February 28, 2017
Main Stage Duval Street Concert to Feature Sony Music Nashville Recording Artist Cam
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), the global leader in music rights management, is pleased to announce the initial lineup for the 22nd Annual Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Key West Songwriters Festival, presented by BMI. Set for May 10-14, 2017, the Key West Songwriters Festival will feature top hit-makers alongside up-and-coming talent in the most iconic venues in the southernmost point in the U.S.
This year’s Main Stage Duval Street Concert will feature Sony Music Nashville recording artist Cam, with others to be announced soon. Other top notch performers include Warner Music Group recording artists Michael Ray and William Michael Morgan, Langhorne Slim, Shawn Camp, Carter Winter, Jeffrey Steele, Liz Rose, Rayland Baxter, Robert Earl Keen, and many more. The kickoff concert at the Ocean Key Resort Sunset Pier will feature the Dylan Altman Blues Band with special guest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cropper.
“We’re so thrilled to celebrate another great year of bringing top songwriters to Key West. It’s the perfect opportunity for folks to discover their next favorite performer singing alongside a cherished writer in some of the most fun venues in Florida,” says Mason Hunter, Executive Director of Partnerships and Events at BMI. “Charlie Bauer and the great folks at the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon has allowed us to elevate the festival to the next level, guaranteeing a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable experience for performers and attendees alike.”
Attendees will have the chance to check out more than 200 songwriters playing more than 50 shows, free of charge. Each day will feature free daily stages at the Southernmost Beach Resort, sunset show on the Pier House Resort beach and shows at historic venues around Key West including Sloppy Joe’s and the Green Parrot Bar. Other shows include the annual NSAI “Bluebird at Blue Heaven” show and a closing concert at the historic Casa Marina Resort.
“The Key West Songwriters Festival brings the best country songwriters to the most festive island venues in the southernmost States,” says Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are thrilled to bring such a diverse talent line up to such a lively city as Key West, giving festival attendees the chance have a unique music festival experience.”
Ticketed shows for the festival will include theatre shows at the San Carlos Institute, the Tropic Cinema, the Key West Theater and The Studios of Key West. Award-winning songwriter Robert Earl Keen will host a Bloody Mary Brunch show at the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon.
Proceeds from the Key West Songwriters Festival will benefit the BMI Foundation, a nonprofit that since 1985 supports the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, grants and commissions. Sponsors include SunTrust Bank, Epiphone, Texas Roadhouse, HD Radio, and Maui Jim. Delta is the official airline of the Key West Songwriters Festival.
For updates, follow @BMI on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, and use hashtag #BMIKeyWest.
Tickets will be on sale mid-March. For a complete listing of shows, venues, sponsoring hotels, local businesses, participating songwriters and more, visit http://www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com.
About the Key West Songwriters Festival
The Key West Songwriters Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world. The event’s 1995 debut was small but memorable, featuring Mickey Newbury and Shel Silverstein. BMI stepped in as a partner and sponsor in 1996 and has helped it grow into both a tourist attraction and favorite of island locals. The festival revolves around five days and nights of more than 50 free shows, staged at an array of the island’s most popular drinking holes and hot spots, where live music introduces crowds to the faces, voices and stories behind the songs. Diverse lineups featuring more than 200 top songwriters deliver rare, “Key West-only” moments. More info available at http://www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com.
About BMI
Celebrating over 76 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in nearly 12 million musical works created and owned by more than 750,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit http://www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page.
Press Contacts
Lauren Branson, BMI
615-401-2737
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Katherine Harding, BMI
615-401-2735
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