August 2025
Dear Songwriter, Composer and Publisher,
I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful summer with your friends and family. As we gear up for a busy fall, I’m very pleased to share some recent updates with you.
On a personal note, I’m excited and grateful that BMI’s Board of Directors extended my contract as President & CEO through December 31, 2029. I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of this amazing company, and there are only greater things ahead. I’m thrilled that the BMI Board and New Mountain Capital have shown this confidence in me and the incredible BMI team as we continue to work on behalf of our creative and business communities, invest in our company and position BMI for long-term success.
As you know, BMI is unwavering in our efforts to protect the value of our affiliates’ music. To that end, BMI recently announced a rate court settlement with the Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC). The new agreement, retroactive to January 1, 2022, represents a historic rate increase for BMI that reflects our leading market share in the radio industry and ensures our affiliates will be more fairly compensated for the performance of their music on this important platform. We’re gratified to deliver this successful outcome on behalf of all of you.
The topic of AI and its impact on music creators is front and center for our industry, and BMI has been tirelessly advocating to ensure human creativity is protected and valued. In July, BMI supported the reintroduction of the bipartisan TRAIN Act to give music creators legal tools to force AI companies to disclose copyrighted works they’ve used to train their systems. This regulatory area is rapidly evolving, and we are highly engaged with your best interests top of mind. Beyond our legislative efforts, BMI has hosted multiple affiliate listening sessions in New York, L.A., Nashville, Atlanta, Austin, Miami and London, with more to come, focused on GenAI music to learn how our creative community is thinking about and using AI tools for music creation. While opinions on GenAI use were divided, a key takeaway that participants shared was the vital need to protect human creativity. BMI will continue to lead the charge in addressing this critical issue.
Within BMI, there’s been plenty of activity, as well. I’m excited to share that we’re continuing to expand BMI Spark, our curated program of exclusive discounts, special offers and resources to elevate our songwriters’ and composers’ careers, and we’ll be announcing new partners in the near future. Building on our efforts to develop our affiliates’ craft, our newly launched BMI Composer Lab is moving full steam ahead, with ten talented composers selected. Participants will explore artistic growth, mentorship and career development from some of the most renowned composers in the industry. I can’t wait to see all the amazing things this inaugural class will accomplish.
With this quarter’s distributions, along with your regular royalties, those eligible will see retro payments for performances on Gabb, the cell phone service for kids and teens, from 2023 through the first quarter of 2025. This distribution also includes annual payments from sports leagues, theme parks, karaoke, and pay-per-view outlets DirectTV, In Demand and SONIFI.
Congratulations go out to all of our amazing music creators who were recognized for their unparalleled talent this quarter, including those who received prestigious Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, the Ivor Novello Awards and our own BMI Christian Awards. I’d also like to wish the best of luck to all our Emmy nominees. Additionally, it was our pleasure to present Teddy Swims with a special Song of the Year Award for his smash hit, “Lose Control,” during his tour stop at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
I’d like to thank all of our dedicated songwriters who recently played BMI’s stages and showcases. July’s edition of our live-music series in Nashville, Rooftop on the Row, made history by drawing a capacity crowd of over 500 music industry professionals to enjoy a great evening of music by Tucker Wetmore and Tanner Adell. Kudos to our affiliates who played at the Ryman Block Party, The Cookout and all our acts who made the 22nd year of the BMI Stage at Lollapalooza another unforgettable experience.
Next week, we’re headed to Los Angeles for our R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, where we’ll be paying tribute to T-Pain with the BMI President’s Award and GloRilla with the BMI Impact Award. We’ll also be honoring John Fogerty at our Troubadour Awards in September. Beyond that, we have the Austin City Limits Music Festival and our own BMI London Awards to look forward to. There are many other great things on the horizon, and we’re excited to share more with you soon.
As always, thank you for placing your trust in BMI to represent your unrivaled creative work. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sincerely,
Mike O'Neill
President and Chief Executive Officer
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