May 13, 2002

BMI Salutes Rock ‘N Roll Past and Present at 50th Annual Pop Awards

BMI saluted the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most performed songs during the 50th Annual BMI Pop Awards tonight, with superlatives reserved for Rob Thomas’s song “If You’re Gone,” songwriter Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down and Universal Music Publishing. Frances W. Preston, President & CEO, and Barbara Cane, Vice President & General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles, handed out BMI Citations of Achievement to more than 150 writers and publishers during the dinner event, which culminated in the announcements of Song, Songwriter, Publisher and College Song of the Year. A highlight of the golden-anniversary gala, staged at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, was the presentation of the first BMI ICON Awards to Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard in recognition of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”

Little Richard; Frances W. Preston, BMI President & CEO; Chuck Berry; and Bo Diddley

Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard Praised as ‘Icons’
at BMI's 50th Annual Pop Awards

Click here for the full Pop Awards winners list

“If You’re Gone” earned the BMI Pop Song of the Year crystal for songwriter Rob Thomas of matchbox twenty and publishers Bidnis, Inc. and EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. This distinction is given to the song tallying the most feature broadcast performances during the eligibility period. A #1 single from matchbox twenty’s Lava/Atlantic album Mad Season, “If You’re Gone” brings Thomas’s BMI Awards total to 11. With this win, Thomas, who was named 1999 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, joins an illustrious list of those who have taken both Song and Songwriter trophies, including Stephen Bishop, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Barry and Robin Gibb, Will Jennings, Bert Kaempfert (GEMA), Dolly Parton, Carole Bayer Sager and Shania Twain.

Rob Thomas

Brad Arnold

Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down placed four songs on the Most Performed List of 50 to collect the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year reward. From the band’s debut album The Better Life on Republic/Universal Records, the songs earning Arnold the crown were “Be Like That,” “Duck and Run,” “Kryptonite” (2nd award) and “Loser.”

BMI's Barbara Cane, Universal Music Publishing's David Renzer, BMI's Frances W. Preston, Songwriter of the Year Brad Arnold, BMI's Del Bryant and Universal Music Publishing's Tom Sturges

With 11 songs cited - including Arnold’s four - Universal Music Publishing (through its companies Irving Music, Songs of Universal, Inc., and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.) claimed the BMI Pop Publisher of the Year prize; David Renzer, President, Worldwide Universal Music Group, accepted the crystal obelisk. The Publisher of the Year title is given to the publishing concern with the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Universal’s other top performing tunes were “All Or Nothing,” “Breathe,” “Breathless,” “Change Your Mind,” “Hemorrhage (In My Hands),” “Play” and “Ride Wit Me.”

Johnny Lang performing during the Chuck Berry tribute

3 Doors Down lead singer Brad Arnold shows off his Songwriter of the Year crystal

Of the 86 songwriters recognized, ten, in addition to Arnold, were multiple winners. Placing three songs each on the list were 3 Doors Down members Todd Harrell and Matt Roberts and previous songwriter victors Janet Jackson (1990) and Cory Rooney (2000); double honorees were Mirwais Ahmadzai, 3 Doors Down’s Chris Henderson, and Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith.

Little Richard and Ivan Neville (Neville performed the Little Richard tribute)

Publishers gathering three or more awards were Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Escatawpa Songs, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Black Ice Publishing, Cori Tiffani Publishing and Ensign Music Corporation.

Mavis Staples

“Hanging By A Moment” grabbed Most Performed Song on College Radio kudos for songwriter Jason Wade of Lifehouse. The song, from Lifehouse’s debut DreamWorks album No Name Face, is published by G-Chills Music and Songs of DreamWorks.

Josh Groban and Chuck Berry

Among this year’s honorees, 15 songs have earned the status of BMI Million-Air (accumulating at least one million broadcast performances) for a total of more than 22 million performances. Based on an average length of three minutes, one million airplays is the equivalent of 50,000 hours or 5.7 years, continuously. Million-Airs on the 2001 list translate into over 1.1 million hours or 125.4 years of airplay.

BMI's Tracie Verlinde (2nd left) and Myles Lewis (right) with members of Lifehouse

Five of the 50 top Pop are repeat achievers. “Amazed” collected its third consecutive Pop Award; the 2000 BMI Country Song of the Year has accrued nearly four million performances. Four songs picked up second Awards: last year’s honorees “Kryptonite,” “With Arms Wide Open” and “Breathe” (also Pop Song of the Year), and “Lady Marmalade,” first recognized in 1975.

BMI songwriter/producer Dallas Austin, BMI Board member Frank Melton and Chuck Berry

BMI’s Citation of Achievement is 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, 2000 through September 30, 2001.