View List of Award Winning Songs

BMI held its 56th Annual Pop Awards tonight, May 20, honoring Daryl Hall and John Oates as BMI Icons. Famed songwriter and producer Polow Da Don earned the coveted Songwriter of the Year crown, Hinder's ubiquitous "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year honors and Publisher of the Year went to EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. Held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, the invitation-only ceremony was hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Vice President/General Manager, Los Angeles, Barbara Cane and also recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most-performed pop songs from BMI's extensive catalog of more than 6.5 million compositions.

The evening's capstone took the form of a musical tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, who were named BMI Icons in recognition of their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." With this award, they join an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

The effervescent popularity of Daryl Hall and John Oates's magical collaborations springs from the duo's devout passion for Philly soul and buoyant pop harmonies. Warmly accessible and expertly polished, Daryl Hall and John Oates's smooth production utilizes undeniable hooks and innate contemporary lyrical sensibility. The resulting eight no. 1 singles, three double-platinum and two platinum albums catapulted the pair into pop superstardom; in 1987, Daryl Hall and John Oates became the best-selling rock duo of all time. Skilled songwriters, they are both members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, together boasting 24 BMI Pop Awards and a catalog studded with 14 BMI Million-Air award songs, including "She's Gone," "Everytime You Go Away," "Kiss On My List," "Maneater" and "Sara Smile." They have prompted a surge of interest and homage from a diverse bevy of new artists, who cite the pair as definitive influences. Restless creators, Daryl Hall and John Oates have spent much of the last decade touring throughout the world.

Polow Da Don's resounding claim to the BMI Songwriter of the Year title stems from penning four songs among the year's top 50: the Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons," featuring Snoop Dogg; Fergie's "London Bridge" and "Glamorous," featuring Ludacris; and "Runaway Love," recorded by Ludacris and featuring Mary J. Blige. Fergie's emphatic shout, "Polow!" in "London Bridge" embedded Da Don's first name in the pop culture psyche, while his hit-making expertise catapulted him to behind-the-scenes impresario. Polow Da Don's first BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year win arrives on the shoulders of his first four BMI Awards, underscoring his unparalleled breakout success in 2007.

Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" garnered Song of the Year bragging rights thanks to generating the most airplay of any tune on BMI's most-performed pop song list during the designated award period. Co-written and recorded by BMI songwriters and Hinder band members Blower, Cody Hanson, Mark King, Michael Rodden and Austin Winkler, along with producer Brian Howes (SOCAN), the wistful tune climbed to the no. 1 slot of Billboard's Pop 100, Hot Digital Songs and Top 40 Mainstream charts, achieving broad crossover success. Country artist Jack Ingram's recording of the song also resonated, reaching the top 20 tier of Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. and Hinder Music Co., "Lips of an Angel" also earned the Internet Song of the Year win as the most performed song on the Internet during the award period.

EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. claimed its BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crown with a staggering 14 award songs and highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year's top 50. In addition to publishing Song of the Year "Lips of an Angel," EMI-Blackwood's catalog includes award-winners "Money Maker" (Ludacris feat. Pharrell), "Break It Off" (Rihanna feat. Sean Paul), "Glamorous" (Fergie feat. Ludacris), "Hurt" (Christina Aguilera), "Nothing Left to Lose" (Mat Kearney), "The Riddle" (Five for Fighting) and "U + Ur Hand" (Pink).

Nickelback also enjoyed a big night as members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Dan Adair (all SOCAN) each took home three BMI Pop Awards; songwriters earning two awards each included Christina Aguilera; Hinder's Blower, Cody Hanson, Michael Rodden, Mark King and Austin Winkler; Snoop Dogg, Chris Daughtry; Sean Garrett; Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier, Barry Stock, Brad Walst and Neil Sanderson (all SOCAN); Brian Howes (SOCAN); Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman and Andrew Hurley; Ne-Yo; Pink; and will.i.am.

Publishing companies Universal Music Publishing Group (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc./Universal Music-Careers/Universal Music-Z Songs), Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Warner/Chappell Music Group (Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Unichappell Music, Inc.), Songs of Windswept Pacific, Cherry River Music Co., Chicago X Softcore Songs, Hinder Music Co., Hitco Music, My Own Chit Publishing, Pink Inside Publishing, Super Sayin' Publishing, Surface Pretty Deep Ugly Music, Team S Dot Publishing, will.i.am music, inc. and Xtina Music each garnered multiple awards.

The BMI Foundation's 11th Annual John Lennon Scholarship was presented to burgeoning jazz/pop songwriter Travis Knapp for his song "Before You Go."  A recent graduate of Ithaca College where he studied music and anthropology, Knapp is currently recording his sophomore collection of original music. Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by generous donations from Gibson Musical Instruments, the prestigious John Lennon Scholarship program recognizes and fosters auspicious young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24.

Born in South Africa, the 32-year-old producer and songwriter has long had a love for music and began playing the piano at a young age. With the support of his parents, Rotem set out to pursue a career as a musician, studying classical music until junior high school. After hearing Run DMC’s Raising Hell album, he became enthralled by hip-hop and would later begin his career in the studio instead of on stage.

While majoring in piano performance at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Rotem aspired to be a film composer. His goals later shifted towards music production after being inspired by Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle albums.

When his music got into the hands of producer Dwayne Wiggins of Tony, Toni, Tone fame, his buzz in the industry began to grow. Initially, one of Rotem’s beats was reserved for an En Vogue album, but was later used for the songs “Fancy” and “My Song” off of Destiny’s Child’s Survivor album. From there, the ball started rolling and never stopped. Dr. Dre, one of his musical idols, heard a Rotem production and wanted a song, jump-starting his career.

Along the way, “Beautiful Girls” by Beluga Heights artist Sean Kingston, reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, helping Rotem further establish himself.
Since those big breaks, Rotem’s resume has continued to grow, reading like a who’s who of hits, with his finely tuned musical ear making him a standout as a producer. He’s come a long way from practicing the piano as a child.

But New York native Lanz isn’t one to be fenced in by expectations. Signed to Interscope Records, which will be releasing her debut album, Young $ Restless, on Feb. 12, 2008, Lanz is currently on tour opening for no less a hip-hop icon than Snoop Dogg, winning converts and proving her mettle night after night.

Born Alana Michelle Josephs, the only child shuffled between her parents for a few years, eventually ending up with her mother. Despite what Lanz calls a “blissful” relationship, the reunion was soon shattered by her mother’s boyfriend’s unstable, drug-fuelled behavior. Combined with the absence of her father, Lanz increasingly turned to such straight-ahead, occasionally rage-fueled acts as Tupac, DMX and Eminem, and, in the process, began developing her own skills.

“As a young kid, instead of having my mind guarded, it wasn’t really shielded at all,” she says. “So real life at an early age was a real thing for me.”

Lanz started recording demos and rapping on the underground scene, eventually gathering a team of industry professionals and ultimately becoming the subject of label interest, leading to a meeting at Interscope honcho Jimmy Iovine’s home. The pair clicked, and Lanz is now finishing up her album with such well-established producers as Three 6 Mafia, Stargate, and Organized Noize.

“When you’re creating waves in uncharted waters, there’s always going to be haters who try to sink your float,” she says. “No matter how many times they try to stop me, I’ve kept right on my beautiful struggle. I’ve felt both the pain and the love so I speak for the kid always pushed on. I show them how to shove back. I'm not just trying to make it, I’m trying to be one of the best to ever do it.”

Nely’s nickname is “El Arma Secreta” (The Secret Weapon) and for good reason. Even though Nely (born Josias de la Cruz) is only 19, he has already proven himself a one-man reggaeton machine. The producer was behind the soundboard for major hits such as Wisin & Yandel’s “Noche de Sexo” and “Rakata,” Tito “El Bambino’s” “Mia,” Hector “El Father”’s “Noche De Travesura,” Don Omar’s “Salvaje” and Zion Y Lennox’s “Cuando.”

Most recently, Nely, who was nominated for producer of the year at the 2007 Billboard Latin Music Awards, produced a number of tracks on Daddy Yankee’s new album, El Cartel: The Big Boss. Released in June, the album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and No. 9 on the Billboard 200. He’s previously worked with Daddy Yankee on his duet with Snoop Dogg, “Gangster Zone.” His latest effort with Don Omar is the infectious “Calm My Nerves,” from Omar’s El Pentagono, a collection of tunes from top reggaeton artists that came out in March.

Nely, who was raised in Puerto Rico, is signed to Universal Music Publishing Group Latin America. He began playing drums when he was only five and was producing before he was old enough to drive. Among his influences, according to his myspace page, are Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Neptunes and Timbaland. He now splits his time between Puerto Rico and Miami.

A college degree in electronic music, membership in Nine Inch Nails and a résumé remixing rockers like White Zombie and Marilyn Manson brought Clouser to horror. He brightens his sonic palette as the composer for two TV series, Numb3rs, and Las Vegas. “Numb3rs is thematic, but Las Vegas is a musical smorgasbord where one minute I may have to sound like a Snoop Dogg track and the next come up with a country and western twang jam.”

Next up is a Universal feature with Saw creator James Wan, titled (at press time) Dead Silence. “I did the whole score, top to bottom in four weeks. I composed, performed, recorded, engineered and mixed it. I didn’t go to a studio and I didn’t have any help. I did everything in Logic on a Macintosh G5.”

Even for this technological maestro, simpler is better. “A lot of what I do has been an effort to avoid anything that seems like work,” he notes. “I enjoy making music; I enjoy manipulating sounds. Trying to get five PCs to talk to each other is work.”]]> 2006-10-15T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334965 Blunt, James, Brown, Chris, Bryant, Del, Carey, Mariah, Foxx, Jamie, Garrett, Sean, Jersey Boys, Juanes, Keith, Toby, Kelly, R., Korn, Lil Jon, Linkin Park, Ne-Yo, Neptunes, The, Nickelback, Pink, Reyli, Rihanna, Shakira, Snoop Dogg, Urban, Keith, Venegas, Julieta, West, Kanye, Wyner, Yehudi, International, Licensing, New Media, Hitmaker BMI this week posted revenues (excluding Landmark Digital Services, LLC) of more than $779 million for its fiscal year 2005-2006, which ended June 30. The figure represents an increase of 7 percent over the previous year, it was announced by Del Bryant, President & CEO of BMI. The revenues resulted in royalties for distribution to BMI-affiliated songwriters, composers and publishers of $676 million, an increase of 8.2 percent over last year. These results represent the largest performing right income of any copyright organization in the industry.

"I am particularly pleased that our tradition of technology leadership and consistent attention to cost control have permitted us to deliver an ever-larger proportion of our licensing income to the songwriters, composers and copyright owners we represent," Bryant said in making the announcement. Operational expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased from 14.2 percent to 13.2 percent, the lowest in BMI's history and among the lowest of the world's major copyright organizations.

Although total license fees from traditional analog media continued to increase, revenues from cable, satellite, the Internet and other digital media surged ahead. Cable and satellite revenue grew by $24 million and now represents more than 17 percent of the company's total. New media revenues grew to more than $16 million, an increase of 35 percent over the prior year. International revenues also hit a new high at $204 million, and general licensing income, from tens of thousands of bars and restaurants, retail, and service establishments, increased 12 percent over the prior year to more than $86 million.

BMI's revenues are attributable to the diversity, scope and popularity of the music created by the more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers that the company represents. These songwriters transcend global boundaries and have broad international appeal, and include such acts as Mariah Carey, the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Toby Keith, R. Kelly, Linkin Park, Juanes, Keith Urban, Gnarls Barkley, Korn, Don Omar and Pink, as well as top urban songwriters/producers including Lil Jon, the Neptunes, Snoop Dogg, Sean Garrett, multi-Grammy Award winner Kanye West, T.I., Jamie Foxx, and newcomers Ne-Yo and Chris Brown.

Through reciprocal agreements with foreign societies, BMI also represents such international chart-toppers as British breakout artist James Blunt (PRS) ["You're Beautiful"], Canadian rock group Nickelback (SOCAN), and Latin sensations Julieta Venegas (SGAE) and Reyli (SACM).

BMI film and television composers enjoyed impressive success, contributing music to 78 percent of all network primetime television shows and 24 of the 25 top-grossing films released during the fiscal year. BMI songwriters were awarded the majority of the Grammy and CMA awards, the Blues Awards and the Downbeat Jazz Poll. BMI classical composer Yehudi Wyner won the Pulitzer Prize in music, and Broadway celebrated the music of BMI songwriters with the multiple Tony-winning hit, Jersey Boys.

Pictured at the Recording Academy Honors gala are (seated): Recording Academy West Regional Director Lizzy Moore, actor Chris Tucker, honoree Snoop Dogg, honoree Chris DeWolfe, honoree Tom Anderson, honoree Lalo Schifrin, performer Dave Stewart of Platinum Weird; (top row): Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, rapper Warren G, L.A. Chapter Governor Ray Chew, L.A. Chapter Governor Shelly Berg, Recording Academy Vice Chairman Jimmy Jam, performer Natalie Cole, L.A. Chapter Governor and Recording Academy Honors musical director Greg Phillinganes, L.A. Chapter Governor Tom Sturges, producer Lawrence Bender, L.A. Chapter President Maureen Crowe, L.A. Chapter Governor Barbara Shelley, L.A. Chapter Governor Dan Navarro, L.A. Chapter Governor and BMI's Barbara Cane. Photo by Arnold Turner

Schifrin, a six-time Academy Award nominee and four-time Grammy winner, was the evening's first honoree, with film director Brett Ratner and actor/comedian Chris Tucker presenting his award. Both Ratner and Tucker have worked with Schifrin on Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, and the upcoming Rush Hour 3. Eight-time Grammy Award-winning legend Natalie Cole, who Schifrin considers to be one of our greatest living jazz singers, then sang a dazzling rendition of the Ella Fitzgerald classic "A Tisket A Tasket," before Schifrin himself jumped on the keyboard to play his Mission: Impossible theme with members of the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra.

Afterwards, rap icon Dr. Dre took the stage to present his close friend and colleague, Snoop Dogg, with his award. A humbled Snoop accepted the award with a group of boys he coaches and sponsors in football. Hip-hop artist Bow Wow, Snoop's protégé and "little brother," closed the night and brought the crowd to its feet with his rendition of Snoop's "Who Am I."

The Los Angeles Academy Honors also featured a silent auction, with a portion of the proceeds going to scholarships for students hoping to attend Grammy Camp.

Having now celebrated 47 years of musical excellence through the Grammy Awards, NARAS continues its rich legacy and ongoing growth as the premier outlet for honoring achievements in the recording arts and supporting the music community.
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