Juanes walked away with a win in every category within which he was nominated: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video for “Me Enamora,” along with an Album of the Year trophy for La Vida…Es Un Ratico and Best Male Pop Vocalist.

Legendary cross-over queen Gloria Estefan also enjoyed a big night, as she earned Best Tropical Album and Best Tropical Song honors in addition to becoming the first woman named 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.

Café Tacvba, Gustavo Santaolalla, Julieta Venegas (SGAE), and Anibal Kerpel each took home two Latin Grammy Awards. Café Tacvba claimed Best Rock Song for “Esta Vez” and Best Alternative Song for “Volver A Comenzar.” 2008 BMI Latin Icon Gustavo Santaolalla earned statues for Record and Album of the Year thanks to his production role on both Juanes projects, while Mexican singer/songwriter Julieta Venegas garnered honors for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Long Form Music Video. Esteemed producer Anibal Kerpel’s two trophies honored his co-production of the Record and Album of the Year alongside frequent collaborator Gustavo Santaolalla.

Other BMI artists celebrating big wins at the 2008 Latin Grammys included genre-bender Flex for Best Urban Song, Rap-metal synergists Molotov for Best Rock Album by a Duo or Group, 2008 BMI Latin Songwriters of the Year Wisin & Yandel for Best Urban Music Album, and salsa legend Sergio George for Producer of the Year.

All 2008 BMI Latin Grammy Award Winners

JUANES
Record of the Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Best Male Pop Vocalist
Best Short Form Music Video

GLORIA ESTEFAN
Person of the Year
Best Traditional Tropical Album
Best Tropical Song

CAFÉ TACVBA
Best Rock Song
Best Alternative Song

GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA
Record of the Year
Album of the Year

JULIETA VENEGAS (SGAE)
Best Alternative Music Album
Best Long Form Music Video

ANIBAL KERPEL
Record of the Year
Album of the Year

EMILIO ESTEFAN, JR.
Best Tropical Song

FLEX
Best Urban Song

MOLOTOV
Best Rock Album by Duo or Group

BELANOVA
Best Pop Album By a Duo or Group

ALBERTO GAITAN
Best Tropical Song

RICARDO GAITAN
Best Tropical Song

SERGIO GEORGE
Producer of the Year

LOS HORÓSCOPOS DE DURANGO
Best Banda Album

Vince Norman (Caribbean Jazz Project)
Best Latin Jazz Album

SIGGNO
Best Norteño Album

WISIN Y YANDEL
Best Urban Music Album

Other top award winners were songwriters Amund Bjørklund and Espen Lind (both members of Norwegian performing right society TONO and represented in the U.S. by BMI), along with Ne-Yo, who received the prestigious Robert S. Musel Award for Song of the Year for Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” The song is published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd./Stellar Songs Ltd.; the song and songwriters also received the BMI Urban Song of the Year prize earlier this year.

Modest Mouse’s “Dashboard” earned BMI’s College Song of the Year crown for tallying the most performances on American college radio. The infectious lead single off the band’s We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank album, “Dashboard” was co-written by Johnny Marr (PRS), Tom "King Sour" Peloso and Joe Plummer and published by Chrysalis Music.

The BMI Dance Award went to Ian Dench and Amanda Ghost (PRS) for “Beautiful Liar,” recorded by genre-bending combo Beyoncé and Shakira. “Beautiful Liar” was published by Bucks Music Group Ltd. (PRS), EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS) and Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. (PRS).

Prestigious “Million-Air” certificates were also presented throughout the evening in recognition of those songs that have achieved more than three million U.S. radio and television performances — the equivalent of more than 17 years of continuous airplay. The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” co-penned by Sir Mick Jagger (PRS) and Keith Richards (PRS), and Eric Clapton’s (PRS) “Layla,” co-written by Clapton and Jim Gordon, both topped the list with seven million performances each, while John Lennon’s (PRS) self-penned “Imagine” was recognized for six million performances. Five-million performance honorees included “Higher Love” co-penned by Steve Winwood (PRS) and Will Jennings; Graham Lyle’s (PRS) “What’s Love Got To Do With It”; and “You Really Got Me,” composed by BMI Icon Ray Davies (PRS). BMI Icon Steve Winwood also composed two more songs in the list: “Gimme Some Loving” (4 million) co-written by Muff Winwood and Spencer Davies (both PRS), and “Valerie” (3 million) which was also co-written by Will Jennings.

Additional award-winners whose compositions soared past the three million performance mark included Shania Twain (PRS), Graham Gouldman (PRS), The Bee Gees’ Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb (all PRS), Sir Paul McCartney (PRS), Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, Roxette’s Per Gessle (STIM), Mats Persson (STIM), Paul Herman (PRS), Mort Shuman (SACEM), Wally Badarou (SACEM), Stig Anderson (STIM), and ABBA’s Benny Andersson (STIM) and Björn Ulvaeus (BUMA).

In addition to winning Dance Song of the Year, “Beautiful Liar” garnered BMI Pop and Urban Awards for writers Ian Dench and Amanda Ghost (both PRS); Dench and Ghost also scored Pop Awards for Jordin Sparks’ “Tattoo,” and College Song of the Year “Dashboard” garnered Pop Awards for its creative hive. Kanye West’s “Stronger,” co-written by West, Thomas Bangalter (PRS), Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (PRS) and Michael Dean, earned awards in both Pop and Urban categories as well, as did Song of the Year “Irreplaceable.” Iconic rocker Pete Townsend (PRS) garnered three awards in the TV Music Awards field, while KT Tunstall (PRS) and Julieta Venegas (SGAE) each secured two awards in the Pop and Latin fields, respectively. Composers Rupert Gregson-Williams and George Fenton (both PRS), also earned two awards each: Gregson-Williams in the Film category and Fenton in Film and Emmy Award-winning divisions.

A complete list of award winners is available here.

With six nominations, Café Tacvba garnered the most nods, boasting a Best Alternative Album nod for Sino, Record of the Year and Best Alternative Song taps for “Volver A Comenzar,” and Song of the Year and Best Rock Song props for “Esta Vez,” along with a nomination in the coveted Album of the Year category.

2008 BMI Latin Icon Gustavo Santaolalla received five nominations. Prolific producer, musician and composer, Santaolalla earned two nods in the Record of the Year category, as producer of Café Tacvba’s “Volver A Comenzar” and Juanes’ "Me Enamora"; two more nominations under the Album of the Year umbrella as producer of Café Tacvba’s Sino and Juanes’ La Vida…Es Un Ratico; and one nod in the Best Short Form Music Video field for Bajofondo’s “Pa’ Bailar” as a member of the group.

International star Juanes also garnered five nods. In addition to Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Album nominations for La Vida…Es Un Ratico, Juanes earned Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video taps for “Me Enamora.”

Mexican singer/songwriter Julieta Venegas earned a four nominations: Record and Song of the Year for “El Presente” and Best Alternative Album and Best Long Form Music Video for her contribution to the MTV Unplugged series.

International superstar Gloria Estefan added three more nominations to her career collection. The Academy also dubbed her the 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, and a presentation highlighting her achievements will be part of the Latin Grammy ceremony in November. Estefan is the first woman to receive the honor.

Jazz-infused singer/songwriter Ximena Sariñana also earned three nominations, while buzz artist Flex secured two nods, including Best Urban Album for Te Quiero and Best Urban Song for the project’s title track. Rap-metal synergists Molotov also boast two nominations, including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song for “Yofo.”

Additional BMI nominees include Cachorro López, salsa legend Sergio George, Circo, BMI Latin Songwriters of the Year Wisin & Yandel, Pepe Aguilar, Banda el Recodo, El Chapo, Freddie Martinez, Marcos Witt, Humberto Garcia and Belanova.

The 9th Annual Latin Grammys are slated for November 13 in Houston and will be broadcast live on Univision.

Comprising lead vocalist Denisse Guerrero, programmer and keyboardist Edgar Huerta, and Ricardo "Richie" Arreola on bass (accompanied by a drummer in concert), the triumvirate first convened in 2000. Their CD debut, Cocktail, recorded for the Universal Music dance imprint Virus Records, contained the single "Tus Ojos," featured in a Mitsubishi publicity campaign to announce the Japanese car company’s arrival in Mexico. Highlighted by two additional singles, "Suele Pasar" and "Aún Asi Te Vas,” Cocktail reached gold status as the album was named one of the Top Five releases of 2003 by Rolling Stone Mexico. A 100-city tour of Mexico capitalized on this success, introducing the trio’s energetic stage show to appreciative audiences.

Changing over from Virus to parent company Universal, the band recorded a follow-up, Dulce Beat, in Argentina with producer Cachorro López, who is perhaps best known for his brilliant work with Julieta Venegas. Embraced by MTV Mexico, Dulce Beat, bolstered by the singles "Me Pregunto,” "Por Ti" (that logged a record-setting 29 weeks atop MTV Mexico's Top 20 chart) and "Rosa Pastel," was so successful that the group created Dulce Beat 2.0 and added a bonus disc of acoustic versions and remixes. Next, Dulce Beat Live, 16 songs performed at the Foro Expo in Guadalajara, went gold only hours after its Mexican release. In 2006, the band earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album by a Group or Duo, as Belanova became the most nominated Mexican act on the 2006's MTV Video Music Awards Latin America. Disney Latin America subsequently selected the band to record the Spanish version of the song "What I've Been Looking For" ("Eres Tú") for the Latin American release of the High School Musical soundtrack and Belanova signed a contract with Pizza Hut Mexico to promote the chain’s Cheesy Pops with their single "Niño.”

Fantasía Pop, their third release, entered the Mexican charts at number 18 before climbing to number one three weeks after release. It was also their first gold record in the U.S. as the album's singles, "Baila Mi Corazón" and "Cada Que..." went on to sell over 200,000 downloads in the United States alone. When the album was certified platinum in March 2008 in Mexico, the band made history when it was revealed that digital sales of the album were five times the 100,000 copies that were sold physically.

Their U.S. success is a crucial component to the band’s continued rise as it confirms once again that music can cross borders, barriers, languages and locales when it makes the audience get up and dance.

BMI held its 15th annual Latin Music Awards Thursday, June 12 at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Esteemed composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla was named a BMI Icon; Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malavé, better known as reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel, and singer/songwriter Espinoza Paz comprised the three-way tie for Latin Songwriter of the Year; “De Rodillas Te Pido” garnered Song of the Year honors for writer José A. Sosa; and Editora Arpa Musical received the Latin Publisher of the Year crown. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela, the black-tie dinner also touted the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed Latin songs on U.S. radio and television.

View Full Song List

The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” An all-star musical tribute paid homage to the achievements of Gustavo Santaolalla, who joins an elite list of past honorees that includes Latin music titans Los Tigres Del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Santana, along with legends Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and the late James Brown.

Artist, talent scout, producer, documentarian and composer, Gustavo Santaolalla’s genius spills over into numerous disciplines. The Argentina native helped define the nascent Latin rock movement of the 1970’s with his innovative Latino folk/rock band, Arco Iris, and later as a solo artist. Santaolalla has mastered Andean string instrument the ronroco and filmed Pan-American, indigenous folk musicians. His transformation to producer was inevitable; the subsequent cultural unification was historic. Along with partner Anibal Kerpel, he united the traditionally separate Mexican and Argentine rock spheres, gaining recognition for production work on numerous platinum and gold-selling projects. The duo achieved a new level of visibility with band Café Tacuba, whose collaborations with Santaolalla/Kerpel garnered multiple Grammy nominations and a Latin Grammy win. Santaolalla triumphantly entered the world of cinema, where he has composed numerous BMI, Golden Globe and Oscar award-winning original scores for films including Brokeback Mountain and Babel. His work on Babel and the critically-acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries also earned BAFTA honors. Through the creation of his label Surco, Santaolalla has also launched and sustained marquee artists, including international star Juanes.

Chart-dominating reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel and charismatic troubadour Espinoza Paz shared the prestigious Latin Songwriter of the Year title. The win marks the second consecutive Songwriter of the Year crown for Wisin & Yandel’s Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malavé. Three of the co-writing pair’s infectious hits rested comfortably on BMI’s most-performed list: “Noche De Entierro (Nuestro Amor)” (Los Benjamins featuring Wisin & Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Héctor "El Father,” Tonny Tún Tún and Zion), “Pam Pam” (Wisin & Yandel) and “Pegao” (Wisin & Yandel featuring Los Vaqueros). Mexican singer/songwriter Espinoza Paz earned his first Songwriter of the Year trophy by also contributing three songs to the top 50: “Mil Heridas” (Banda Cuisillos), “Prohibido” (El Coyote y su Banda Tierra Santa) and “Te Compro” (Duelo).

“De Rodillas Te Pido” earned BMI Latin Song of the Year honors for award-winning songwriter José a.k.a. “Pepe” A. Sosa. Published by Siempre Music and recorded by renowned group Alegres de la Sierra, “De Rodillas Te Pido” shot to the top slot of Billboard’s Latin Regional Mexican Airplay Chart and reached the Hot Latin Tracks’ top ten ranks. The combination of José A. Sosa and Alegres de la Sierra proved potent, as Sosa also took home an award for composing the band’s hit “Y Si Volviera A Nacer.”

With the highest percentage of copyright ownership of the year’s most-performed songs, Editora Arpa Musical garnered the Latin Publisher of the Year crown. Hits including Mariano Barba’s “Aliado Del Tiempo”; La Banda Pequeños Musical’s “Reencuentro” and “Me Encantaría”; El Chapo de Sinaloa’s “Detrás De La Puerta”; and Songwriter of the Year Espinoza Paz’s compositions catapulted Editora Arpa Musical to the top.

The ceremony also featured the presentation of the BMI Foundation's fifth annual peermusic Latin Scholarship to Boston’s Simmons College student Daniela Blau. The 21 year-old Costa Rica native will receive a $5,000 scholarship for her song “Y Si No Lo Sabes.” Established by the BMI Foundation and funded by the generosity of Ralph Peer II and the peermusic companies, the scholarship is awarded annually through a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions. The 2008 competition was open to college students between the ages of 16 and 24 currently attending school throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

BMI also honored beloved Mexican troupe La Banda El Récodo with a commemorative plaque celebrating the prolific group’s 70th anniversary. Recognized as the first recorded banda, La Banda El Récodo also ranks among the most eclectic, combining Latin dance, jazz and classical music to produce an inimitable sound.

Premier Latin songwriters Manuel Eduardo Castro (SACM), Agustín Cejudo, Edgar Cortázar, Héctor Delgado "El Father,” Cuauhtémoc González García, Don Omar, Luis "Louie" Padilla and Julieta Venegas (SGAE) took home two awards each. Additional big winners included Mariano Barba for “Aliado Del Tiempo”’s second award; Ramón González Mora for “Voy A Llorar Por Ti”; Adrián Pieragostino for “Me Duele Escuchar Tu Nombre”; Kike Santander for “¿Quién Me Iba A Decir?”; Sergio Vallin for “Bendita Tu Luz”; and Luigi Giraldo and A.B. Quintanilla III for “Chiquilla.”

Publishers claiming two or more songs among the top 50 were Universal Music Publishing Group (Universal Music-Careers/Universal-Música Unica Publishing/Universal Music Publishing SA [SGAE]); EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.; SER-CA Publishing, Inc.; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.; Máximo Aguirre Music Publishing, Inc.; Blue Kraft Music Publishing; Crown P. Music Publishing; Peer Music Group (Peer International Corp./peermusic III, Ltd.); and Rompediscoteca Music Publisher.

As of late Ceci has been getting noticed from mainstream and latin media. Her music has been heard on the new MTV TR3S show Indie 101, influential radio station KCRW (Los Angeles) and Ceci is the latest to receive a feature on the popular social networking site MySpace.com. On the first day of the feature Ceci received thousands of hits and plays on her myspace.com site: www.myspace.com/cecibastida

You can hear her aforementioned collaborations w/ Ramos and Roberts on her myspace page as well.

FOUR AWARDS
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

TWO AWARDS
George Benson
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Chick Corea
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
Best Instrumental Arrangement

The Flaming Lips
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Kirk Franklin
Best Gospel Song
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Gnarls Barkley
Best Alternative Music Album
Best Urban/Alternative Performance

John Legend
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

T.I.
Best Rap Solo Performance
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Carrie Underwood
Best New Artist
Best Female Country Vocal Performance

John Williams
Best Score Soundtrack Album
Best Instrumental Composition

OTHER WINNERS
Yolanda Adams
Best Gospel Performance

Pepe Aguilar
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album

Christina Aguilera
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Chente Barrera y Taconazo
Best Tejano Album

The Black Eyed Peas
Best Pop Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal

Randy Brecker
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

T Bone Burnett
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album

Enya (PRS)
Best New Age Album

Peter Erskine
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Dave Fridmann
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Bob Gaudio
Best Musical Show Album

Vince Gill
Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Osvaldo Golijov
Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Bill Harley
Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Van Hunt
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Israel & New Breed
Best Traditional Gospel Album

Al Jarreau
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Klezmatics
Best Contemporary World Music Album

Krayzie Bone
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

Will Lee
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

The Bryan Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project
Best Latin Jazz Album

Maná
Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album

OK Go
Best Short Form Music Video

Joss Stone (PRS)
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra
Best Polka Album

Irma Thomas
Best Contemporary Blues

Los Tigres Del Norte
Best Norteño Album

Ike Turner
Best Traditional Blues Album

Julieta Venegas
Best Latin Pop Album

Doc Watson
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals

Pharrell Williams
Best Rap Song

Wolfmother (APRA)
Best Hard Rock Performance