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BMI Foundation Opens 22nd Annual Pete Carpenter Fellowship for Aspiring Film Composers
The BMI Foundation has announced the opening of the 22nd annual Pete Carpenter Fellowship for aspiring film composers under the age of 35. The Fellowship was established by the BMI Foundation and Pete Carpenter’s family, colleagues, and friends to honor the late co-composer of television themes and scores including The A-Team, Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, Hardcastle and McCormick, Hunter and Riptide. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to…
Calle 13 Sweeps 2009 Latin Grammys

Puerto Rican power duo Calle 13 walked away with trophies in all five of their nominated categories last night at the 2009 Latin Grammys, staged at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Reggaetón has emerged as a powerful global trend, garnering more nominations than any other genre, and Calle 13, comprising rapper Residente (René Pérez) and the producer Visitante (Eduardo Cabra), are at the forefront…
Theory of a Deadman’s Hard-Earned Scars and Souvenirs

“We always try to write music without any boundaries,” says Tyler Connolly, lead singer and guitarist for hard rockers Theory of a Deadman. “And that’s partly because we don’t really have a ‘core demographic.’ We’ve got 40- and 50-year-olds at our shows alongside the 14- and 15-year-olds. What’s great about Theory is that we try to let everything happen naturally.” That seems to include…
La Coka Nostra Builds a Brand You Can Trust

Since the rap group La Coka Nostra formed around 2006, it has become one of the most promising supergroups to emerge since the Wu Tang Clan. But even though they’re gaining the respect of critics and delivering knockout performances like those during the 2009 Rock the Bells tour, the whole group is something of an accident—right down to their name. “It started as inside joke,” says Slaine,…
D.C. Arts & Humanities Commission Offers Unique Grant Opportunities

BMI has a long tradition of support for the arts, with a special focus on opportunities for generations of future creators. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities provides a number of unique opportunities for members of the Washington, D.C.-area creative community via its series of grant programs. Details on these programs and how to apply for the various grants are available the Commission’s website,
Ryan Star is Rising, on His Own Terms

It was 2005 and singer/songwriter Ryan Star was an artist on the verge. Stage, the band he co-founded at age 14, was signed to Madonna’s Maverick Records and touring with major acts. But while Star’s career looked promising, an insistent inner voice haunted him. “I needed more from life and music,” the singer says. “I couldn't fight the reality that I feel most like myself when the…
Dan Goggin’s 25 Years of ‘Nunsense’

Twenty-five years ago, Dan Goggin never imagined that a little cabaret show he and some friends put together in Greenwich Village would wind up becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The idea was simple — a song-and-dance revue starring actors dressed as nuns — but it didn’t take long to catch on. “We were booked for four weekends, and we ended up running for 38,” Goggin recalls. “It was way…
The Dirges’ Bittersweet Melodies

As their woebegone name would hint, the Dirges perform bittersweet, beer-hoisting original tunes that evoke their Irish-American roots. But as singer/songwriter Fran DeAngelo explains, there is more to the Dirges’ name than meets the ear. When DeAngelo and cohort “Tall Pete” Mathus first teamed back in 2001, they composed a pair of tunes entitled “Stuytown” and “Hattie Street”—songs inspired by the untimely deaths of mutual friends, including…
‘We Will Rock You’ Is Most-Played Song at Pro Sports Games for ’08/’09 Season

BMI has determined that “We Will Rock You,” a favorite of sports fans and teams for three decades, ranks as the most-played song at games of the National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball last season. “We Will Rock You” was written by Brian May and included in a 1977 album titled News of the World by the British rock group Queen. While the song has been…
Holly Williams, Upholding and Enhancing a Family Tradition

Singer-songwriter Holly Williams, grandchild of legendary honky-tonk provocateur Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of hard-charging country star Hank Jr, is a long, tall siren with an intense, smoldering style and a fabled bloodline that affords her both a tremendous advantage and some built-in, inescapable challenges. On her current Here with Me album (Mercury Nashville), she excels at gracefully navigating between the extremes such a…
Indie Sounds Ignite BMI-CMJ Showcase

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…
Grammy-Winning Producer Jerry ‘Wonda’ Duplessis Talks Hits

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

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…
Pleasure P Fans, Meet Marcus Cooper

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

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…
Encompass Honors Maury Yeston

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…
BMI Annual Review 2009

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…
Jazz Foundation Hosts 18th Annual Loft Party

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,…
Drake Delivers

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…
On the Road, Halestorm Rages

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…
