News Archive
It would be hard to look at a list of current hit songs without noticing a trend: the growing use of featured artists. A featured artist is one who makes a guest appearance on another artist’s recording to create a collaboration. What’s the difference between a duet and a song…
Tips for Writing Songs About Anything…But Love
At my BMI Nashville Songwriters’ Workshops, I screen and critique songs from each attendee. When I find songs that I believe are competitive with those being written by today’s top hitmakers, I forward them to ten music publishers who have agreed to listen. After the last BMI Workshop, I forwarded…
How to Write Songs That Are Both Personal and Universal
Most of us who are in the business of creating songs are aware of the importance of writing lyrics that have universal appeal, lyrics that connect with millions of hearts. We have also heard about the importance of writing songs that emanate from our hearts, from personal experience. On the…
When Clever is Too Clever in Songwriting
Before addressing what might constitute being “too clever” in lyrics, I’ll begin by defining what I mean by “clever” lyrics. For the purposes of this article I’m referring to songs with lyrics that are witty, tongue-in-cheek, humorous, or amusing. These are in contrast to those that fall into the category…
Worlds Collide: BMI Hosts Pop and Country Writers for Retreat at Fontanel
BMI invited top pop songwriters from L.A. and country songwriters from Nashville to hunker down at the historic Fontanel Mansion in Nashville from January 18 to 22 and collaborate on new songs. The writers held multiple brainstorming sessions in the storied mansion, with special performance of the new tracks to…
P!nk Receives President’s Award at 63rd Annual BMI Pop Awards
Broadcast Music, Inc, honored dynamic singer-songwriter P!nk with the BMI President’s Award for her outstanding achievement in songwriting and global impact on pop culture and the entertainment industry at the Company’s 63rd annual Pop Awards, held last night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The event also…
BMI and Denise Rich Songs Co-Host Aspen Songwriting Retreat
When songwriter Denise Rich (who penned the Sister Sledge hit song “Frankie”) approached BMI six years ago with the idea to host a songwriter retreat, pairing writers beginning their careers with writers whose songs have hit the charts, a tradition between BMI and Denise Rich Songs was created. This tradition…
How to Write and Pitch for Different Genres and Music Centers
Great songs are at the heart of every style of music. But the process of writing and demoing those songs—as well as business practices—varies by genre, and is approached differently in various music centers. This article will examine those differences. How the Songs Are Written In…
GRAMMY Nods Showcase Depth of BMI Roster
The 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards are less than two weeks away and the dozens of BMI affiliates nominated are well positioned for a huge evening. Rapidly ascendant newcomers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis snagged an impressive seven nods, including Album of the Year for The Heist, Song of the Year and…
BMI London Supports Bali for Songwriting Summit
Broadcast Music, Inc. takes pride in its role as an early support system for aspiring songwriters, providing unique opportunities for collaborations and new industry connections. Since 2011, BMI’s London office has played an instrumental role in the Bali Songwriting Summit, a ten day creative gathering of some the globe’s most…
Bonnie McKee: Bonnie McKee interviewed at BMI’s 2010 Urban Awards
Captured at 2010 Urban Awards