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What's New
Global Leaders Meet in Cannes for midem 2012

International leaders in music, technology, brands and education came together for midem 2012, January 27-30 in Cannes. Panels led by experts in copyright, delivery platforms, music publishing and so much more filled the schedule of the summit, a must-attend event where current issues are debated and key business deals are reached. Richard Conlon, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Communications & New Media for BMI, served as an advocate for copyright… more
Remembering Jean Banks: 1934-2012

Jean Banks, Senior Director of Jazz and Musical Theatre at BMI, passed away on February 2 in her Lower East Side home after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 77 years old. Jean got her first taste of show business when she worked as an executive secretary for the New York office of Seven-Arts Productions. After her stint at Seven Arts, she also worked for a time at… more
Sundance 2012: Rodriguez

When Rodriguez took the stage to perform at BMI’s 8th annual Sundance Snowball, he was every bit the awe-inspiring rock poet first introduced in his 1970’s recordings. The only difference is now, everyone knows it. Born in 1942 in Detroit to Mexican immigrants, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez released his first single in 1967, and followed with two albums on Sussex/A&M, 1970’s Cold Fact and the following year’s Coming… more
Supreme Court Decision Provides for Restoration of Copyright Protection for Foreign Works

A January 18 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding a federal law that essentially pulls some works in the public domain back into copyright protection is winning applause from the creative community. The case, Golan vs. Holder, revolved around a 1994 law that applied largely to works first published abroad from 1923 to 1989 that had earlier not been eligible for copyright protection under U.S. law. The Court ruled… more
Three Good Reasons To Love Your Songs

In order to suffer the slings and arrows that are an inevitable part of trying to generate income from your songs, it’s a good idea to love them first. I’m talking about a very specific kind of love here. What I’m not talking about is the kind of desperate, dysfunctional love where your song is so dear to you that you’re crushed if someone doesn’t love the song as much… more
Pitbull to Receive BMI President’s Award at 19th Annual BMI Latin Awards

Pitbull will receive the BMI President’s Award at the 19th annual BMI Latin Awards slated for March 30 at the Encore Wynn Las Vegas. The private ceremony salutes the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s most-performed Latin songs on American radio and television in the U.S. The BMI President’s Award is presented on unique occasions when an individual songwriter or executive has distinctly and… more
Kenny Chesney Leads List of 2012 ACM Awards Nominees

BMI songwriters and artists overwhelmingly dominate the list of 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards nominees, announced Thursday, January 26. BMI has historically represented the majority of country music’s leaders – from Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Porter Wagoner, to Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard – and a review of… more
BMI Live Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Distributing Royalties for Singer-Songwriter Performances

This month, BMI Live — the important and groundbreaking program that enables performing songwriters to be compensated for their public performances of their songs — celebrates its first year anniversary. Over the course of the year, thousands of songwriters have signed up for the free program, many of them receiving royalty payments for the first time as a result. By logging onto the BMI Live section of bmi.com and… more
Michael Woodard Wins on Series Finale of Popular Reality Singing Show ‘Majors and Minors’

14-year-old up-and-coming BMI writer wows fans and industry judges Last night, on the highly anticipated season finale of the popular reality singing show Majors and Minors, 14-year-old BMI writer and singer Michael Woodard took home the top prize of a music publishing deal and a record deal with RCA Records. Woodard, a sweet and gifted eighth grader from Philadelphia, won fans’ hearts with his incredible voice, positive attitude and infectious… more
BMI Bids Farewell to Outstanding Sundance 2012

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival was once again filled with premieres of awe-inspiring work by BMI composers, along with signature BMI events that have become annual favorites. The highly anticipated BMI composer/director roundtable, “Music & Film: The Creative Process,” took place on Wednesday, January 24. Focusing on the relationship between composer and director, the panel is a cornerstone discussion at the festival on the role of music in film. Panelists… more














