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 addition to sharing the stories behind their hit songs, the songwriters performed excerpts from those tunes. “How I Wrote That Song” is a panel series initially created by BMI in Los Angeles and is held annually during Grammy Awards week.

Songwriters Pablo Castro, Ramon Gonzalez Mora, Gustavo Laureano, Espinoza Paz, Bruno Danzza and Luigi Giraldo

BMI Director, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations & Media Licensing, Puerto Rico, Joey Mercado; songwriters Pablo Castro, Ramon Gonzalez Mora, and Gustavo Laureano; BMI AVP, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela; and songwriters Espinoza Paz, Bruno Danzza and Luigi Giraldo

BMI Associate Director, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations, Miami, Jake Cavazos; songwriters Pablo Castro, Gustavo Laureano and Luigi Giraldo; BMI AVP, Writer/Publisher Relations, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela; BMI Director, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations, New York, Porfirio Pina; songwriters Ramon Gonzalez Mora and Espinoza Paz; BMI Director, Latin Writer/Publisher Relations & Media Licensing, Puerto Rico, Joey Mercado; and (front) songwriter Bruno Danzza.

Top songwriters will tell the stories behind their hit songs and perform them live.

Speakers include:

Pablo Castro

Bruno Danzza

Espinoza Paz

Luigi Giraldo

Ramón Gonzalez Mora

BMI will host its first Latin music "How I Wrote That Song" panel at the Billboard Latin Music Conference on Tuesday, April 8. The panel will feature leading songwriters in Latin music including Pablo Castro (Tigres del Norte), Bruno Danzza (Jenni Rivera), Espinoza Paz (el Potro de Sinaloa), Ramón González Mora (Conjunto Primavera), Luigi Giraldo (Kumbia All Starz) and Gustavo Laureano (La Secta). The discussion will be moderated by BMI Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela and will be held from 1:45 to 3 p.m. at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. For more information, please visit www.billboard.com/events or www.bmi.com.

In addition to sharing the stories behind their hit songs, the songwriters will perform excerpts from the tunes themselves. "How I Wrote That Song" is a panel series initially created by BMI in Los Angeles and is held annually during Grammy awards week.

The featured panelists number among Latin music's most in-demand songwriters in both the regional and pop music formats:

• Espinoza Paz is from Sinaloa, Mexico and is signed to Machete Records. He currently has three songs on the Billboard "Hot Latin Charts" recorded by el Potro de Sinaloa, Duelo and La Autentica de Jerez. Paz's compositions have also been performed by La Arrolladora, Banda El Limon, and Sergio Vega.
• Pablo Castro is originally from Chile, now based in Los Angeles. Preeminent artists including Banda Cuisillos and Tigres del Norte have recorded Castro's songs.
• Bruno Danzza - aka Santos Diablito - is a Mexico City-based songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Jenni Rivera and Banda El Recodo, among others.
• Ramón González Mora is a San Antonio-based songwriter who has written songs for Conjunto Primavera, Bronco Rl Gigante de America and Los Mismos.
• Luigi Giraldo is a Miami-based songwriter originally from Venezuela who has written songs for the Kumbia All Starz.
• Gustavo Laureano is a Puerto Rican-based songwriter and lead vocalist for Latin rock group La Secta.

The 19th annual Billboard Latin Music Conference brings together over 1,000 music executives, artists, composers, sponsors and press. It will feature four full days of programming, showcases, educational sessions, parties and networking events. Conference highlights include the Billboard Bash, a pre-awards extravaganza featuring live performances by top acts, a full day of programming dedicated to radio programming, the Super Star Q&A with Enrique Iglesias, conducted by Billboard's executive director of Latin content, Leila Cobo and The Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, April 10th.

The Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards is part of Billboard's long-standing editorial commitment to Latin music coverage. Billboard magazine publishes weekly charts and an expanded weekly Latin music section as well as special stand sections 4 times a year which provides even more in-depth coverage.  Please visit www.billboardevents.com for the full schedule of events and to register.

Luigi Giraldo, a former teen star and an accomplished studio master, is a key player in this evolving sound, co-writing signature songs with the two groups’ founder and mastermind, A.B. Quintanilla, including the BMI Award-winning “Shhh,” “Se Fue Mi Amore,” “Me Gente” (also recorded in collaboration with Los Angeles heroes Ozomatli) and recent tracks like "Chiquilla and the hit, "Dulce Niña (na na na)" as performed by the Kumbia All-Starz’s heartthrob lead vocalist, Pee Wee.

In light of Giraldo’s expansive credits, his remarkable proficiency across the board is even more evident as he adds to the mix as a vocal and keyboard arranger, producer, programmer, and engineer, with a broad collection of modern artists like Frankie Negron, Patricia Manterola and Raul Brindis.

Giraldo first came to the pop music forefront in the ’90s with the extravagantly attired teen group Los Fantasmas del Caribe (Ghosts of the Caribbean). And although he his left his glossy pirate costume far behind in his evolution into one of Latin music’s most proficient modern hitmakers, he has clearly found a map to new musical treasures.