SongHall SONGWRITTERS HALL OF FAME

BMI will continue its support of indie pop/rock musical bender Next BIG Nashville by sponsoring the 2008 installment of the anticipated festival September 10-14 in Music City. Slated for Saturday, September 13, BMI’s showcase at Mercy Lounge will feature dynamic siren Cary Ann Hearst, quixotic honky tonker Courtney Jaye, charismatic…

Julie Andrews recently joined the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to host a night of classic Rodgers & Hammerstein songs from The Sound of Music, The King & I, Cinderella and more. Following the intermission, Andrews became the storyteller for a newly created musical adaptation of her best-selling children’s book, Simeon’s Gift,…

BMI composers George Benson (guitarist), Jimmy Cobb (drummer), Lee Konitz (saxophonist) and Toots Thielemans (multi-instrumentalist) have been named recipients of the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. The honorees will each receive a $25,000 grant award and will be honored in an awards ceremony…

The Durango Songwriter’s Expo will be held for the first time in Colorado Springs at the stunning Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Oct. 2-4.  The Expo is one of the nation’s premier singer/songwriter events with workshops, listening sessions, panels, showcases, open mics, and unparalleled networking opportunities.  With registration limited to 200 attendees…

So far, ASCAP’s Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers has garnered
nearly nine thousand signatures in support of the message that the rights
of songwriters need to be remembered and defended. To add your name and
show support, go to http://www.ascap.com/rights/…

SESAC’s recently hosted their Songwriter’s Bootcamp, a no-cost symposium for artists and songwriters to be educated and enlightened with lectures and discussions by award-winning writers, producers and music supervisors. The event featured such high caliber speakers and panelists as songwriter/producer extraordinaire Greg Curtis (Yolanda Adams, Keyshia Cole), Music Supervisor Jerry…

SESAC has announced the signing of Carolina Rain’s lead singer/songwriter Rhean Boyer for representation.  Boyer, who is currently in the studio with bandmates Jeremy Baxter and Marvin Evatt working on a new Carolina Rain CD for Equity Music, recently stopped by the SESAC Nashville headquarters to celebrate the new affiliation.…

The ASCAP Foundation 2008 Lester Sill Songwriters Workshop is now accepting submissions. Geared toward advanced songwriters, the workshop will take place at ASCAP’s Los Angeles office beginning in October for a series of eight sessions.

Re-named in 1995 to honor ASCAP’s late Board member and industry pioneer Lester…

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is now accepting applications for its first year composer/lyricist class. The August 1, 2008 deadline is quickly approaching and applicants are asked to send in the requested materials as soon as possible. The Workshop begins September 15, 2008 and runs through June 2009.…

The 9th BMI Foundation Jerry Harrington Awards for Creative Excellence were given at a ceremony held on June 9 at the BMI New York offices. These awards, funded by BMI Assistant Vice President and BMI Foundation board member Evelyn Buckstein in honor of her colleague, the late Jerry Harrington, who…

Over 600 songwriters, recording artists and music industry leaders gathered at the 21st Annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards, held June 23 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, to salute the top songwriters and publishers behind the most popular music of 2007. Grammy Award-winning songwriter Johntá…

Famed lyricist Tim Rice nearly caused several heart attacks at the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner Thursday night in the Marriott Marquis ballroom.
Rice seemed to be telling the star-studded audience his heartfelt feelings about working with his longtime collaborator Andrew Lloyd Weber.
“Would you…

Written by Jim Allen
NEW YORK—Once a year, New York City hosts a grand celebration of the art of songwriting. Each time around, the Songwriters Hall of Fame—founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and currently chaired by Burt Bacharach’s famed writing partner, lyricist Hal David -- leaves…

The Songwriters Hall of Fame Abe Olman Scholarships for Excellence in Songwriting, were given out last night before an enthusiastic crowd at the Bitter End. The Scholarships were then celebrated by a showcase concert performed by the recipients, whose songs are also featured on the annual compilation CD; The Best…

The Abe Olman scholarship awards and Best of the Songwriters Hall of Fame New Writers Showcase and CD release will take place Monday, June 23 at the Bitter End. The Abe Olman scholarships, named after one of our esteemed founders, have been given out each year, one recipient each chosen…

Desmond Child, Albert Hammond, Loretta Lynn, Alan Menken and John Sebastian will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. We return for our highly anticipated 39th annual induction and awards dinner, scheduled for Thursday, June 19 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. 

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The Abe Olman scholarship awards and Best of the Songwriters Hall of Fame New Writers Showcase and CD release will take place Monday, June 23 at the Bitter End. The Abe Olman scholarships, named after one of our esteemed founders, have been given out each year, one recipient each chosen…

Songwriter/producer Nate “Danja” Hills took home top honors when he was named Songwriter of the Year at SESAC’s 12th annual New York Music Awards held May 8 at Manhattan’s gorgeous Chelsea Piers.  The award was in recognition of his astonishing array of hits in the last year including smashes by…

Channel your passion for all things musical, and at the same time, take advantage of the opportunity to make some long-held (or brand new) dreams come true. The SongHall, in conjunction with Charity Buzz, is bringing you one of the most significant and accessible online auctions in recent history. Iconic…

To address growing concerns around music copyright, ASCAP recently released a groundbreaking position paper “Music Copyright in the Digital Age,” which
outlines and explains the basic rights of music creators.  The position paper contains an ASCAP-created Bill of Rights for Songwriters and
Composers, which has collected…

BMI held its 56th Annual Pop Awards Tuesday, May 20, honoring Daryl Hall and John Oates as Icons. Songwriter and producer Polow Da Don earned the Songwriter of the Year crown, Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” garnered Song of the Year honors and Publisher of the Year went to EMI-Blackwood…

NATASHA BEDINGFIELD; JOAN JETT; JOHN LEGEND; NAKED BROTHERS; TOM PAXTON; TIM RICE; IRWIN ROBINSON; ROUGE; BLAKE SHELTON; YANKEE SPORTSCASTER JOHN STERLING, FORMER YANKEE AND MUSICIAN BERNIE WILLIAMS; LEE ANN WOMACK, IRVING BURGIE AND MADI DIAZ FIRST ARTISTS ANNOUNCED TO PRESENT OR PERFORM AT THE 2008 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME AWARDS…