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 two…
Mark Batson, Faith Evans, Tory Lanez & RedOne Discuss Their Hits at BMI’S ‘HOW I WROTE THAT SONG’®
On Saturday, January 27, BMI presented its annual pre-GRAMMY event How I Wrote That Song® (HIWTS), in partnership with the Apollo Theater, at the legendary performance hall. The audience was treated to an enlightening panel discussion that featured multi-platinum and GRAMMY award-winning music producer Mark Batson, GRAMMY award-winning R&B royalty Faith…
Reality Check: Looking at Your Songs Objectively
In the early years of my songwriting journey there was nothing anyone could have said to convince me that my songs were anything less than GRAMMY-worthy. I was certain that each new song I demoed would be the one that would change my life. That belief in my songs often kept…
BMI Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of ‘How I Wrote That Song’
Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Alex Da Kid, Dallas Davidson and Lauren Christy reveal the stories behind their biggest hits
Writing and Placing Christmas and Holiday Songs
Imagine receiving airplay and earning income from a song year after year and having that same song be recorded by multiple artists over a span of decades. That is what can happen with a holiday-themed song. For many songwriters and music publishers, landing a holiday recording that becomes the next “White…
BMI Cultivates the Art of Songwriting at the Patch House in Brooklyn
During the last several years, many East Coast songwriters migrated to California to begin their careers. What may be less well-known is that there is a talented community of songwriters and producers based in New York City, a fact BMI was proud to showcase through its recent effort to re-establish the…
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 pop,…
BMI Declares ‘Year of the Songwriter’ and Launches 75th Anniversary Celebration
Broadcast Music, Inc. yesterday announced the official launch of its 75th anniversary celebration at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas, during the 66th Annual BMI/NAB Dinner, pronouncing April 2014 through April 2015 to be “The Year of the Songwriter.” The Company’s dynamic yearlong anniversary campaign will underscore the commitment BMI exhibits every…
Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds Honored During BMI’s 66th Annual NAB Dinner in Las Vegas
Last night, music legend Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds was honored at the 66th Annual BMI/NAB Dinner during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention in Las Vegas. Few creative forces have impacted the contemporary pop/urban genres as much as the 10-time GRAMMY winner.Babyface’s incredible achievements include 11 solo albums, more than 125 Top…
A Conversation With Chris Daughtry
The accomplished songwriter unveils a new side of himself on his latest album, ‘Baptized’