June 19, 2018
‘What a Beautiful Name’ Named Song of the Year;
Capitol CMG Publishing Earns Publisher of the Year
Ed Cash Named Songwriter of the Year
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI)®, the global leader in music rights management, honored the top 25 songs played on Christian radio during the past year at the 2018 BMI Christian Awards, held tonight at BMI’s Nashville offices on Music Row. The annual event celebrates the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s most performed Christian rock, contemporary Christian, inspirational, southern and urban gospel songs on U.S. Christian radio.
“Every year the BMI Christian Awards gives us the opportunity to celebrate and honor all genres of inspirational music and the impact its creators have made on the music industry and on its fans around the globe,” says Leslie Roberts, Executive Director, Creative, Nashville. “It is always a privilege for us at BMI to dedicate an evening to the great accomplishments and successes of the talented songwriters and artists that create this incredible music that inspires, comforts, entertains, uplifts and challenges us as human beings to live more spirit-filled lives.”
The invitation-only event featured special performances, including “Broken Prayers” by Riley Clemmons, “Hills and Valleys” by Tauren Wells, and “Home” by Ed Cash.
The Song of the Year title went to “What a Beautiful Name” written by Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood and published by Capitol CMG Paragon. The song topped Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart on February 25, 2017 and held the top position for 38 weeks, making it the second-longest-leading number one in the history of the chart. “What a Beautiful Name” additionally earned two Dove Awards and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song at the 60th annual GRAMMY Awards.
The Songwriter of the Year award went to Ed Cash, who wrote “Home,” “Jesus,” and “My Victory.”
For the second consecutive year, Capitol CMG Publishing (Capitol CMG Paragon, Meaux Mercy Publishing, River Oaks Music Company, Songs of Universal, Inc., Sparrow Song, Universal Music-Brentwood Songs, Worship Together Music) took home the Publisher of the Year award. The company had the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, including the hits “Home,” “Jesus,” “Living in the Promised Land,” “Love Broke Through,” “Oh My Soul,” “One Step Away,” “The Lion and the Lamb,” and Song of the Year “What a Beautiful Name.”
During the program, Jody Williams, VP, Creative, Nashville took a moment to acknowledge Al Andrews, founder and executive director of Porter’s Call, for his lifetime of dedication to counseling recording artists. Porter’s Call is an organization out of Franklin, Tennessee that supports, encourages, and counsels recording artists and their families and provides a safe refuge for them to deal with the issues they face, at no charge. The presentation featured a speech from Williams and a video presentation with tributes by BMI songwriters the Warren Brothers, Charlie Worsham, Brandon Heath, Chris Tomlin, and Dave Barnes.
Jody Williams, VP, Creative, Nashville and Leslie Roberts, Executive Director, Creative, Nashville served as the evening’s hosts. A complete list of the 2018 BMI Christian Awards is available at http://www.bmi.com/christian.
Press Contact:
Lauren Branson
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Courtney Craun
615-401-2735
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