News Archive
BMI was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of producer Carl E. “Chucky” Thompson, whose death was announced Monday. He was 53. As a member of Bad Boy Entertainment’s squad of in-house producers, “The Hitmen,” Thompson enjoyed a robust 30-year career with a list of production credits that is…
5 Tips to Rebound, Reset, and Reinvigorate Your Songwriting
For most of us, 2020 will rank as one of the most tumultuous years of our lifetime. The restrictions, losses, and fears caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the emotions stirred up in the political and social arenas, touched virtually everyone—and creative people were hit extra hard. Songwriters, musicians,…
What Makes a Song a Worldwide Phenomenon?
Warning: Listening to the songs referenced in this article is likely to result in an inability to get them out of your brain. It is an incredible accomplishment for a song to reach the top of one of the Billboard charts. Occasionally, songs connect with listeners sufficiently to…
GRAMMY-Nominated Oak Felder Gets and Gives Advice
When he moved to the U.S. from Istanbul, Turkey, in 2001, writer-producer Warren “Oak” Felder had a degree in network technologies and artificial intelligence from Istanbul Technical University, and zero music expertise save for his abiding love for rock bands including Rage Against the Machine and Modest Mouse. Felder hadn’t…
Indie Spotlight: BAUM
Billboard recently called Los Angeles singer-songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum, known as BAUM, a “fierce hit-maker and social boundary-pusher.” Born in New York, her alternative-soul-pop is all about harmonious contradictions: She’s able to tackle intense topics (such as sexual experimentation and unfaithful partners) with the accessibility of a seasoned Top…
BMI Recognizes Bayjun Beat Music for Usher’s “No Limit”
Unable to attend BMI’s 2017 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta this past September, Bayjun Beat Music’s Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken received a visit from BMI’s Charlie Feldman this week at their studio in Bronxville, NY, and accepted their award recognizing the success of “No Limit.” Beyond this accolade, Sturken and…
How I Wrote That Song Spotlight: Panelist Ester Dean
Ester Dean (@EsterDean) is a singer-songwriter and actress, proclaimed “The song machine, with a Betty Boop voice,” by The New Yorker. She’s a multidimensional, charismatic young woman, who has worked with the top artists and producers of our time. Dean has created some of the most infectious songs in the…
How I Wrote That Song Spotlight: Panelist Rick Ross
Rick Ross (@rickyrozay) is a GRAMMY-nominated rapper and founder of the record label Maybach Music Group. His latest album, Hood Billionaire, was released on November 24, 2014 on Maybach Music/Def Jam Recordings. Hood Billionaire is the follow-up to Mastermind, which was released March 2014 and became his fifth career album…
BMI Congratulates its GRAMMY Nominees
Broadcast Music, Inc. writers have a lot to celebrate following the announcement of the 2015 GRAMMY nominations. The winners will be revealed during the 57th annual GRAMMY awards, held in the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live February 8, 2015 on CBS. BMI writers are present in nominations…
Cash Money’s Bryan ‘Birdman’ Williams and Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams and Top Songwriters Honored at the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards
Celebrities, media and music industry tastemakers converged at the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on August 22 to watch Broadcast Music, Inc. present the BMI Icon Award to Cash Money Records' Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams at the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The star-studded event,…