May 11, 2005

BMI Launches New Songwriter/Artist Podcast; Licenses Podcasters In Nationwide Initiative

Press Release

Download this document in Word format.

NEW YORK, May 9, 2005 – BMI Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Phil Graham announced today that the company is launching a podcast series to bring promising new songwriter/artists to the attention of key industry executives including record company A&R staffers and creative executives at music publishing companies. The BMI podcast, entitled “See It Hear First™,” will also be available on BMI.com® beginning Monday, May 9.
“The podcast is a natural evolution of our long tradition of promotional CDs and our nationwide series of live showcases promoting new songwriter/artists,” said Graham. “Our close collaboration with creative executives at record companies and music publishers has shown a lot of excitement for this new format because of its immediacy and its portability. In addition, the availability of the podcast on BMI.com, which reaches almost a million visitors each month, should be an excellent way of letting new talent reach its audience.”
Simultaneously, BMI Licensing Vice President Richard Conlon, who oversees the company’s new media area, announced that BMI had been licensing podcasters for nearly a year covering the public performance rights to the BMI repertoire. BMI’s licensing website has been expanded to provide a clear path for podcasters to get more information on licensing music for their programs and to obtain BMI licenses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Podcasters including Coverville.com and Keener13.com have already signed on to the BMI agreement. BMI plans on rolling out additional licensing programs for this new medium as it grows.
BMI will select songwriter/artists for the podcast from its new signings each month. Repertoire for the first podcast, chosen from exceptional talent from January 2005 through April 2005, includes Jetpack, Astaire, somedaynew and Brendan James. Biographical information and photographs on each of the songwriter/artists are also available on BMI.com/podcast.
“These initiatives,” said Graham, “continue BMI’s long tradition in breaking new ground for our creators and our licensees by harnessing the power of technology. BMI was the first music company with a web site, the first to license music on the web, and the first to make data on its entire catalog of more than 4.5 million compositions available on the web. The podcast is a logical next step.”
Now marking its 65th year in business, BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers and publishers in all genres of music. With a repertoire of approximately 4.5 million musical works from around the world, the non-profit-making corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.
# # #
Contact:
Pat Baird, BMI
212-830-2528
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hanna Pantle, BMI
310-289-6328
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)