SongHall SONGWRITTERS HALL OF FAME

Songmasters released its acclaimed album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly, to coincide with Holly’s 75th birthday and placement of his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  That same day, Songmasters held a star-studded concert - the ultimate Buddy party—premiering on PBS the week of December 3.  [Check local listings]…

Dr. David L.Sanjek passed away in New York on November 29, 2011 while passing through Customs at JFK International Airport on his way to a historic recordings preservation conference at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.  The cause was longstandingcardiovascular disease resulting in a fatal heart attack.

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The PROTECT IP Act (S. 968) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (HR 3261 or “STOP Act"), which are currently moving through the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, are designed to protect U.S. rights holders and consumers against commercial, largely foreign websites that steal U.S. intellectual property. Both…

Seven auspicious acts ranging from indie upstarts to progressive pop amalgamators hit the stage at Arlene’s Grocery for the 2011 BMI-presented, Lewitt-sponsored CMJ Music Marathon Festival showcase, held on October 20 in New York City. The 31st Annual CMJ Music Marathon Festival took over Greenwich Village from October 18-22, providing…

SESAC, the nation’s most progressive performing rights organization, has announced the appointment of Erin Collins to Vice President, Film, Television & Developing Media. Erin will work closely with the Los Angeles staff and SESAC’s film, television, and developing media writers and music publishers.  She will also assist SESAC in identifying…

Two ASCAP members, Chris Ballew and Garry Novikoff, will share the honor of receiving the 2011 ASCAP Foundation Joe Raposo Children’s Music Award.
Story here: http://ascap.com/playback/2011/10/Foundation/Joe_Raposo.aspx

There was a time when a visit or phone call from a representative of a performing right organization to a club, bar or restaurant owner was as welcome as a knock on the door by the Big Bad Wolf. But a partnership between the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association and BMI…

Into every life a little rain must fall. And a lot of rock must rule. Such was the case in Manhattan on Wednesday, October 19th as torrents of rain fell on the thousands of attendees in town for this year’s CMJ Music Festival. But that didn’t stop music lovers from…

BMI spiked the mix at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, held September 16-18. In the spirit of BMI’s diverse roster and of the festival itself, the BMI stage drew deep crowds with genre-jumping panache. Blues, folk-rock, indie rap and country took turns as singer/songwriters from Nashville, the U.K., the…

It was an intimate view of a master of the craft of songwriting at last night’s Songwriters Hall of Fame Master Session at NYU with guest Glenn Frey. Moderated seamlessly by NYU Songwriter-in-Residence Phil Galdston, the evening began with opening remarks by SHOF Chairman Jimmy Webb, who extolled Frey’s contributions…

Go here for more information: http://songhall.org/

The Songwriters Hall of Fame, in association with the Los Angeles Grammy Museum, presented a Songwriting Legends-in-the-Round event at the Museum’s Clive Davis Theater, where a stellar gathering of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees discussed their careers and performed their songs. The all-star lineup included: Jeff Barry (“Chapel Of Love,”…

More information here: http://songhall.org/news/entry/1247

SESAC Latina has signed heartthrob singer/songwriter/musician and film/stage/TV actor Jencarlos Canela and now represents the public performance rights of his compositions around the world. The affiliation with SESAC Latina comes just as he releases his new album, “Un Nuevo Día,” which features the first single “Mi Corazón Insiste” (My Heart…

New York, NY – October 14, 2011 – Jimmy Webb, Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced the slate of 2012 nominees for induction. The organization, which is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, holds…

BMI continued to celebrate and nurture the art of conducting at the organization’s annual six-day Conducting for the Film Composer workshop series, taught by BMI Classic Contribution Award winner, conductor and composer Lucas Richman. Each year, a select group of BMI composers are selected to participate in the workshop, where…

On Tuesday, September 20, ASCAP’s Rhythm & Soul Team hosted Music Publishing 101, all you need to know about music publishing, at Fordham Law in New York. The panel featured moderator Matthew Middleton, Esq., of Simon, Eisenberg & Baum, and fellow expert music business lawyers Todd Rubenstein, Esq., of Beinstock…

On September 16th, at the visually and sonically inspiring studio of ASCAP film composer Marco Beltrami, students from the USC Film Scoring Program were afforded a unique educational opportunity through The ASCAP Foundation’s Composer-in-Residence Program. This three-part workshop concluded with a scoring session at Beltrami’s Pianella Studio in Malibu, California.…

Jimmy Webb, Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF), and Robert Rowe, Director of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, Culture, and Human Development, jointly announced that legendary songwriter/artist and SHOF inductee Glenn Frey will be the guest at…

Jeff Barry, Charles Fox, Albert Hammond And Bill Withers To Be Featured Guests
Presented By The Songwriters Hall of Fame And The GRAMMY Museum
Thursday, October 20, 2011; 7:30 p.m

The Songwriters Hall of Fame, in association with the Los Angeles GRAMMY Museum, will…

Get the blog here: http://wecreatemusic.ascap.com/wecreatemusic/post/2011/08/26/Sun-Sets-on-Sunset-Junction-2011.aspx

Last week, the world lost one of the greatest songwriting collaborators of all time—Jerry Leiber.
A legendary and iconic BMI songwriter, Leiber was instrumental in shaping the sound and subject matter of rock & roll and early rhythm & blues.
Full story here: http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/552671…

SESAC was front and center at the annual Miller Harris Foundation Benefit show at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café.  The event, which raised funds for asthma education and awareness programs, featured an impressive line-up of songwriting talent including SESAC affiliates Rob Hatch, Lance Miller as well as other hit artists/songwriters such…

ASCAP member Nickolas Ashford, 70, husband and longtime songwriting and performing partner of ASCAP Board member Valerie Simpson, died on August 22, 2011 at a Manhattan hospital where he was being treated for throat cancer.
Full story here: http://ascap.com/playback/2011/08/action/nickolas-ashford.aspx

On August 18th, ASCAP’s Rhythm & Soul Team in New York hosted its newly-established luncheon series, “Break Bread.” The ASCAP members-only event, held at the ASCAP office, was created to spark networking in a relaxed, yet intimate atmosphere.
More here: http://ascap.com/playback/2011/08/action/Break-Bread.aspx

The SongHall is being spotlighted during this Sunday’s Muscular Dystrophy telethon (9/4/11), being broadcast nationally from 6:00 PM to midnight (EST) on New York’s WWOR, Channel 9. Check your local listings for details in your area.
Our segment which will include an introduction by inductee/Johnny Mercer Award recipient…

To all SESAC writers, bands, musicians: 
NYC Rising is a musician scholarship program in partnership with marketing company The Musebox, music-marketing platform ReverbNation, and clothing retailer Brooklyn Industries. NYC Rising will give Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT) musicians the chance to win a scholarship that will offer 5…

Liz Rose offers a simple philosophy for her newly founded publishing company in Nashville: “To encourage a songwriter, but not change a songwriter.”
Full story here: http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/552019

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was exceptionally saddened to learn of the passing of two of our esteemed inductees.

“Yesterday we lost two of our brothers, Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford, two of the gentlest, brightest and most talented souls that it has been our pleasure to know…

Timothy Mosley – Timbaland to you and me—was born in 1972. His dad worked for Amtrak and his mom for a homeless shelter. They raised him in Norfolk, home to the world’s largest naval base, and he later built a mas­sive recording studio nearby, in a Virginia Beach industrial park.…

Autobiography plays a huge role in hip-hop music. MCs rap about their abilities, their street cred and their rags-to-riches stories. They name-drop friends. They stoke feuds with enemies. They take their share of liberties with the literal truth. But they remain, without question, the central characters in the dramas.

This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: Hal David, lyricist.

Hal David’s name should be a lyric.

This prolific American lyricist who turned 90 on May 25, 2011, is Chairman Emeritus of the Songwriters Hall of Fame (having formerly been its hairman/CEO), and was…

SESAC, the nation’s most progressive performing rights organization announces the promotion of James Leach to Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relation, West Coast Operations. Formerly Associate Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations & New Technologies, Leach has been with SESAC for ten years and will now be responsible for SESAC’s Los Angeles office operations. …

Collection features modern takes on Holly’s classic hits performed by Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, The Fray, Imelda May, Zooey Deschanel, Jackson Browne, Natalie Merchant, Jeff Lynne, Brian Wilson, and more.

(New York, NY) Songmasters announces the upcoming release of Listen To Me: Buddy Holly, an extraordinary new collection…

For all the talk of crumbling record sales, it is refreshing to hear that the impact of digital music sales looks to be making up for some of the decline in album sales. Mid-year sales are up 8.7% to 817.7 million units. Though ASCAP isn’t directly involved in royalties deriving…

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, a noted creative forum for musical exploration and development, highlighted the best new jazz compositions created during the last year at its 23rd Anniversary Summer Showcase Concert on July 1 at Christ & St. Stephen’s Church. The concert featured the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a…

July 21 event in San Diego to feature Dan Licht, Jeremy Zuckerman, Benjamin Wynn, Noah Sorota, Sara Colleton, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino and Mark Verheiden
BMI and White Bear PR are proud to announce “The Character of Music” panel at Comic-Con International, the world’s largest pop culture…

SESAC Summer Sessions kicked off in great style recently when new artist D. Woods performed a electrifying set at the showcase held at LA’s Sofitel.  Co-hosted by SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year Rico Love, this particular SESAC Summer Sessions was highlighting the BET Music Awards 2011 as well as Black…

There are no words to adequately capture the tragedy that befell Joplin, MO when a class F5 tornado struck the city on May 22nd. And yet, devastating as it was, the tornado couldn’t destroy Joplin’s spirit. We’ve all read news stories about the simple acts of kindness and humanity in…

On Wednesday, June 8th, a group of prominent African-American music directors gathered at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles for Shaping The Sound of Television: The Black Music Directors. ASCAP members Michael Bearden, Greg Phillinganes, Harold Wheeler, Big Jim Wright and Patrice Rushen were among the panelists. They…

As reported by billboardbiz.com (click here to link to full story):

NEW YORK—The annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony always makes for a remarkable evening. It’s an unusual combination of low-key attitude and high-wattage starpower; at its core, the event is a trade-awards…

SongHall’s 2011 Annual Awards Gala is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 16th at the New York Marriott Marquis. Save the date and read all of the news about our exciting slate of Inductees and Awardees!

It was an evening of exceptional moments last night, when a crowd of music enthusiasts and supporters gathered at the Frederick Loewe Theater at the NYU Steinhardt School for the inaugural Master Session with Jimmy Webb, followed by the SHOF annual scholarship presentations and showcase. After welcoming remarks by Robert…