Writers who have appeared in the past include Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, Lisa Loeb, Avril Lavigne, John Oats, Gavin Degraw, and Charlotte Sometimes. Kate Voegele, winner of the Circle's 2006 contest, is currently starring in the hit tv show One Tree Hill and her new video is currently on MTV's TRL. Company of Thieves, winners of the 2007 contest, were recently named "one of the top bands to watch for in 2008" by the Chicago Daily Herald.

The Grand Prize includes $5,000 cash, a chance to perform at Madison Square Garden as part of The New York Songwriters Circle/New York Titans Concert series and professional recording studio sessions at Dubway Studios, up to a maximum of $1,000.

Second Prize is $3,000 and third place will receive $1,500. Additionally, a special International Award of $1000 will be awarded to a writer who originates from anywhere in the world outside the U.S.

All 12 finalists will receive:

• An opportunity to perform as part of the Circle's showcase series in New York City or Philadelphia.
• An opportunity to have their song included on NYSC’s compilation CD release.
• A feature on songwriters-circle.com

Deadline for submissions is September 30th, 2008. For more information about the contest, the list of judges, sponsors, prizes, and to submit your music, visit songwriters-circle.com.

The sisters have a reality program on Mun2 and are currently wrapping up their debut album with songwriter, producer and mentor Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, Vanessa Carlton, Mýa, The Black Eyed Peas, The Pussycat Dolls). The girls’ debut single, “Rock Star,” was the lead track from last year’s Bratz motion picture soundtrack (Geffen Records).

Hailing from Rosemead, CA, Prima J were discovered while performing choreography for r&b recording artist Nikki Flores, and were introduced to Stefanie Ridel, who took the duo under her wings. As Mexican-Americans, Prima J hope to be role models to both American and Latin girls, as they consider themselves the face of the new Hispanic in America, part of an emerging generation that speaks English and lives Latin.

This is an official 2008 Sundance Film Festival event and is open to festival badge holders, press and invited guests only; tickets will not be sold.

Showtimes for the Snowball showcase will be:

6 p.m. Cheb i Sabbah with Salar Nader, Mitch Hyare and special guest Gingger Shankar

6:30 p.m. Steve Smith from Dirty Vegas

7:15 p.m. Nick Urata from DeVotchKa

8:15 p.m. The Aggrolites

Songwriter/Artist Bios

BMI is a committed partner of the Festival, having showcased vital musical talent there for the past 15 years. BMI is a founding sponsor and participant of the Sundance Composers Lab and music program. Past BMI Sundance shows have included BMI songwriters DEVO, Shelby Lynne, Keb Mo, Vanessa Carlton, Terrence Blanchard, Minnie Driver, The Neville Brothers, Van Hunt, Cheap Trick and many more. For more information on BMI events at Sundance as well as on-site coverage of the Festival, please visit bmi.com/sundance.

The Sundance Film Festival is the premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film. Held each January in and around Park City, Utah, the Festival is a core program of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit cultural organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Presenting 120 dramatic and documentary feature-length films in seven distinct categories and 80 short films each year, the Sundance Film Festival has introduced American audiences to some of the most innovative films of the past two decades, including American Splendor, Clerks, Hustle and Flow, Maria Full of Grace, Napoleon Dynamite, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Smoke Signals and Super Size Me. Beyond the streets of Park City, the official website of the Sundance Film Festival, www.sundance.org, shares the Festival experience with a global audience through the streaming of short films, filmmaker interviews, and current news and box office information.

Founded and directed by singer/songwriter Tina Shafer, The New York Songwriters Circle has been at the forefront of discovering songwriting talent for over 17 years. With over $10,000 in cash and prizes, it is one of New York's premier venues for new, independent songwriters from all over the world.

Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2007. For more information please visit www.songwriters-circle.com.

The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters and artists who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, whose signature three-part harmony has endured for more than three decades, joins an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

The musical partnership of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash has produced some of the most timeless songs ever written, including "Marrakesh Express," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," "Guinnevere," "Teach Your Children," "Wooden Ships," "Dark Star" and "Just a Song Before I Go." The only American band of the original Woodstock era to have a societal impact rivaling that of the Beatles, Crosby, Stills & Nash has been called "the voice of an entire generation."

Hosted by BMI President/CEO Del Bryant and Los Angeles VP/GM Barbara Cane, the 54th annual BMI Pop Awards will recognize the writers and publishers of the most performed songs on U.S. radio and television from the past year. A Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Publisher of the Year will be announced during the evening, as will the winner of the BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarship.

Pop Award winners from previous years include 3 Doors Down, Maroon 5, R. Kelly, Nickelback, Shania Twain, Pharrell Williams, Michelle Branch, Lauren Christy and Scott Spock of The Matrix, Lil Jon, the Foo Fighters, Evanescence, Linkin Park, Vanessa Carlton and Sheryl Crow, among others.

Pictured in the BMI New York office are (seated) BMI's Samantha Cox, singer/songwriter Emma Lahana, BMI's J.W. Johnson, (standing) songwriter/producer Peter Zizzo and BMI's Charlie Feldman. photo by Dana Rodriguez

Involved in the arts from a very young age, Lahana most recently starred in Disney's Power Rangers Dino Thunder series as Kira Ford, the Yellow Ranger. Her character, a high school student who is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist with her own band, performed regularly on the show. In 2002, she played the role of Fiona in the Disney Channel original movie You Wish! and for two seasons, had a part in the New Zealand TV drama, "Shortland Street."

The Icon designation is given to a creator who has been "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." Simon, a multiple Grammy winner and a double inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist), joins a distinguished list of previous BMI Icons, including James Brown, Chuck Berry, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Little Richard, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana, who will be honored as an Icon at the BMI Latin Awards on April 21 in Las Vegas.

The BMI Pop Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs on U.S. radio and television from the company's repertoire of approximately 4.5 million musical works from around the world. A Pop Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Publisher of the Year will be announced during the evening, as will the winner of the BMI Foundation's John Lennon Scholarship.

Pop Award winners from previous years include 3 Doors Down, Lauren Christy and Scott Spock of the Matrix, Evanescence, Pharrell Williams, Michelle Branch, the Foo Fighters, Gregg Alexander, R. Kelly, Dallas Austin, Linkin Park, Vanessa Carlton and Sheryl Crow.

Vanessa Carlton	Sean Garrett	Harold Lilly

Sponsored by BMI, the Kauai Music Festival is a four-day celebration of the craft of popular songwriting. The Festival, tempered throughout with Kauai's "Aloha Spirit," provides an opportunity for aspiring songwriters to hone their craft under the tutelage of some of the best songwriters in the world. The KMF offers a unique combination of small group songwriter workshops, master classes, instructional panels and seminars on a variety of pertinent subjects, a songwriting contest, and concerts on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii.

The Kauai Music Festival will be held May 26-29.]]> 2005-03-03T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234316 Artists, Ben Gibbard, BT, Carlton, Vanessa, Clinton, George S., Death Cab For Cutie, Driver, Minnie, Golub, Peter, Kent, Rolfe, Shearmur, Ed, Sideways, Zigman, Aaron, Awards, Musical Styles, Dance, Film-TV, Musicworld, Feature 2005 Sundance Film Festival, being held this year in Park City, UT from January 20-30. BMI has been an ongoing sponsor of the Festival, as well as the Sundance Composers Lab held annually at Sundance in July and August.

Visit BMI's Sundance 2005 Site
Doreen Ringer Ross	Alexander Desplat	BT
Vice President, BMI Film & Television	Composer, “The Upside of Anger,” “Girl With A Pearl Earring”	Composer, “The Fast and The Furious,” “Monster”

The roundtable, entitled "Music & Film: The Creative Process," will feature composers and directors on Wednesday, January 26 from 11am to 1pm at the Sundance House (Kimball Art Center, 638 Park Avenue.) Moderated by BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross, Vice President of Film/TV Relations, panelists include director/actor Kevin Bacon ("Loverboy," "Losing Chase"), BMI composer Michael Bacon ("Loverboy," "Losing Chase"), director Melissa Painter ("Steal Me," "Wildflowers"), BMI composer George S. Clinton ("A Dirty Shame," "Austin Powers"), BMI composer Rolfe Kent ("The Matador," "Sideways," "Mean Girls"), director Richard Shepard ("The Matador"), BMI composer Walter Werzowa ("The Devil and Daniel Johnston"), director Jeff Fenerzeig ("The Devil and Daniel Johnston"), BMI composer Ed Shearmur ("Nine Lives," "Charlie's Angels"), director Rodrigo Garcia ("Nine Lives," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her"), composer Alexander Desplat ("The Upside of Anger," "Girl With a Pearl Earring"), BMI composer BT ("The Fast and the Furious," "Monster"), BMI composer Aaron Zigman ("John Q," "The Notebook") and Sundance Composers Lab director Peter Golub.

Ed Shearmur	George S. Clinton	Jeff Feuerzeig
Composer, “Nine Lives,” “Charlie’s Angels”	Composer, “A Dirty Shame,” “Austin Powers”	Director, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”

The third annual BMI Songwriters Snowball will also take place on January 26 at the Sundance House, from 6pm until 8pm. The show will feature acoustic performances by Interscope recording artist Vanessa Carlton, Maverick recording artist Keaton Simons, Atlantic recording artist Joe Firstman, Barsuk/Atlantic recording artist Ben Gibbard (lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service), and Zoe/Rounder Records recording artist and actress Minnie Driver.

Kevin Bacon	Melissa Painter	Michael Bacon
Director, “Loverboy,” “Losing Chase”	Director, “Steal Me,” “Wildflowers”	Composer, “Loverboy,” “Losing Chase”

Admittance to both events is for Sundance Film Festival badges, press passes or by invitation only; tickets will not be sold for these events.

Peter Golub	Richard Shepard	Rodrigo Garcia
Composer, “The Laramie Project,” and Director, Sundance Composers Lab	Director, “The Matador”	Director, “Nine Lives,” “Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her”

Rolfe Kent	Walter Werzowa
Composer, “The Matador,” “Sideways,” “Mean Girls”	Composer, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”

With the release of her new album, Harmonium , Carlton lives up to her tremendous promise (the disc is slated for release Oct. 19, 2004). Featuring the winsome single “White Houses,” the new CD boasts echoes of Carlton’s debut disc while incorporating even more challenging musical textures and sensibilities.

"I'm singing about suicide, insomnia and paranoia," Carlton told Rolling Stone . "There's nothing piano recital-y about it. It's goth."

Carlton is also stretching as a performer. A former ballet student, she reconnects with her dancing muse on the video for “White Houses.” Carlton’s graceful moves -- a beguiling combination of ballet and modern styles like the Moonwalk -- serve as an interpretive, tragicomic underpinning to the single’s coming-of-age lyrics.

"It's about jealousy … losing your virginity … living on your own," Carlton recently told MTV. "It's a story that most people can relate to, that chapter in your life from 16 to 25, where you're trying to figure out who you are, and you go through all these triumphs and tragedies on a daily basis, and how they shape you."

Born in the small town of Milford, Pennsylvania, one could say Carlton received a musical head start: Her mother often performed classical pieces on the piano while pregnant with Vanessa. At age 2, Carlton’s prenatal education paid its first dividend.

“My parents took me to Disneyworld, where I heard ‘It’s a Small World’ for the first time,” Carlton recalls. “When we came home, I ran to the piano and picked out the melody note-for-note. That’s how it all began.”

Exposed to everything from Fleetwood Mac to Brahms in the home, Carlton composed her first piano piece at age 8. Six years later, she attended New York’s School of American Ballet. But the rigors of formal dance became disillusioning, and Carlton resumed composing her own songs.

Carlton’s open-mic performances in New York captured the music industry’s ear. In 2002 came the debut album and its accompanying critical raves. Two years have passed since Rolling Stone named Carlton an “artist to watch.” But as her new album proves, the Pennsylvania wunderkind is still a musical force to be reckoned with.]]> 2004-10-11T18:00:00-05:00