October 3, 2006
BMI London: Bio
Download this document in Word format.BMI is an American performing right organization that represents approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the U.S. representing all genres of music. The company collects license fees on behalf of both American creators as well as thousands of creators from around the world who have chosen BMI for U.S. representation. The fees for the public performances of its repertoire in the U.S. – more than 6.5 million compositions – include radio airplay, broadcast and cable television carriage, Internet, and live and recorded performances by all other users of music. These fees are then distributed as royalties to the writers and copyright holders it represents.
BMI’s list of songwriters and composers is unsurpassed and includes such international stars as The Kinks (PRS), James Blunt (PRS), Gorillaz (PRS), The Beatles (PRS), Oasis (PRS), Manu Chao (SGAE), Sting (PRS), Sir Elton John (PRS), Roxette (STIM), Keane (PRS), Shania Twain (PRS), John Lennon (PRS), Seal (PRS), Eric Clapton (PRS), Roger Waters (PRS), Natasha Bedingfield (PRS) and Depeche Mode (PRS), to name a few. BMI also represents film and TV composers Rachel Portman (PRS), David Arnold (PRS), Michael Kamen, Rolfe Kent (PRS), Harry Gregson-Williams (PRS), Clint Mansell (PRS), Martin Tillmann (SUISA) and Henning Lohner (GEMA). Each is a member of their national copyright society and BMI is proud to represent their works in the United States.
BMI also represents countless U.S. songwriters, composers and artists from other musical genres, including Kanye West, Willie Nelson, John Williams, Maroon 5, The Neptunes, Toby Keith, Chuck Berry, The White Stripes, Mariah Carey, Miles Davis, Dolly Parton, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Black Eyed Peas, Tim McGraw, Pink, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Mike Post, Ne-Yo, Dave Brubeck, Paul Simon, Death Cab For Cutie, Little Richard, Eminem, Thomas Newman, Korn and The Beach Boys.
Founded in l939 as a non-profit-making organization, BMI opened the door to performing rights representation for songwriters and composers of all types of music, many of whom were not eligible under the membership guidelines of the older American PROs. BMI offered first-time representation to songwriters of blues, jazz, r&b, gospel, folk, country and Spanish-language music, and as several of these musical trends converged to produce a new music called “rock & roll,” BMI became the preeminent performing right organization for songwriters of this new genre. The company quickly made reciprocal agreements with sister societies around the world.
The success of BMI’s songwriters and composers is unequaled, as evidenced by their dominance of the industry’s most prestigious awards and honors over the years, representing 52% of the Grammy Awards, 66% of the Country Music Association Awards, 68% of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, 86% of the R&B Foundation’s Pioneer Awards and 95% of the Blues Music Awards.
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