Tim McGraw	Keith Urban	Toby Keith

BMI songwriters nominated for Song of the Year were Tim Nichols for "Live Like You Were Dying"; Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon for "American Soldier"; Bobby E. Boyd, Marcus Hummon and Jeff Hanna for "Bless the Broken Road"; and Bill Anderson and Jon Randall for "Whiskey Lullaby."

Alison Krauss	Byron Gallimore

Alison Krauss scored five nominations: one for Alison Krauss + Union Station as Top Vocal Group and four courtesy of song, video, single, and vocal event nominee "Whiskey Lullaby." Keith Urban, reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Toby Keith and producer Byron Gallimore received four nods each. Big & Rich, Rascal Flatts and producer Mark Wright received three nominations each.

Big & Rich	Mark Wright

Diamond Rio paired their Top Vocal Group nomination with one for the Home Depot Humanitarian Award; online voting is underway for the fan-voted honor.

The ACM Awards show, set for May 17 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, will be broadcast live on CBS-TV.

Rascal Flatts	Julie Roberts

BMI nominees for the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards:

Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Keith Urban

Top Vocal Group
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
The Notorious Cherry Bombs

Top New Artist
Big & Rich
Julie Roberts

Top Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
The Warren Brothers

Diamond Rio	Sara Evans

Top Female Vocalist
Sara Evans
Martina McBride

Top Male Vocalist
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Keith Urban

Video of the Year
"Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim McGraw

"Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
Big & Rich

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Brooks & Dunn	Martina McBride

Vocal Event of the Year
"Creepin' In"
Norah Jones and Dolly Parton
Arif Mardin and Norah Jones, producers

"Hey Good Lookin'"
with Clint Black and Toby Keith
Michael Utley, producer

"Party for Two"
Shania Twain

"When the Sun Goes Down"
Uncle Kracker

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Song of the Year
"American Soldier"
Toby Keith
Toby Keith and Chuck Cannon, writers
Tokeco Tunes and Wacissa River Music, Inc.

"Bless the Broken Road"
Rascal Flatts
Marcus Hummon, Bobby E. Boyd and Jeff Hanna, writers
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. and Jeff Diggs Music

"Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim McGraw
Tim Nichols, writer
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss
Bill Anderson and Jon Randall, writers
Mr. Bubba Music, Inc., Reynsong Publishing Corp., Sony/ATV Tree and WhaYa Say Music

Single Record of the Year
"Bless the Broken Road"
Rascal Flatts, artist/producer

"Days Go By"
Keith Urban, artist/producer

"I May Hate Myself in the Morning"
Byron Gallimore, producer

"Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw, Byron Gallimore and Darran Smith, producers

"Redneck Woman"
Mark Wright and Joe Scaife producers

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Album of the Year
Be Here
Keith Urban
Producers: Keith Urban

Here for the Party
Mark Wright and Joe Scaife, producers

Live Like You Were Dying
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw, Byron Gallimore and Darran Smith, producers

Restless
Sara Evans, artist/producer

Producer of the Year
Bryon Gallimore
James Stroud
Mark Wright

Engineer of the Year
Justin Niebank

Musicians of the Year
Bass
Mike Brignardello
David Hungate
Larry Paxton

Drums
Eric Darken

Fiddle
Glen Duncan
Stuart Duncan
Larry Franklin
Rob Hajacos
Jonathan Yudkin

Guitar
J.T. Corenflos
John Jorgenson
Brent Mason
Bryan Sutton

Piano/Keyboards
Gordon Mote

Specialty Instrument
Jim Hoke
Jim Horn
Rob Ickes
Randy Scruggs

Steel
Dan Dugmore
Sonny Garrish
John Hughey
Mike Johnson
Robby Turner]]> 2005-03-07T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234346 Artists, Big & Rich, Black, Clint, Brooks & Dunn, Buffett, Jimmy, Evans, Sara, Gentry, Montgomery, Keith, Toby, Krauss, Alison, Lonestar, Los Lonely Boys, Lynn, Loretta, McBride, Martina, McGraw, Tim, Rascal Flatts, Roberts, Julie, Shelton, Blake, Smith, Mindy, Sugarland, Tritt, Travis, Twain, Shania, Uncle Kracker, Urban, Keith, White, Jack, Musical Styles, Country, Urban 2005 CMT Music Awards, country music's only fan-voted awards show. Tim McGraw drew five mentions, with Big & Rich and Toby Keith receiving four each. Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Shania Twain and Keith Urban followed with three each.

Tim McGraw	Big & Rich	Toby Keith

CMT viewers began voting on February 16 for their favorite videos on CMT.com to determine the finalists, and later the winners. The first round of voting will end on March 10, when the votes will be tabulated and the field will be narrowed to four finalists in each category.

Alison Krauss	Martina McBride	Shania Twain

On Wednesday, March 16, CMT will announce the four finalists in each category except Video of the Year. Fans will be able to vote online at CMT.com through April 8 to determine the winners in all categories except Video of the Year. The winner of Video of the Year will be determined by viewers at CMT.com during the live telecast of the awards show.

Keith Urban	Los Lonely Boys

All category winners will be announced on Monday, April 11, on the live 2005 CMT Music Awards, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy.

BMI's nominees for 2005 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)"
Alison Krauss - "Whiskey Lullaby"
Keith Urban - "Days Go By"
Rascal Flatts - "Feels Like Today"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
Toby Keith - "Stays In Mexico"

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton - "Some Beach"
Charlie Robison - "El Cerrito Place"
Keith Urban - "Days Go By"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
Toby Keith - "Stays In Mexico"

Loretta Lynn	Brooks & Dunn

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Loretta Lynn - "Miss Being Mrs."
Martina McBride - "How Far"
Shania Twain - "Don't"

GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Union Station - "Restless"
Big & Rich - "Holy Water"
Brooks & Dunn - "That's What It's All About"
Lonestar - "Mr. Mom"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Montgomery Gentry - "If You Ever Stop Loving Me"
Rascal Flatts - "Feels Like Today"

Jimmy Buffett	Lonestar

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss - "Whiskey Lullaby"
Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride - "Trip Around The Sun"
Jimmy Buffett with Clint Black and Toby Keith - "Hey Good Lookin'"
Uncle Kracker - "When The Sun Goes Down"
Loretta Lynn and Jack White - "Portland, Oregon"
Tim McGraw - "Over And Over"
Shania Twain - "Party For Two"
Travis Tritt - "What Say You"

HOTTEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Keith Urban - "You're My Better Half"
Tim McGraw - "Over And Over"
Sara Evans - "Suds In The Bucket"
Shania Twain - "When You Kiss Me"
Toby Keith - "Whiskey Girl"

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)"
Julie Roberts - "Break Down Here"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Mindy Smith - "Come To Jesus"
Sugarland - "Baby Girl"

MOST INSPIRING VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Holy Water"
Brooks & Dunn - "That's What It's All About"
Martina McBride - "God's Will"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"

Toby Keith	Alison Krauss	Mark Wright

Alison Krauss followed Keith with five CMA nods, including a third consecutive Female Vocalist nomination; Single, Video and Musical Event listings for her work on "Whiskey Lullaby;" and a second Musical Event nod for "How's the World Treating You" from Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers.

Brooks & Dunn	Jimmy Buffett

Other BMI talents collecting multiple CMA mentions were Mark Wright and first-time show hosts Brooks & Dunn with three each; and Big & Rich, Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, Joe Scaife and James Stroud with two each.

Big & Rich	Tim McGraw

Multiple BMI-Award winning songwriter/artist Kris Kristofferson. will be inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame during the CMA Award telecast. Artists including Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Ray Stevens and Gladys Knight have recorded songs from his catalog, which features "Me and Bobby McGee," "One Day At a Time," and "Sunday Morning Coming Down."

James Stroud	Julie Roberts	Martina McBride

The CMA Awards show will take place November 9 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and will be broadcast live on CBS-TV.

BMI's 2004 CMA Awards Nominees

Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Female Vocalist of the Year
Sara Evans
Alison Krauss
Martina McBride

Male Vocalist of the Year
Toby Keith
Keith Urban

Montgomery Gentry	Sara Evans

Horizon Award
Big & Rich
Julie Roberts

Vocal Group of the Year
Alabama
Diamond Rio
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Trick Pony

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
The Warren Brothers

The Warren Brothers	Dolly Parton	Norah Jones

Single of the Year
"I Love This Bar"
Toby Keith
Toby Keith and James Stroud, producers

"Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim McGraw
Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw and Darran Smith, producers

"Redneck Woman"
Mark Wright and Joe Scaife, producers

"Remember When"
Keith Stegall,
producer

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Album of the Year
Here For The Party
Mark Wright and Joe Scaife, producers

Red Dirt Road
Brooks & Dunn
Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn and Mark Wright, producers

Shock 'N Y'All
Toby Keith
Toby Keith and James Stroud, producers

Music Video of the Year
"I Love This Bar"
Toby Keith

"It's Five O'Clock Somewhere"
Jimmy Buffett

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Musical Event of the Year
"Creepin' In"
Norah Jones with
Dolly Parton

"Hey Good Lookin'"
Jimmy Buffett with Clint Black and Toby Keith

"How's The World Treating You"
Alison Krauss

"When The Sun Goes Down"
Uncle Kracker

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Alison Krauss

Song of the Year
"Live Like You Were Dying"
Tim Nichols, writer
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., publisher

"Whiskey Lullaby"
Bill Anderson and Jon
Randall, writers
Mr. Bubba Music, Inc., Reynsong Publishing Corp., Sony/ATV Tree and Wha
Ya Say Music, publishers

Musician of the Year
Kenny Greenberg
Electric Guitar

Larry Paxton
Bass Guitar

Broadcast Personality of the Year
Eddie Stubbs
Steve McGrew

Hall of Fame
Kris Kristofferson]]> 2004-09-08T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234122 Artists, Collective Soul, Corrs, The, Full Force, Kelly, R., Kid Rock, Melua, Katie, Neptunes, The, Sugar Ray, Uncle Kracker, Williams, Pharrell, Winans, Bebe, Musicworld, Feature Exclusive Webcast on Songwriter101.com to Feature Atlantic CEO Jason Flom and EMI EVP Evan Lamberg

BMI will present the first in a series of educational seminars on Wednesday, July 28 from Guitar Center's Manhattan store (25 W. 14th St.). This unique event entitled "Career Connection," starts at 7:00pm and is free and open to the public. Speakers include two of the music industry's most successful executives, Atlantic Records Chairman/CEO Jason Flom and EMI Music Publishing Executive Vice President Evan Lamberg, who will discuss the new realities for artists and songwriters in the digital music age. BMI's Charlie Feldman, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations in New York, will moderate.

The seminar will be webcast live exclusively on Songwriter101.com, a new website that focuses on the business side of songwriting. Topics include getting the attention of a "major" in an era of smaller artist rosters; artist development in the digital age and the new dynamic of radio, TV and the web; and the re-emergence of the songwriter/artist career path. Future BMI/Guitar Center seminars will feature top artists, managers, agents, producers and executives from around the industry.

Jason Flom is Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records Group. He served as President of Lava Records, the label he founded within Atlantic Records, from 1995 to 2004. He has worked with and signed such multimillion-selling artists as Tori Amos, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, matchbox twenty, Sugar Ray, The Corrs, Stone Temple Pilots, Collective Soul, Twisted Sister, Skid Row and White Lion.

Evan Lamberg has held various creative manager positions at Jobete Music, MCA Music Publishing, and EMI Music Publishing, where he now serves as Executive Vice President. He works with and has signed such artists and songwriters as Rob Thomas (matchbox twenty), Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), Hootie & the Blowfish, Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes), Jessica Simpson, Kelis, BeBe Winans, Ludacris, Pink, Paula Abdul, Jewel and John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls).

Charlie Feldman is Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, where he directs all writer/publisher relations and administrative activities for the company's New York office. A board member of the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Feldman has worked closely with songwriter/artists such as R. Kelly, Carole King, the Neville Brothers, Full Force, Tony Joe White and emerging star Katie Melua.

"The Game of Love" earned the BMI Pop Song of the Year Crystal for songwriter Gregg Alexander and his publishing company Keepin' It Real How 'Bout You Music Publishing; this distinction is given to the song tallying the most feature broadcast performances during the eligibility period. Recorded by Santana featuring Michelle Branch, "The Game of Love" was a #1 single from Santana's Arista album Shaman and has already been certified as a BMI Million-Air (one million broadcast performances). Multi-instrumentalist and producer Alexander won a Pop Award in 1999 for "You Get What You Give," a hit for his former group, the New Radicals. Alexander co-wrote "The Game of Love" with Rick Nowels (share not licensed by BMI).

Brian Wilson	Gregg Alexander	The Matrix

Lauren Christy and Scott Spock contributed three to the Most Performed List of 50 to share the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year crown. The songs earning Christy and Spock the title were "Complicated" and "I'm With You," both #1 singles for Avril Lavigne, and "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)," recorded by Jason Mraz. Christy and Spock, along with Graham Edwards (PRS), are also known professionally as songwriting/production team The Matrix. Other artists for whom they have written songs are Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Ricky Martin, Ronan Keating, Liz Phair and Hootie & the Blowfish.

With 11 songs represented, Warner/Chappell Music Group (through its companies Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. and Unichappell Music, Inc.) claimed the BMI Pop Publisher of the Year prize. Les Bider, Chairman & CEO of Warner/Chappell Music Group, accepted the crystal obelisk. The Publisher of the Year accolade is given to the publishing concern with the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Warner/Chappell's top performing tunes were "Are You Happy Now?," "Crazy In Love," "Complicated," "Dilemma," "I'm With You," "In A Little While," "Mesmerize," "Miss You," "Picture," "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" and "Soak Up The Sun."

Brian Wilson was saluted as a BMI Icon for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." One of the most revered pop music creators of the last 50 years, Wilson co-founded the Beach Boys and co-wrote such seminal rock and pop songs as "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around," "God Only Knows," "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice," among many others. Collectively with the Beach Boys and individually, he helped to create the sound that defined a generation and painted the picture of the West Coast "surf" sound. His genius is embedded throughout the group's history, but it particularly resonates on their legendary 1966 release, Pet Sounds.

After an Icon video tribute, Fountains of Wayne performed "Be True To Your School," followed by Wilson Phillips - featuring Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy - singing "In My Room." Wilson and his band took the stage for several songs, closing with "Good Vibrations."

Wilson enters the elite company of previously praised BMI Icons including Isaac Hayes, Bill Anderson, James Brown, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Dolly Parton, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley . He is also the first person to be honored by BMI as both an Icon and with the President's Award (in 1995).

Of the 80 songwriters cited, nine were double winners: Sheryl Crow, R. Kelly, Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain, N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams, Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett, and matchbox twenty's Rob Thomas.

Other writer/artists earning awards were Audioslave, Daniel Bedingfield (PRS), Big Tymers, Michelle Branch, Cam'Ron, Vanessa Carlton, Creed, Eminem, Evanescence, Ja Rule, Kid Rock, Linkin Park, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 3 Doors Down, Uncle Kracker, and Unwritten Law.

Publishers garnering three or more awards were EMI Music Publishing (EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc./EMI-Unart Catalog, Inc./EMI-Virgin Songs, Inc.); Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc.; Universal Music Publishing Group; Dwight Frye Music, Inc.; Mr. Spock Music/Scott Spock Songs; Rainbow Fish Publishing (Christy's company) and Sony/ATV Songs LLC.

"When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down enjoyed Most Performed Song on College Radio kudos for songwriters Brad Arnold, Todd Harrell, Chris Henderson and Matt Roberts of the group. Included on 3 Doors Down's Republic/Universal CD Away From the Sun, "When I'm Gone" is published by Escatawpa Songs and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.

Another special presentation was the announcement of Andrew Horowitz as the 1st Place winner of the 2004 John Lennon Scholarship Awards. A student at the University of Michigan, Horowitz earned a $10,000 scholarship for his song, "Goodday." Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation, the John Lennon Scholarship Awards recognize the talent of young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24. More than $125,000 has been awarded over the last seven years through generous donations from Ono and Gibson Musical Instruments. The BMI Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants.

Five of the 2004 top Pop songs are repeat achievers: "Heaven," first honored in 1985 for writer/artist Bryan Adams; "Landslide," a 1998 Pop Award winner for Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and the 2003 BMI Country Song of the Year via its recording by the Dixie Chicks; plus last year's winners "Complicated," "One Last Breath" and "Soak Up The Sun."

BMI's Citation of Achievement performance certificates are given annually in recognition of popularity in the field of popular music, as measured by feature broadcast performances on American radio and television. This year's Pop Awards eligibility period ran October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003.

]]> 2002-04-22T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233631 Artists, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Musical Styles, Rock, Musicworld, Hitmaker About a year ago, Uncle Kracker had this to say about the impending release of his first solo album: “I’m just hoping to sell some records and make everybody happy and do another record.”

Mission accomplished, and then some. The album is a big hit, everybody in his world is ecstatic and there will most definitely be a second CD. Quite an achievement for Kid Rock‘s longtime DJ, who is as unassuming as his boss is boisterous. Uncle Kracker’s Double Wide album also has a different musical orientation than Kid Rock’s more high-octane offerings. It’s a mellower - though still eclectic - offering of rock, rap and country.

Double Wide was recorded over a yearlong period while Kid Rock was on the road. After shows, Uncle Kracker would occasionally retreat to the back of the tour bus to write and record songs. Kid Rock served as the project’s producer as well as providing the musical backing of his Twisted Brown Trucker Band. But now that Uncle Kracker is also performing solo, he’s recruited his own quintet of young Detroit-area musicians.

The bond between Uncle Kracker (aka Matt Shafer) and Kid Rock goes back about 13 years when the latter rock-rap star was 16 and his protégé 13. While growing up in the Detroit area, Kid Rock taught Kracker (the Uncle part was added last year when the veteran rock band Cracker objected) how to work the turntables and how to rap. Since then, these two have become potent songwriting collaborators.

Married with a wife and two baby daughters, the pragmatic Uncle Kracker is already preparing for a life beyond rock stardom. He co-owns a bar and a tire shop back home in Michigan. But this doesn’t mean he isn’t looking for a long music career both as a solo artist and as a member of Kid Rock’s band. A lover of the standard three-minute pop song, Uncle Kracker aims to make music that’s accessible, which is evident on hooky tracks like “Follow Me.”

“I grew up listening to Motown - straight songs, chorus, verse, chorus so I’m not afraid of pop music,” he told one reporter. “Every form of music - whether it be grunge, alternative, rock, whatever - they all run its course, but it always comes back to pop music.”