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Recent News

Indie Sounds Ignite BMI-CMJ Showcase

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The 2009 BMI-sponsored CMJ Music Marathon Festival showcase, held October 21 at Crash Mansion, showcased seven-deep lineup featuring an explosive variety of sounds from pop/rap amalgamators Crush Club; valiant imports Die Die Die; southern wordsmith Rob Roy; jazz-funk scholars Space Capone; rock hounds Modern Skirts; musical brethren The Enemy…


From News, posted 10.27.09

Grammy-Winning Producer Jerry ‘Wonda’ Duplessis Talks Hits

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Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis, a Haitian-born self-taught musician who plays bass, guitar, congas, and drums, participated in the BMI “Conversations” panel series, held at October 21 at Clinton Recording Studios. The intimate discussion, moderated by journalist and ParlourMagazine.com’s Hillary Crosely, focused on Jerry’s career achievements and the “who’s who” list of performers he’s worked with. Jerry, who is one of the most successful and musically adept producers to…


From News, posted 10.24.09

Alexandre Desplat Named Film Composer of the Year at World Soundtrack Awards

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The 9th World Soundtrack Awards were the capstone of the 36th Ghent International Film Festival, held October 6-17 in Belgium. Alexandre Desplat (SACEM) was named Film Composer of the Year, thanks to his stunning original scores for motion pictures including Coco Avant Chanel, Largo Winch, Chéri, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which also garnered Best Original Film Score of the Year for the internationally renowned…


From News, posted 10.24.09

Pleasure P Fans, Meet Marcus Cooper

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In his past life, Marcus Cooper was better known as Pleasure P, lead singer of Pretty Ricky. Natives of Florida, the hybrid rap/R&B group’s libido-drenched shows made the Chippendales dancers look like Eagle Scouts. When Pleasure P left Pretty Ricky in 2007, he wasn’t leaving because the group wasn’t successful; with the foursome, Pleasure P helped such songs as “Grind with Me” hit the…


From MusicWorld, posted 10.22.09

NSAI Honors Swift, Keith, Fleming, Varble and More at Annual Awards

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BMI country chart-toppers received accolade after accolade during the 2009 NSAI Awards dinner, held Sunday, October 18 in Nashville. Record-breaker Taylor Swift was named Artist/Songwriter of the Year; beloved Music Row songwriter Wynn Varble earned the Songwriter of the Year crown, while “Waitin’ on a Woman,” which Varble co-wrote, was voted Song of the Year; and genre giant Toby Keith was…


From News, posted 10.21.09

Encompass Honors Maury Yeston

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The Encompass New Opera Theatre honored esteemed BMI composer Maury Yeston at its 2009 Jazz Gala, held Sunday, October 4 in New York. Yeston is musical force behind the Tony Award-winning Nine and Titanic, both of which garnered Best Musical and Best Score honors, as well as the Tony-nominated Grand Hotel. The director of the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop for two…


From News, posted 10.21.09

BMI Annual Review 2009

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BMI realized revenues of more than $905 million and royalty distributions totaling more than $788 million in fiscal year 2009, both higher than the company’s historic results of the previous year. That success was made possible by the power, scope and appeal of the repertoire created by BMI’s affiliates, combined with BMI’s long-term efforts to capture new sources of revenue. Details of these results, along with an analysis of the…


From News, posted 10.21.09

Jazz Foundation Hosts 18th Annual Loft Party

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As part of its proud history of support for the Jazz Foundation of America, BMI participated in the Foundation’s 18th Annual Jazz Loft Party, held October 18 at Hudson Studios in New York.  BMI composer/artists Madeleine Peyroux, Sweet Georgia Brown, Jimmy Owens, Stanley Jordan and the Heath Brothers were among those performing at the event,…


From News, posted 10.20.09

Drake Delivers

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This is Drake’s year. Descending on the U.S. from Toronto, the singer-rapper offers more than stellar mixtapes: He just might be the poster boy for the changing face of the music business. Aubrey Drake Graham, 22, is the son of a drummer, Dennis; one of his uncles, Larry, is the founder of Graham Central Station. In 2001, Aubrey began starring on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next…


From MusicWorld, posted 10.20.09

On the Road, Halestorm Rages

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Pennsylvania-grown Halestorm’s hard rock sound is driven by anthemic songs, progressive and defiant, and yet, grounded in the best from the past. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Lzzy Hale and younger brother and drummer Arejay were weaned on a diet of classic rock music by a father who is a veteran of bands and a singing and piano-playing mother. “She was the one who put the good music…


From MusicWorld, posted 10.15.09

BMI Sounds Off at Next Big Nashville 2009

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BMI presented their Next Big Nashville showcase at Mercy Lounge on October 10, boasting a stacked lineup that included Southern rockers Ponderosa, the dizzyingly energetic Mike’s Pawn Shop, Ten Out of Tenn journeyman Kyle Andrews, videogame-infused rock warriors The Protomen, and quirky popsters Heypenny. On Saturday before the show, BMI also hosted…


From News, posted 10.15.09

Musicians Hall of Fame Inducts BMI Pioneers

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Industry admirers, peers, and contemporary stars gathered to salute the 2009 class of virtuosos inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame on Monday, October 12 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. BMI legends Chet Atkins, Fred Foster, Charlie Daniels, Billy Cox, and band Toto all became members of the prestigious club that already includes…


From News, posted 10.14.09

BMI’s Alison Smith Honored as One of Billboard’s Top 30 Power Players

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Billboard named Alison Smith, BMI Senior Vice President, Performing Rights, one of its Top 30 Power Players during the magazine’s annual Women in Music luncheon, held October 2 in New York. 2009 marks the fifth consecutive compilation of the top-tier list, which “recognizes female executives who drive our business forward with vision, dedication and hard work.” 150 women were nominated by peers in the industry, and Billboard editors trimmed the…


From News, posted 10.14.09

Splitting Heirs: Paying Royalties After Your Death

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By Gary Roth It is a truism that most people, of any age, don’t like to think about their ultimate demise because it is either too distant or too near. Yet the fact of the matter is that estate planning is the only way to assure that those people whom you want to inherit your property do. Although the laws of descent and distribution vary from state to state, state…


From Songwriter 101, posted 10.13.09

Billboard Summit and BMI Rally Regional Mexican’s Best

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BMI helped kick off the 2009 Billboard Regional Mexican Music Summit with its annual Noche Mexicana showcase, held October 7 at the Rumba Room in Los Angeles. Featuring a selection of today’s most influential Regional Mexican songwriters, producers and artists, Noche Mexicana included performances by La Santa Cecilia, Cesar Brizuela, Hermanos Herrera, Oliver Ochoa, Santos…


From News, posted 10.13.09

Joe Johnson Wins 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer’s Competition

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Bassist Joe Johnson was honored as the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer’s Competition grand prize winner on Sunday, October 11 during the 22nd annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition and all-star Gala Concert at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater in Washington, D.C. The Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Gala Concert attracted a jaw-dropping collection of Blue Note Records recording artists, past and present,…


From News, posted 10.12.09

Hyper Crush’s Auditory Assault

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“Our music could be described as an auditory assault on the central nervous system through aggressive electronic rhythms. We are highly influenced by Tony Scott, The Smiths, The Prodigy, and Christopher Walken.” So says Donny Fontaine, male vocalist for the hyperkinetic dance trio Hyper Crush. If the statement sounds sarcastic or funny – or both – then mission accomplished. The group,…


From MusicWorld, posted 10.12.09

Nashville Music Awards Honor Landmark Digital Services, Taylor Swift and More

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After an almost decade-long hiatus, the Nashville Music Awards rebooted this year to recognize the best in a city teeming with talent. Presented by Leadership Music and Next Big Nashville, the 2009 Nashville Music Awards were staged at the Cannery Ballroom on Wednesday, October 7—the first night of the Next Big Nashville music festival. BMI artists and songwriters swept the awards, winning in all but two of the categories, while…


From News, posted 10.09.09

Manuel Campos Zazueta, Brilliantly Composing by Memory

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An acclaimed composer and music producer in his native country and throughout Latin America, Mexican-born Latin Grammy-nominated Manuel Campos Zazueta has had more than four hundred songs recorded by a diverse range of performers, including Los Tigres del Norte, Javier Serna and Ramon Ayala, to name a few. However, what makes him most proud is his composer project Plataforma, a music…


From MusicWorld, posted 10.08.09

No Rainy Day Blues for BMI Stage at ACL 2009

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BMI continued its long-running support of the Austin City Limits Music Festival during the music extravaganza’s 2009 run, October 2-4 in Austin’s Zilker Park. In the midst of a mild Friday, rainy Saturday and subsequently muddy Sunday, BMI stage performers Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Jesse Wood, Jypsi, Jonell Mosser, nelo,


From News, posted 10.08.09

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