Nominees Nija Charles, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Laura Veltz weigh in, along with Chair of the Songwriters & Composers Wing of the Academy, Evan Bogart Read more...
BMI is thrilled to be back at Zilker Park for the 2022 Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 7-9 & 14-16, 2022. For the 19th year, BMI brings its curated, musically diverse lineup to ACL for two consecutive weekends of exciting music discovery. The festival kicks off on Friday, October… Read more...
BMI is saddened by the passing of Deborah McCrary, one of four sisters in the legendary gospel group, The McCrary Sisters. Having learned to sing from her Baptist preacher and gospel musician father, Reverend Samuel H. “Sam” McCrary of the famed Fairfield Four, Deborah, along with Ann, Regina, and Alfreda McCrary,… Read more...
I often tell my songwriting students that I teach tools—not rules. There are no rules in songwriting. Similarly, there is no road map that points the way to guaranteed success. But there are three things I consistently see in those who achieve their songwriting goals. Let’s look at the “3 P’s”… Read more...
The end of a year—and the beginning of a new one—is a perfect time to reassess our goals and recommit to them. I hope that revisiting the excerpts that follow will help you all attain a successful 2022. Excerpt from “Bring Me Something New—What Song Publishers Really Mean” … Read more...
While a film or TV show’s casting director is tasked with finding the right actors for a given role, those of us who create and represent songs have the job of identifying the ideal artists for our songs. Whether you are a songwriter pitching your own material or a music publisher… Read more...
The curated lineup will feature 22 acts, including performances from HARDY, David Ramirez, Leyla Blue, and Zella Day Read more...
Once again, BMI songwriters took the vast majority of nods for this year’s CMA Awards. Leading the pack with five nominations is Eric Church, with many others also capturing multiple accolades, including Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Gabby Barrett, Thomas Rhett, Jay Joyce, Chris Young, Kane Brown, Kenny… Read more...
I was recently asked how the tools and techniques I teach today differ from those I have taught in the past. Have I noticed any recent changes in successful songs and in the processes of writing them? I looked back over the thirty years that I have been teaching songwriting, and… Read more...
Joy Oladokun is a delightfully eccentric first-generation Nigerian American singer, songwriter, and producer. Oladokun grew up in Casa Grande, Arizona in a primarily white town surrounded by images of white men with guitars, but when she caught a glimpse of Tracy Chapman performing to a full stadium with her guitar, she… Read more...
