Parks. “I want to be there to help usher in the next generation of folks who are interested in live music.”
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