Pictured after the panel are (front row): Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Dallas Austin, Kara DioGuardi, Sean Garrett and L.A. Times’s Ann Powers; (back row): Butch Walker, BMI’s Catherine Brewton, Jeffrey Steele, John Legend and BMI’s Del Bryant

The panel was moderated by BMI Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times Chief Music Critic Ann Powers. In addition to discussing their craft and answering questions about the business of songwriting, each panelist performed one of their hit songs for the enthusiastic crowd.

Jeffrey Steele, Butch Walker and Sean Garrett

BMI’s Catherine Brewton, L.A. Times’s Ann Powers and Dallas Austin

John Legend

Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy performs

Dallas Austin

Kara DioGuardi

Patrick Stump performs Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race”

Photos by Lester Cohen/WireImage

Scheduled to participate are top BMI songwriting talents including John Legend (JUST ADDED!!), Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Dallas Austin, Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele, who will join panel moderators Los Angeles Times music critic Ann Powers and Atlanta Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton. Attendees can expect an inside look at the songwriting process, featuring performances of hit songs by each panelist and a Q&A session on the business of songwriting and music.

In addition to Legend, scheduled participants include BMI hit songwriters Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Dallas Austin, Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele. The panel will be moderated by BMI Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times chief music critic Ann Powers. Each panelist will perform one of their hit songs as well as answer questions about the business of songwriting and music.

Three-time Grammy winner John Legend, formerly known as an in-demand studio session man, stepped into the solo spotlight in 2004 as a singer, songwriter, pianist and performer in his own right with his debut album, Get Lifted. Driven in part by the hit singles “Ordinary People” and “Used To Love U,” Get Lifted was a critical and commercial triumph, earning John an astounding eight Grammy nominations—he won Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B album—and selling more than three million copies worldwide. With his new album, Once Again, he continues to craft intelligent, intuitive and sensual songs that showcase his pop/soul singer/songwriter abilities. Nominated in three Grammy categories this year (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Save Room,” Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Heaven,” and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Family Affair” [with Joss Stone and Van Hunt]), Legend will be performing at the 49th Annual Grammy ceremony with John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae.

BMI and the Los Angeles Times will present “How I Wrote That Song,” a panel discussion with some of music’s most successful songwriters. The panel will be held Saturday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Key Club (9039 Sunset Blvd.) in Los Angeles in celebration of Grammy Week. Tickets are $10 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster at KeyClub.com, or at the Key Club box office.

Scheduled to participate are top BMI songwriting talents including Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Dallas Austin, Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele. The panel will be moderated by BMI Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times music critic Ann Powers. Attendees can expect an inside look at the creative process, featuring performances of hit songs by each panelist and a Q&A session on the business of songwriting and music.

Panelists:

As lead singer and frontman for the breakout group Gnarls Barkley, Cee-Lo continues to bring his American hip-hop, funk, soul and r&b style to the world. He is a singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Goodie Mob before Gnarls Barkley, and has also recorded two critically acclaimed solo LPs. His successes as a songwriter and producer also include the 2005 hit “Don’t Cha” by The Pussycat Dolls, as well as tracks and guest appearances on upcoming releases from Kelis and Amerie.

At the age of 35, Grammy Award-winning hitmaker Dallas Austin is one of the most sought-after producers in the entertainment business. His creativity and innovative style have shaped the sound of today’s pop and r&b music. He has had the opportunity to work with such legendary stars as Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Usher, Pink, Shakira, Janet Jackson and Gwen Stefani. In 2002, he began a foray into film serving as the executive producer and musical director of the hit Drumline, and then as a producer and composer for ATL. He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame last fall, an honor he received alongside R.E.M., Jermaine Dupri and Gregg Allman.

Patrick Stump is lead vocalist and guitarist for Grammy-nominated band Fall Out Boy, an American pop-rock band from Wilmetter, Ill. Stump and band members Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley released their 2005 major label debut and third full-length album, From Under the Cork Tree, which went double platinum. Their first single, “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down,” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached No. 1 on MTV’s TRL. The video also won the MTV2 Award at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. A 2006 “Best New Artist” Grammy nominee, Fall Out Boy’s next album, Infinity on High, is scheduled for release on Feb. 6. The lead single, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” debuted at the 2006 American Music Awards.

Sean Garrett got his start after college as a mortgage broker. After the loss of his mother, he realized his heart was in music and he turned his passion of songwriting into his profession. Nicknamed “The Pen” by Jay-Z, the four-time Grammy Award nominee earned the moniker by having three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks and helping to ink a majority of Destiny’s Child’s last album, Destiny Fulfilled. He’s responsible for smash singles like Chris Brown‘s “Run It,” Ciara’s “Goodies” and Usher’s “Yeah,” Garrett’s biggest composition to date. Upcoming projects slated for 2007 include works from Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and Cassidy.

Kara DioGuardi is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. She has had charting singles with a variety of artists, including Christina Aguilera ("Aint No Other Man"), Gwen Stefani ("Rich Girl"), Ashley Simpson ("Pieces Of Me"), Kelly Clarkson ("Walk Away"), Pussy Cat Dolls ("Beep"), Enrique Iglesias ("Escape") and Hilary Duff ("Come Clean"). Kara’s collaborators include Lil Jon, Danja, Dr. Dre, Jon Shanks, Glen Ballard, Scott Storch, Polow, Matt Serletic and will.i.am. She has new releases on albums by Katharine McPhee, Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff, Taylor Hicks, Nicole of Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, Daddy Yankee and Ashley Tisdale. Kara is also co-owner of Arthouse Entertainment, which was ranked the No. 7 music publishing company of 2006 by Billboard/Nielsen.

Hitmakers fill Nashville’s publishing houses, churning out the twangy sing-alongs that blanket country airwaves. Standing out in such a talented community can’t possibly be as easy as songwriter, artist and producer Jeffrey Steele makes it look. Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson, Pat Green, Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw and numerous others have all turned to Steele for a hit or two, a list that covers a virtual “who’s who” of contemporary country’s elite who have wisely come to trust the energetic songwriter with the easy, infectious grin. Steele’s own impassioned performances make him a constant favorite at songwriter festivals and his full-band gigs, where his rugged, boisterous vocals breathe new life both into songs made famous by the stars and other tunes that are patently his. The 2003 BMI Songwriter of the Year’s new album, Hell on Wheels (February 2007), showcases some of those patented Steele tunes, thrusting Jeffrey Steele the artist into a deserved spotlight.

Butch Walker is a recording artist, performer, songwriter and record producer. He formed the popular pop-rock band Marvelous 3, which spawned the hit “Freak of the Week.” Butch then began a solo career in 2000, releasing the albums Left of Self-Centered in 2002 and Letters in 2004, finishing 2005 playing over 200 live shows across both the U.S. and Japan. Several of his songs have been hits for other artists, including Bowling for Soup’s “Girl All the Bad Guys Want.” He has written and produced records for such artists as Pink, Simple Plan, Sevendust and the All-American Rejects. He also co-wrote the song “My Happy Ending” with Avril Lavigne. Walker was named Rolling Stone Producer of the Year in 2005, and having served as a judge on the reality TV series “Rock Star,” he was the producer for the new “Rockstar: Supernova” group.

About the Los Angeles Times:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of nearly 2.2 million and about 3.3 million on Sunday. The Los Angeles Times and its media businesses and affiliates, including latimes.com, TheEnvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News, are read by approximately 8.1 million-or 62% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace-every week.

The Los Angeles Times has been covering Southern California for over 125 years and is part of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

WE BELONG TOGETHER
Darnell Bristol
Mariah Carey
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson
Patrick L. Moten
Sandra Sully
Bobby Womack
ABKCO Music, Inc.
Ballads By Design Publishing
Hip Chic Music
Mister Johnson's Jams Music
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

YOU AND ME
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

BMI has received commitments from some of its top songwriters and other music professionals that will make up the majority of the songwriting staff, including Cyndi Lauper, Dallas Austin, Harold Lilly, Butch Walker, Hugh Prestwood, Frank Myers, Russ Titelman, David Tickle, Shelley Peiken, Adam Gorgoni, Keith Olsen, Mark Levinsohn and Suzan Koc.

Instruction will be relevant to all genres of music from rock to urban to country to pop to Hawaiian. Each night will provide opportunities for students to perform their own music via open mike sessions. Nightly "guitar pulls" will also be staged where students can join in with the professional staff in playing music and creating new songs. Throughout the four-day event, selected students will be invited to make demo recordings with the assistance of the professional staff. Students who are not making the demo recordings will be invited to attend the sessions as an educational experience.

KMF Songwriting Competition
The Kauai Music Festival will also feature the KMF Songwriting Competition. Each attendee is allowed to submit one song. The finalists will perform in the songwriting competition concert on the second night of the Festival. The top five winners will receive prizes donated by Festival sponsors. The first place winner will receive a guaranteed spot in a BMI showcase in New York City, Los Angeles, or another BMI location. Other prizes include free memberships to TAXI, premium Tannoy speakers, and other home studio equipment. Additional prizes will be announced soon.]]> 2004-03-30T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/events/entry/532944 Artists, Alamaze, Tori, Algebra, Arie, India, Brown, Chris, D.R.E.S. the Beatnik, Joi, Jonz, Jovan, Kerisha, Myshel, Ormandy, Simon, Phillips, Glen, Rich, Tony, Roland, Ed, Tehran, Walker, Butch, Awards, Musical Styles, Pop, R&B, Singer-Songwriter, Urban, Regions, Atlanta, Showcase, Showcase Templated

Whether your words are "floetic" like 50 Cent or your voice is as sultry as Miss Norah Jones, the 6th Annual Atlantis Music Conference offers a wealth of knowledge from professionals in all music genres. The home of SoSo Def Records, TLC, Usher, Collective Soul, Butch Walker, Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins and many more famous names, Atlanta offers the perfect setting for the music conference that has come to call this cultural mecca of the South home. Returning for the 6th consecutive year Wednesday, July 30th through Saturday, August 2nd at the Sheraton Downtown Atlanta, Atlantis 2003 looks to be one conference artists and industry folks cannot pass up.

With something for everyone from industry executives to local artists, this year's conference offers an outstanding opportunity to celebrate the music industry through an assortment of educational panels, new talent showcases, a job fair, and networking parties at some of Atlanta's hottest venues. Also returning to Atlantis this year is the urban explosion with panels and showcases throughout the three-day weekend.

For more information on showcases, panels and events, as well as pricing for conference registration, one-day panel passes and 3-day showcase wristbands, contact The Atlantis Music Conference at 770/499-8600 or log on to atlantismusic.com.

BMI at the Atlantis Music Conference:

BMI's "How I Wrote That Song Panel"
Date/Time: Thursday, July 31 - 12:00 PM
Location: Sheraton Downtown Atlanta (165 Courtland @ International)
Price/Notes: Purchase of conference registration or a one-day panel pass
in required for admittance.

Confirmed to speak and perform:
India Arie
Ed Roland (Collective Soul)
Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket)
Butch Walker
Chris Brown and Simon Ormandy (Trapt)

BMI's "In the Key of Soul"
Date/Time: Thursday, July 31 - Doors open at 8:00 PM
Location: The Riviera Live (1055 Peachtree St.)
Price/Notes: Free with purchase of conference registration badge or
3-day conference wristband. Alternatively, cover is $10 at the door.

Featuring:
Jovan 8:20 PM
D.R.E.S. tha Beatnik 8:40 PM
Algebra 9:00 PM
Tehran 9:20 PM
Tori Alamaze 9:40 PM
Kerisha 10:00 PM
Jonz 10:20 PM
Myshel 10:40 PM
Tony Rich 11:00 PM
Joi 11:25 PM

Michael Tolcher and Charlie Mars

Catherine Brewton & Justin Sias

Eric Cire

Jay Mathis (left) & Kristi Carter

Kristi Carter & Angelo

Angie Aparo & Jay Mathis

David Ryan Harris & Angie Aparo

Harold Sellers (front left) & Jones

Michael Weeman (left) and Crawford Adam

Algebra

BMI writer and recording artist Julie Dexter, BMI's Catherine Brewton and Brand New Emortals member David Ryan Harris

BMI writers, producers, artists and staff gather around after the showcase

Injected manager Aaron Wachtel, BMI's Michael Weeman, Blue Maze Records' Evan Shapiro, producer Ben Allen, Dark Horse Tavern agent Ken Green

Arista recording artist Butch Walker, BMI party host Drez, Darkchild recording artist Jay Mathis

Miami's DJ Rawku$

BMI's Catherine Brewton (center) with members of the Angenetta Boys and Lil Zane

Rehab member Danny Alexander, BMI's Catherine Brewton, 11th Hour Entertainment's Shannon Houchins and Steve Johnson

Maverick artist Michael Lee, Kirsten Hansen, Brand New Emortals member David Ryan Harris, TBA Management's Simon Horrocks, Greenburg Trauig's Aimee Stern and BMI's Michael Weeman

David Ryan Harris, Darkchild recording artist Jay Mathis, BMI writer Chukky Charles and BMI's Catherine Brewton

Jad member Chris Love and John Stringer, Dark Horse Tavern's Ken Green, and Jad members James Beale and Thomas Panza

Angenetta Boys member Fred Davis, BMI's Catherine Brewton, Angenetta Boys member Lil Scoob, BMI's Michael Weeman and Angenetta Boys member Slim Davis

Angenetta and Lil Zane perform

11th Hour Entertainment's Terrance Wooten, Shannon Honchins and Demun Jones, BMI's Catherine Brewton, 11th Hour Entertainment's Steve Johnson and BMI's Michael Weeman

all photos: Sheila Turner