New York
Taylor Swift Takes Home Five American Music Awards

Taylor Swift enjoyed yet another night of sweeping wins at the 2009 American Music Awards, held Sunday, November 22. As a bold testament to the young singer/songwriter’s broad appeal, Swift went home with Pop-Rock Female Artist, Country Female Artist, Country Album, and Adult Contemporary Artist trophies, a build-up which fittingly culminated with the all-genre Artist of the Year title. Late BMI Icon Michael Jackson…
Charles Fox Plans Benefit for LaGuardia Performing Arts High School
Renowned BMI composer Charles Fox is presenting “The Song of Our Lives,” featuring Fox, Alan Menken, Steve Tyrell and other prominent songwriters and composers, for the benefit of New York’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. With songs performed by the songwriters who wrote them, the concert is scheduled for December 8 at the Little…
Emerging Film Composers Benefit from BMI Scoring Program

“Composing for the Screen,” a film scoring mentorship program sponsored by BMI and directed by composer Rick Baitz, recently wrapped in New York. Nine emerging film composers participated in six high-level sessions where they explored a wide range of film sources: composing, recording, reviewing, and sharing work in a supportive environment. For their final project, each participant composed a cue to a well-known film, which was then…
GreatWorshipSongs.com Contest Call for Entries

Great Worship Songs and the Gospel Music Association (GMA) are searching for the best original and relatively unknown worship songs in the country. The GreatWorshipSongs.com Contest is open to unpublished songwriters, who may submit up to two songs each for review. The competition calls for praise and worship songs in the same anthemic vein as "My Savior, My God” and “God of Wonders,” created for use in church services. The…
Have Band, Will Travel: On the Road, Jonas Sees In Color

In an era where those in search of new music can quench their insatiable appetites with a few clicks of a mouse, the online revolution has provided an engine to which thousands of bands have hitched their wagons. The ease of this route, however, has left many of the wheels on those wagons largely unweathered by the grooves of the road. This is not the case for the Greensboro, North…
Robert Cooper, Flying High

Robert Cooper knows a thing or two about taking music to higher elevations of success, but to say that he has been flying under the radar would be a bit of an understatement. Continental Airlines recently selected his song “Beautiful” for airplay on their “Hit Factory” onboard radio channel, landing him a first class seat among some of the most influential bands in contemporary popular music. The…
Fist Pumps and Heart, Courtesy of Adelitas Way

Unlikely components coalescing to bring a band success is nothing new. But when it comes to Las Vegas-based quintet Adelitas Way, the improbability factor goes to 11: After seeing one of their earliest compositions, “Invincible,” selected as the theme song for villainous World Wrestling Entertainment tag team The Legacy, the group soon signed with Virgin Records, which released its self-titled debut in July. Oh, and then there’s…
The New Regional Mexican Music: Authentic, Modern and Here to Stay

Mexico definitely boasts a rich musical landscape, with a never-ending array of genres ranging from rock to rap, rancheras to cumbia pop, ska and more. Recently, however, the regional music of Mexico has enjoyed a significant surge in popularity via names like Larry Hernandez, Espinoza Paz, Los Pikadientes de Caborca, La Nueva Rebelión, La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, Roberto Tapia, and…
Latin Grammy Nominees Dazzle at BMI Co-Hosted Latin Grammy Pre-Party

Luz Rios, Espinoza Paz, Jorge Villamizar, Jimena Angel, Darey Castro of Dareyes de la Sierra, Cucu Diamantes and Special Guest Alex Cuba Perform BMI, House of Blues, Recording Academy Los Angeles, NocheLatina.com and SunTrust Bank played host to an evening of rich Latin sounds on Wednesday, November 4 at House of Blues…
BMI’s Catherine Brewton Honored by Law Organization

The Black Women in Entertainment Law Foundation (BWEL), a non-profit organization that provides a support network for women of color in entertainment law, honored BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton on November 2 in Atlanta. The event, held at the Mason Murer Gallery, also served as BWEL’s 2nd annual scholarship fundraiser. Ms. Brewton, who directs all writer/publisher relations activities for BMI’s Urban Music Department, was feted…
