Nashville
MusicWorld: Geico features Wrinkle Neck Mules, songwriter news, Q&A’s & more

Check out the new BMI MusicWorld digital issue, featuring… Important stories for working songwriters from Billboard, Rolling Stone, the New York Times and more. Geico + Wrinkle Neck Mules: Persevere long enough, and sometimes a stroke of great luck will come your way. This past November, Geico began airing a TV commercial featuring Virginia-based Wrinkle Neck Mules' “Central Daylight Time." Ammar Malik:…
The Road to Bonnaroo: Round One Rocks Feb. 27

Nashville’s Road to Bonnaroo competition is back. Eight first-round performers will kick off RTB 2012 on Monday, February 27 at the Mercy Lounge. With tight, three-song sets, Colorfeels, By Lightning, Toy, The Hollywood Kills, Quichenight, Laura Reed, Sam & Tre and Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces will each vie for a spot at Bonnaroo. Presented by BMI, the Nashville Scene, Mercy Lounge and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival,…
From the Archives

Audrey Winters, Little Richard, Tammy Wynette and George Jones huddle for a photo at the 1974 BMI Country Awards in Nashville.
Songwriter Business News

Important stories for working songwriters: Billboard highlights the music that made the 2012 SuperBowl ads. The New York Times looks at the relationship between songs and the politicians who use them. The iHeartRadio app now includes college stations, and Rolling Stone helps spread the good news. Cloud music’s future was discussed at midem 2012 in Cannes, and for those of us unable to fly…
Indie Meets Mainstream: Geico Features Wrinkle Neck Mules in Latest Spot

Persevere long enough, and sometimes a stroke of great luck will come your way. That’s something Wrinkle Neck Mules have learned in recent months. This past November, Geico--yes, the insurance company famous for its Gecko spokes-creature--began airing a TV commercial featuring a snippet of “Central Daylight Time,” a song the Virginia-based band had recorded but not yet released. Neither the song-title nor the Mules are…
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…
Remembering Etta James: 1938-2012

Etta James died on Friday, January 20. She was 73 years old. “With the passing of Etta James, we lose one of the most powerful and beautiful voices of blues and soul, and a woman whose spirit was as fierce and unapologetic as her music,” said BMI President & CEO Del Bryant. “James lived a life of both triumphs and…
Remembering Johnny Otis: 1921-2012

Legend Johnny Otis died on January 19. He was 90 years old. Otis was many things -- songwriter, band leader, musician, talent scout, dj, activist, preacher, author -- but those labels only hint at the scope and power of his versatility and vision. He had an incomparable knack for spotting and nurturing artistic genius, and is credited with guiding the careers of soul and r&b pioneers such as…
MusicWorld: Skylar Grey, Anthony Hamilton, Sundance & More

Check out the new BMI MusicWorld digital issue, featuring… Anthony Hamilton: “This new album came in sections. I was in a space where I wanted to change it up a bit. I was in a moving mood; I wanted to feel like it was traveling.” Skylar Grey: “I don’t go out and specifically take a song and say, ‘I wanna do something like this’—because…
Trailblazer, Defined: Kirk Franklin

There was nothing at all timid about the words Kirk Franklin delivered as an intro to his 1997 gospel and r&b hit “Stomp (Remix).” “For those of you that think that gospel music has gone too far,” he challenged, stamping every syllable with streetwise churchly conviction, “you think we’ve gotten too radical with our message. Well, I’ve got news for ya. You ain’t heard nothing yet.” That…
