Jennifer Lopez appears in...
Archie Peña Rides the Pulse of the Global Groove

Songwriter, master percussionist, producer and musical ambassador: Archie Peña is a whirlwind of kinetic creativity. A two-time BMI Award-winning songwriter and the co-writer of hits including “Hips Don’t Lie,” (Shakira); “Se Me Olvido Tu Nombre” (Shalim); “Te Quise Tanto" (Paulina Rubio); "No, No, No" (Thalia and Aventura), the Venezuelan-born Miami resident is also a seven-time Grammy-nominated producer. Having just concluded a…
Grammy Winners and Nominees to Discuss ‘How I Wrote That Song’ at Key Club in LA
BMI Panel Discussion will Feature will.i.am, T-Pain, Chad Hugo (Neptunes), Makeba Riddick, Keri Hilson and Surprise GuestsBMI will present its annual “How I Wrote That Song” panel Saturday, February 7, from 1 until 3 p.m. at the Key Club (9039 Sunset Blvd.) in Los Angeles. Led by BMI’s Catherine Brewton, the discussion will feature insight from Grammy Award-winning singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer will.i.am, Grammy Award-winning rapper, songwriter, and producer…
BMI & Los Angeles Times Announce 2nd Annual ‘How I Wrote The Song’ Panel
Marquee Lineup Includes Rodney Jerkins, Chris Daughtry, Mos Def, Ben Moody, Polow Da Don, Anthony Hamilton and Brian Howes BMI will pair with the Los Angeles Times to present the second annual “How I Wrote the Song” panel Saturday, February 9, from 1p.m. until 3p.m., at the Key Club…
BMI Rocks American Music Awards
BMI songwriter/artists dominated the 35th American Music Awards, held November 18 in Los Angeles, taking home 67 percent of awards across a wide variety of musical genres, from rock and rap to country, Latin and gospel. American Idol alum and multi-platinum recording artist Daughtry led the way, winning three awards, including Favorite Album (Rock or Pop) for Daughtry, Favorite Artist (Adult Contemporary), and Favorite Breakthrough Artist. The…
Makeba Riddick

From day one, Makeba Riddick knew that music would be her ultimate destiny. At a very young age, her family discovered that the future singer/songwriter had a talent that could not be ignored. In a recent interview, Riddick recalled, “When I was two years old, before my family knew I could talk, my aunt realized I could sing. She would let me perform for her friends who…
Past and Present Latin Legends Visit BMI

Latin recording artist Chiko Méndez and salsa legend Jimmy Sabater made a recent stop at BMI’s New York office to pay a visit to BMI Director of Latin Music Porfirio Piña. Méndez, best known for blending styles in both English and Spanish, includes an array of dance, pop, house, ballad, bolero, cumbia, merengue, salsa, electronica, techno, and jazz in his recordings. A multi-talented artist, he can be seen in the…
BMI Shows ‘Who’s Next’ at ‘Writers on the Rise’ Event in N.Y.
BMI’s New York Writer/Publisher Relations department hosted its first “Who’s Next: Writers on the Rise” event on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Redeye Grill in Manhattan. The packed media reception featured Josiah Bell, Dave Katz, Claude Kelly, Lady GaGa, Lanz, Matthew Mayfield, Curtis Richardson, Steven Sater, Duncan Sheik, Brent Smith of
‘How I Wrote That Song’ Panel to Feature Top BMI Songwriters
Hitmakers Cee-Lo, Dallas Austin, Fall Out Boy‘s Patrick Stump, Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele Scheduled to Speak at the Key Club Feb. 10 BMI and the Los Angeles Times will present “How I Wrote That Song,” a panel discussion with some of music’s most successful songwriters. The panel will be held Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Key Club (9039 Sunset…
Atlanta’s daRome Bentley Wins Demo Contest
Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/producer daRome Bentley is the winner of BMI's inaugural Demo Contest, co-sponsored with music production company the Demo Center and electronic press kit producer Sonicbids.com. Over 1,000 songwriters and artists entered the highly anticipated competition, which ran from January through early April 2006, with Bentley chosen as the winner by a panel of prominent music…
Reggaetón Makes Its Mark in Today’s Multicultural Music Market

Levitating from the underground to the top of the Latin charts, the genre known as reggaetón has pumped a much-needed shot of vitality into a complex and shifting record market. In the first half of 2005, unit shipments of various formats of Latin music increased a monumental 27.7 percent, a figure attributed in great part to the rise of reggaetón. Correspondingly, mainstream artists have now appropriated the trademark rhythms as…
