BMI held its 15th annual Latin Music Awards Thursday, June 12 at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. Esteemed composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla was named a BMI Icon; Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malavé, better known as reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel, and singer/songwriter Espinoza Paz comprised the three-way tie for Latin Songwriter of the Year; “De Rodillas Te Pido” garnered Song of the Year honors for writer José A. Sosa; and Editora Arpa Musical received the Latin Publisher of the Year crown. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela, the black-tie dinner also touted the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed Latin songs on U.S. radio and television.

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The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” An all-star musical tribute paid homage to the achievements of Gustavo Santaolalla, who joins an elite list of past honorees that includes Latin music titans Los Tigres Del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Santana, along with legends Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and the late James Brown.

Artist, talent scout, producer, documentarian and composer, Gustavo Santaolalla’s genius spills over into numerous disciplines. The Argentina native helped define the nascent Latin rock movement of the 1970’s with his innovative Latino folk/rock band, Arco Iris, and later as a solo artist. Santaolalla has mastered Andean string instrument the ronroco and filmed Pan-American, indigenous folk musicians. His transformation to producer was inevitable; the subsequent cultural unification was historic. Along with partner Anibal Kerpel, he united the traditionally separate Mexican and Argentine rock spheres, gaining recognition for production work on numerous platinum and gold-selling projects. The duo achieved a new level of visibility with band Café Tacuba, whose collaborations with Santaolalla/Kerpel garnered multiple Grammy nominations and a Latin Grammy win. Santaolalla triumphantly entered the world of cinema, where he has composed numerous BMI, Golden Globe and Oscar award-winning original scores for films including Brokeback Mountain and Babel. His work on Babel and the critically-acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries also earned BAFTA honors. Through the creation of his label Surco, Santaolalla has also launched and sustained marquee artists, including international star Juanes.

Chart-dominating reggaetón duo Wisin & Yandel and charismatic troubadour Espinoza Paz shared the prestigious Latin Songwriter of the Year title. The win marks the second consecutive Songwriter of the Year crown for Wisin & Yandel’s Juan Luis Morera Luna and Llandel Veguilla Malavé. Three of the co-writing pair’s infectious hits rested comfortably on BMI’s most-performed list: “Noche De Entierro (Nuestro Amor)” (Los Benjamins featuring Wisin & Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Héctor "El Father,” Tonny Tún Tún and Zion), “Pam Pam” (Wisin & Yandel) and “Pegao” (Wisin & Yandel featuring Los Vaqueros). Mexican singer/songwriter Espinoza Paz earned his first Songwriter of the Year trophy by also contributing three songs to the top 50: “Mil Heridas” (Banda Cuisillos), “Prohibido” (El Coyote y su Banda Tierra Santa) and “Te Compro” (Duelo).

“De Rodillas Te Pido” earned BMI Latin Song of the Year honors for award-winning songwriter José a.k.a. “Pepe” A. Sosa. Published by Siempre Music and recorded by renowned group Alegres de la Sierra, “De Rodillas Te Pido” shot to the top slot of Billboard’s Latin Regional Mexican Airplay Chart and reached the Hot Latin Tracks’ top ten ranks. The combination of José A. Sosa and Alegres de la Sierra proved potent, as Sosa also took home an award for composing the band’s hit “Y Si Volviera A Nacer.”

With the highest percentage of copyright ownership of the year’s most-performed songs, Editora Arpa Musical garnered the Latin Publisher of the Year crown. Hits including Mariano Barba’s “Aliado Del Tiempo”; La Banda Pequeños Musical’s “Reencuentro” and “Me Encantaría”; El Chapo de Sinaloa’s “Detrás De La Puerta”; and Songwriter of the Year Espinoza Paz’s compositions catapulted Editora Arpa Musical to the top.

The ceremony also featured the presentation of the BMI Foundation's fifth annual peermusic Latin Scholarship to Boston’s Simmons College student Daniela Blau. The 21 year-old Costa Rica native will receive a $5,000 scholarship for her song “Y Si No Lo Sabes.” Established by the BMI Foundation and funded by the generosity of Ralph Peer II and the peermusic companies, the scholarship is awarded annually through a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions. The 2008 competition was open to college students between the ages of 16 and 24 currently attending school throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

BMI also honored beloved Mexican troupe La Banda El Récodo with a commemorative plaque celebrating the prolific group’s 70th anniversary. Recognized as the first recorded banda, La Banda El Récodo also ranks among the most eclectic, combining Latin dance, jazz and classical music to produce an inimitable sound.

Premier Latin songwriters Manuel Eduardo Castro (SACM), Agustín Cejudo, Edgar Cortázar, Héctor Delgado "El Father,” Cuauhtémoc González García, Don Omar, Luis "Louie" Padilla and Julieta Venegas (SGAE) took home two awards each. Additional big winners included Mariano Barba for “Aliado Del Tiempo”’s second award; Ramón González Mora for “Voy A Llorar Por Ti”; Adrián Pieragostino for “Me Duele Escuchar Tu Nombre”; Kike Santander for “¿Quién Me Iba A Decir?”; Sergio Vallin for “Bendita Tu Luz”; and Luigi Giraldo and A.B. Quintanilla III for “Chiquilla.”

Publishers claiming two or more songs among the top 50 were Universal Music Publishing Group (Universal Music-Careers/Universal-Música Unica Publishing/Universal Music Publishing SA [SGAE]); EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.; SER-CA Publishing, Inc.; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.; Máximo Aguirre Music Publishing, Inc.; Blue Kraft Music Publishing; Crown P. Music Publishing; Peer Music Group (Peer International Corp./peermusic III, Ltd.); and Rompediscoteca Music Publisher.

In English

Gustavo Santaolalla, compositor, productor y ganador de premios Oscar y Grammy será honrado como "Icono de BMI" en la ceremonia anual de premios latinos de BMI, a celebrarse el jueves 12 de junio. Dicho evento tendrá lugar en el Beverly Wilshire de Los Ángeles, en la cual el presidente y CEO de BMI Del Bryant, y la vicepresidenta asistente de la división de música latina de BMI, Delia Orjuela servirán como maestros de ceremonia; en ésta gala formal sólo para invitados también se reconocerá a los compositores y editoras de las canciones latinas con más ejecución el año pasado.

El premio "Icono de BMI" es otorgado a creadores que han demostrado una "influencia única e indeleble en las próximas generaciones de músicos." Mediante un tributo musical estelar se habrá de reconocer los logros de Gustavo Santaolalla, quien se une a la élite de ganadores previos, la cual incluye a grandes exponentes de la música latina como Los Tigres del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra y Carlos Santana, al igual que leyendas como Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton y el fenecido James Brown.

Artista, descubridor de talentos, productor, documentalista y compositor, el genio de Gustavo Santaolalla se expande por numerosas disciplinas. Este hijo de la nación Argentina ayudó a definir el movimiento neonato del rock latino en los años 70 con su innovadora banda de rock Arco Iris, y más tarde como solista. Santaolalla es un maestro del ronroco, un instrumento de cuerdas andino, y ha filmado a varios artistas panamericanos de música folklórica indígena. Su transformación de músico a productor fue inevitable; la unión cultural subsiguiente fue histórica. Junto a su compañero Aníbal Kerpel, unificó las esferas de rock argentino y mexicano, y ganó reconocimiento por su labor de producción en numerosos proyectos de discos de oro y platino. El dúo obtuvo aun mayor visibilidad con el grupo Café Tacuba, cuya colaboración con el dúo Santaolalla/Kerpel produjo no sólo varias nominaciones a los premios Grammy, sino que también logro ganar dicho galardón.

Santaolalla entró triunfante al mundo del cine, donde ha compuesto varias bandas sonoras originales ganadoras de premios BMI, Golden Globe y Oscar para tales películas como Brokeback Mountain y Babel. Su trabajo en Babel y el aclamado Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta) también ganaron premios BAFTA. Mediante la creación de su sello Surco, Santaolalla ha lanzado y fomentado las carreras de varios artistas estelares, incluyendo a la estrella internacional Juanes.

En adición al premio "Icono de BMI", esta ceremonia también premiará la Canción, Compositor y Editor del Año. Entre algunos de los ganadores anteriores de estas categorías podemos mencionar a Juanes, Shakira, Estéfano, Gloria y Emilio Estefan, Wisin y Yandel, Luis Miguel y Cristian Castro.

En Español

Grammy and Oscar award-winning composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla will become an Icon Thursday, June 12, at BMI's 15th annual Latin Awards. Staged at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles and hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela, the black-tie, invitation-only gala will also recognize the songwriters and publishers of the past year's top BMI Latin songs played on American radio and television.

The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." An all-star musical tribute will pay homage to the achievements of Gustavo Santaolalla, who joins an elite list of past honorees that includes Latin music titans Los Tigres Del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Santana, along with legends Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and the late James Brown.

Artist, talent scout, producer, documentarian and composer, Gustavo Santaolalla's genius spills over into numerous disciplines. The Argentina-native helped define the nascent Latin rock movement of the 1970's with his innovative Latino folk/rock band, Arco Iris, and later as a solo artist. Santaolalla has mastered Andean string instrument the ronroco and filmed Pan-American, indigenous folk musicians. His transformation to producer was inevitable; the subsequent cultural unification was historic. Along with partner Anibal Kerpel, he united the traditionally separate Mexican and Argentine rock spheres, gaining recognition for production work on numerous platinum and gold-selling projects. The duo achieved a new level of visibility with band Café Tacuba, whose collaborations with Santaolalla/Kerpel garnered multiple Grammy nominations and a Latin Grammy win. Santaolalla triumphantly entered the world of cinema, where he has composed numerous BMI, Golden Globe and Oscar award-winning original scores for films including Brokeback Mountain and Babel. His work on Babel and the critically-acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries also earned BAFTA honors. Through the creation of his label Surco, Santaolalla has also launched and sustained marquee artists, including international star Juanes.

In addition to the Icon tribute, the ceremony will also recognize the Latin Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year. Previous honorees include Latin superstars Juanes, Shakira, Estéfano, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Wisin & Yandel, Luis Miguel and Cristian Castro.

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