Ed Roland of Collective Soul Receives Two BMI Million-Air Awards

Ed Roland, lead singer and primary songwriter of the hugely popular rock band Collective Soul, was awarded two BMI Million-Air Awards at BMI’s New York City headquarters on June 17. BMI’s Vice President, Creative, New York Samantha Cox presented Roland with certificates for “December,” with 4 million plays and “Shine,” with 5 million plays. BMI Million-Air Awards are given to the songwriters whose works have achieved the rare feat of surpassing one million broadcast performances on U.S. radio.

Roland founded Collective Soul back in the early 90s in Georgia and they took the music scene by storm early with their massive #1 hit, “Shine.” From there, their follow up self-titled album spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200, went triple platinum, and featured #1 singles like “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Where the River Flows.” Since then, the band has gone on to release several successful albums and #1 hits and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

This year marks Collective Soul’s 30th anniversary. Last month the group released an acclaimed double album Here to Eternity which debuted in the Top 20, marking a Top 20 album in 4 straight decades for the band - the 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s and 2020s. 

BMI songwriter Ed Roland receives two Million-Air Awards at BMI’s NYC offices on June 17, 2024.