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This month the music industry is flocking to New York. Though it has always been one of the industry’s biggest capitals, the New York City mayor’s office of media and entertainment has coined June New York Music Month, complete with its own hashtag (#NYMusicMonth), in celebration for its history of musical excellence. Longtime events like Songwriters Hall of Fame, which will honor talents like Snoop Dogg and Liz Rose, will continue this year as always, but the city has also added more events like Anti Social Camp, a 100-session songwriting camp designed to “reinvigorate” the New York scene, to draw in more musicians and music executives than ever.
No week this June is more bustling than June 12-16, which, depending on who you ask, goes by a variety of nicknames. Dubbed “Publishers’ Week,” “Songwriters’ Week,” or “Indie Week,” the week will be a particular high point of celebration and schmoozing in the city that never sleeps.
See below for a list of events around the city:
United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Music Visionary of the Year Celebration (June 7)
This annual luncheon, held in Ziegfeld Ballroom, is one of the first events to kick off a packed musical month for New York City. A fundraiser for UJA’s efforts — supporting Holocaust survivors, combating poverty and providing care for those with mental and physical health needs — its Music Visionary of the Year luncheon is a celebration of the music business and some of its most astute leaders. This year’s event will be emceed by Grammy-winning artist Jon Batiste and will honor Amazon’s vice president of audio, Twitch and games, Steve Boom.
NYMM Conference (June 7)
Presented by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the NYU Steinhardt Music Business Program, this year’s annual NYMM Conference (at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum) will feature speed talks, panels and other chats with more than 40 of New York’s music industry experts. Panels throughout the day are set to include a Web3-focused chat with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, a panel celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, and a state-of-the-industry panel featuring A2IM’s Richard James Burges and the RIAA’s Mitch Glazier, among others.
She Is The Music Camp (June 9-11)
She Is The Music, one of the music industry’s leading gender inclusivity efforts, is hosting a songwriting camp in New York City to connect and empower young women and non-binary songwriters and producers and create a safe space for them to connect. Curated by Archana Gopal and Cassidy Murphy and sponsored by Guayaki Yerba Mate, the camp will take place at Kensaltown East Studios all weekend long. Some of the participants include Hayes Warner, Sam Short, Simone, Olivia Reid, and more.
Anti Social Camp (June 12-17)
Founded during the height of the pandemic, Anti Social Camp goes far beyond that of a traditional songwriting camp. Featuring 100 sessions, 150 partnered artists, and a slew of major brands and music businesses already signed on, Anti Social Camp is a week-long songwriting extravaganza stretching out over the entire city. Most of the events are private to the songwriters and artists already participating, but its opening ceremony and industry showcase, both on June 12, are available for the public to enjoy.
American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) Indie Week (June 13-15)
A2IM Indie Week is back again this year with a three days of programming, featuring panels held some of the most dominate independent businesses in music and a number of networking opportunities. Held at the InterContinental in Times Square, panel topics include the best methods for artist royalty collection, the changing state of A&R, the rise of regional Mexican music, and more. The conference kicks off on June 12 with an opening night party, presented by ADA.
Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Global Summit (June 13)
Since 2017, the Association of Independent Music Publishers gathers in New York for a day-long event, specially designed to act as a touch-base for the indie publishing sector in particular. This year, the well-attended event, which is held at the 3 West Club, will feature panels and keynote addresses from some of the industry’s aforemost leaders.
TJ Martell Honors Gala (June 13)
The TJ Martell New York Honors Gala brings the music industry together in its fight to find treatment and a cure for cancer. The foundation was established in 1975 by music industry executive, Tony Martell, as a promise to his son T.J., who later lost his battle with leukemia, that he would raise $1 million for child’s cancer research. Since then, the foundation has raised over $250 million. This year’s event will honor Warner Records’ Tom Corson, Def Jam’s Archie Davis, and Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Shane McAnally, and feature Omar Apollo, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Groban and more.
National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) Annual Meeting (June 14)
Known as a critical touch-base for the music publishing industry and as a stage for major announcements from the NMPA’s CEO and President, David Israelite, the NMPA Annual Meeting attracts publishing executives from around the world. In the past, the event has been the stage for the trade organization to announce major legal actions, including the NMPA’s copyright infringement suit against Roblox, announced in 2021. The event also honors top songwriters, with this year’s key awards going to Brandi Carlile and Ashley Gorley. Warner Music Group CEO, Robert Kyncl, will also stop by for a keynote conversation.
Libera Awards (June 15)
The Libera Awards are held each year at the end of A2IM’s Indie Week, designed to honor the achievements of independent musicians. This year, Wet Leg leads the tally with six nominations followed by Sudan Archives, Allison Russell, Fontaines D.C., and Soul Glo with three each. This year’s award show will take place at the historic Town Hall in New York.
Songwriters’ Hall of Fame (June 15)
A star studded event honoring music’s greatest songwriters of all time, the Songwriters Hall of Fame is a can’t-miss event. Now in its 52nd year, the awards dinner will induct Glen Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley and Liz Rose into the Hall of Fame. Tim Rice will receive the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor. The event will also honor Post Malone with its Hal David Starlight Award, an honor created for younger songwriters who have impacted the industry already.
Kevyn Cruz was 12 years old when he started writing songs. “My mom gave me my first guitar, and with the first three notes, I learned how to compose,” he recalls. “Little by little, I perfected that art.” Now 26, the Colombian songwriter, known as Keityn, is behind some of the most recent Latin hits by Shakira, Karol G, J Balvin, Maluma and Manuel Turizo, among others.
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His women’s empowerment anthems in particular have taken off, with Karol G and Nicki Minaj’s 2019 hit “Tusa” earning him his first No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and the fiery “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” by Bizarrap and Shakira spending five weeks at No. 1 on the same chart in 2023. “It’s what the moment allows me to create,” he says. “I don’t plan things or set expectations. I just let things flow.”
This year, Keityn was named songwriter of the year at the ASCAP Latin Music Awards, a recognition he describes as “something difficult to assimilate, but very happy and motivated with my feet on the ground to continue doing it.”
“Tusa,” Karol G & Nicki Minaj
Keityn did not plan on creating music the day this collaboration was born; in fact, he visited Karol G’s producer, Ovy on the Drums, to play video games and order chicken wings. Yet the hit-maker could not get a violin melody out of his head and asked Keityn to help him write lyrics. “I swear, in less than half an hour, we had ‘Tusa,’ from the pre-chorus to the chorus,” Keityn says. “It flowed too well. The muse was in the house that day. The song was kept in the studio for more than a year, but we knew it was a big hit.” Upon release, it made history as the first title by two women in a lead role to debut atop Hot Latin Songs since the chart’s inception in 1986.
“SHAKIRA: BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Bizarrap & Shakira
Following his work with Shakira on “Te Felicito” and “Monotonía,” Keityn was invited to her former house in Barcelona to co-write this empowered dance-pop track, on which she cleverly disses her ex and throws a jab at his new girlfriend. Shakira had first teamed with superproducer Bizarrap, known for his ever-present cap and glasses and intimate studio sessions on YouTube. “The process of this song was a little more complex because Shakira is a woman who likes to give her full attention to each part of the song,” says Keityn. “It took many days changing and removing parts of the lyrics.” The personal, hard-hitting track debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Shakira’s highest placement since “Beautiful Liar” with Beyoncé hit No. 3 in 2007.
“TQG,” Karol G & Shakira
Karol G and Shakira’s sultry “TQG” was a part of Karol’s historic album, Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a woman on the Billboard 200. Written in Los Angeles in January 2022, Keityn recalls, “Karol invited me because she was doing something in L.A., and she asked me if I wanted to hang out and make music with her and Ovy on the Drums for a couple of days.” He admits he had the intro of the song in his head for days before connecting with Karol, but that it didn’t really flow until he hit the studio with Ovy. Following its February release, “TQG” reached No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, where it remained for five weeks.
This story originally appeared in the June 3, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Cynthia Weil, the prolific lyricist who wrote dozens of indelible pop hits with husband Barry Mann over a six-decade career has died at 82. According to the Associated Press, Weil’s death of undisclosed causes was confirmed on Friday (June 2) by Interdependence Public Relations, which represents Mann’s daughter, Dr. Jenn Mann.
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Weil and Mann were one of the most formidable songwriting teams to set up residence in Manhattan’s famed Brill Building in the 1960s, which was also home to fellow pop songwriting powerhouses including Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Weil’s tear-stained ballads about young love, undying devotion and social struggles include such classics as the Crystals’ “Uptown,” the Drifters’ “On Broadway,” The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and the Animals’ anti-war anthem “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”
Longtime friend King paid homage to Weil in a statement that featured an image of her with Mann, Weil and her then-husband Goffin at a BMI dinner in 1962, writing, “We lost the beautiful, brilliant lyricist Cynthia Weil Mann… The four of us were close, caring friends despite our fierce competition to write the next hit for an artist with a #1 song. Sometimes we wrote in different combinations, e.g., Mann and Goffin ‘Who Put The Bomp?’ and King and Weil ‘One To One.’ Cynthia’s high professional standard made us all better songwriters. My favorite Cynthia lyric is, “Just a little lovin’ early in the mornin’ beats a cup of coffee for startin’ out the day.” If we’re lucky, we know this is true, but she wrote it — and then she rhymed “mornin’” with “yawnin’” in the next verse. May the legacy of lyrics by Cynthia Weil continue to speak to and for generations to come. Rest in peace with love and gratitude.”
Weil was born on Oct. 18, 1940 in New York City and studied ballet and piano as a child, but after graduating from Sarah Lawrence University with a theater major she scored a job working for composer Frank Loesser at 20 and soon met Mann, whom she married in 1961. After scoring their first hit that year with Tony Orlando’s “Bless You,” the pair became regular collaborators with “Wall of Sound” producer Phil Spector, with whom they worked on the Ronettes’ “Walking in the Rain” and the Crystals’ “He’s Sure the Boy I Love.”
They landed their most enduring chart-topper in 1965 with the blue-eyed soul smash “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” a No. 1 hit produced by Spector that has been covered dozens of times and became the most-played song on radio and TV in the 20th century according to BMI.
The width and breadth of their songwriting ranged from lounge singers Eydie Gorme (“Blame it on the Bossa Nova”) and her duet partner Steve Lawrence (“Don’t Be Afraid, Little Darlin’”), to pop group Jay and the Americans (“Only in America,” a collaboration with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller), rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders (the anti-drug tune “Kicks”), singing TV group The Partridge Family (“I Really Want to Know You” and “I’m on the Road”) and British siren Dusty Springfield (“Just a Little Lovin’” from her iconic 1969 Dusty in Memphis album).
The 1970s brought collabs with rockers Blood Sweat & Tears (“So Long Dixie”), country singer B.J. Thomas (“Here You Come Again”) and the Grass Roots (“Mamacita”), as their hot streak continued into the 1980s with Bill Medley’s “Don’t Know Much,” which was a No. 2 hit for Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989, winning a Grammy in 1990 for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal. They did it again in 1981 with the Quincy Jones/James Ingram ballad “Just Once,” which hit No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a best male pop vocal performance Grammy in 1982.
Weil and Mann also wrote hits for Dionne Warwick (“Never Gonna Let You Go”), Bette Midler (“All I Need to Know”), Jeffrey Osborne (“We’re Going All the Way”), the Pointer Sisters (“Baby Come and Get It”) and Ronstadt and James Ingram (“Somewhere Out There”), a No. 2 hit they collaborated on with James Horner for the animated movie An American Tail that won Grammys in 1988 for song of the year and best song written specifically for a motion picture or television.
She also scored hits on her own or with other writers for the Pointers (“He’s So Shy”), Barry Manilow (“Somewhere Down the Road”), Lionel Richie (“Running with the Night,” “Love Will Conquer All”), Peabo Bryson (“If Ever You’re in My Arms Again”), Chaka Khan (“Through the Fire”), Sheena Easton (“So Far So Good”) and Martina McBride (“Wrong Again”).
Weil was the first woman recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award at the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction (which she shared with Mann), and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and landed the first-ever National Academy of Songwriters Life Achievement Award (both with Mann), as well as the Songwriting Hall of Fame’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award in 2011. She is survived by Mann, 84, and their daughter, Jenn.
Facet Records will now grant songwriters three percentage points (colloquially referred to as “points”) on every recording they release from the label’s share of the track, founder Justin Tranter tells Billboard. A songwriter with credits on hits like Imagine Dragons’ “Believer” and Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” among others, Tranter hopes to start a trend of labels sharing master income with songwriters and to bolster “the middle class of songwriters” that they feel has “been decimated” in recent years.
Home to emerging talent like Jake Wesley Rogers, Shawn Wasabi, Shea Diamond and YDE, with today’s announcement Facet Records is “the first company in the world to make this a standard practice,” says the company founder. While already revered hitmakers, such as Tranter, can occasionally negotiate for a half or single point on the master recording, working class songwriters typically never see revenue or ownership on the master side, “unless they also produced the song,” says Tranter.
The independent label’s team opted to offer three points specifically because it will align songwriters with the industry standard already granted to producers on the recorded music side. Historically, producers earn anywhere between one to five points on a master, given their role in the recording process. The three points will never be taken out of the artists’ share of the song at Facet Records and will be shared equally with all the songwriters on a track that are not also an artist or producer.
“I figured instead of complaining and begging for change, I could fight the good fight myself first and at least do what I can to control the situation,” says Tranter. “Songwriters are the backbone of the business, the embryo, but only a few writers are living a life like mine, most everyone is left to starve.”
Earning a livable wage as a working songwriter has become harder in recent years due to a convergence of factors. In general, the publishing side of music produces less royalties than the master recording side does, but now, during the streaming era, songwriters face additional challenges. In a time of physical media like CDs, cassettes and vinyl, songwriters across all of the album’s tracks would get paid evenly for sales of full albums, meaning that even if the songwriter wrote on a less popular track, they could still see decent income, even if their song did not make it to the radio, where many songwriters say is where the real money is. The emergence of single downloads, and now streaming, has created an increasing disparity between the income generated by radio singles and a regular album track.
While artists can bolster their income by looking to brand partnerships, touring and other revenue sources, songwriters are left to pay their bills with streaming, radio and sales alone. While the Copyright Royalty Board proceedings have led to some increases in U.S. streaming rates for songwriters in recent years, many feel it is not enough.
In 2021, Tranter — along with other hitmakers like Emily Warren, Ross Golan, Tayla Parx, Victoria Monét, Savan Kotecha and Joel Little — created an advocacy group called The Pact to voice some of the issues facing the modern songwriter. Among their grievances, The Pact noted that artists who do not contribute to writing the song now expect “particularly aggressive” cuts of the publishing, something most songwriters do not have the leverage to refuse.
There are also other, more universal difficulties songwriters today have to account for, including inflation and cost of living increases, the latter of which has particularly hurt Nashville songwriters.
When asked if Facet would adjust another area of its business to account for losing the three points of income, Tranter says though they expect the change to be an “accounting headache” they add, “if I’m lucky enough to have a hit song where we own or co-own the master, that’s going to be great. I don’t need to make this up. In my opinion, labels are being greedy, they’re just being f-cking greedy.”
Tranter hopes that by opting to announce the new standard publicly that “it will inspire other labels to follow.” “We especially need the major labels to join this if we want it to be a real thing, but if it inspires other smaller labels, who can make this change quickly and overnight like I did, and it gets majors to at least have the conversation, then that’s a step forward.”
The Copyright Royalty Board issued a landmark determination Tuesday (May 23) for Phonorecords III, maintaining an up to 44% raise for U.S. songwriters and publishers’ headline rate for mechanicals by the end of the period of 2018 to 2022.
The ruling increases those royalties each year during the five-year period — from 11.4% to 15.1% of service revenue by 2022 — but also affirmed key requests from streaming services during their lengthy appeal, limiting royalties based on total content cost (TCC) and reinstating a rate ceiling step in the formula. While the document is restricted from public viewing, an appendix to that determination containing the regulations at the heart of the restricted document was released to the public Wednesday (May 24).
To calculate how much is owed to songwriters and publishers, streaming services use a complex, multi-pronged formula dependent on numerous considerations. Many of these elements were revealed prior to the release of this week’s documents, so while it is noteworthy that the board is now in the last stages of finalizing the rules for Phono III after an appeal by digital services in 2019 was remanded back to the CRB, this determination cements what was previously reported. It has been described in the past as a “mixed decision” by insiders, with some stipulations favoring the interests of the music business while others favor streaming services.
Proceedings to decide how to pay songwriters and publishers for U.S. mechanicals during 2018-2022 began over five years ago. In 2018, a CRB determination set the headline rate moving upwards from 10.5% of a streamer’s revenue in 2018 to 15.1% in 2022 and increased the subscriber count calculations for discounted family and student plans to 1.5 times and 0.5 times respectively.
The 2018 determination also removed the publishing rate ceiling mechanism that prevents the publishers from automatically benefiting with higher payments when their label counterparts are able to negotiate higher rates for their master recordings. This was one of many qualms streamers had with this determination, given that many details were especially favorable to the music business. Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon noted then that they felt the board “acted arbitrarily and capriciously by simultaneously combining a TCC prong with an increase in the percentages of revenue prong, [or ‘headline rate’].”
Because some of the digital services hoped to regain some of the more streamer-friendly stipulations from the previous period — Phono II — Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon launched an appeal that was successful and resulted in a “remand” process that dragged on until now — after the 2018-2022 period was over. Apple, notably, did not participate in the appeal.
The new Phono III determination upholds the previous headline rate of up to 15.1% of streamer’s revenue by 2022, increasing each year by a full percentage point or by 0.9 of a percentage point, similar to how it was determined in 2018. This detail was revealed by the board in July 2022, as Billboard reported at the time. It also upholds the subscriber count calculations of 1.5 times for discounted family and 0.5 times for student plans, as proposed in 2019.
The appeal did, however, result in a few key wins for streaming services. It also reinstalled a rate cap of 80 cents per subscriber. Namely, the appeal lowered the total content cost calculations — which limits songwriter and publisher payouts to a percentage of what is paid to labels — from what the board determined in 2018.
While the music business was hoping for a TCC rate of 26.2%, the streaming services requested and received a range of different rates depending on the offerings, from the lesser of 20.65% of TCC up to 22% of TCC.
The U.S. mechanical royalty owed to music publishers and songwriters is calculated based on choosing between either the royalties calculated using the headline rate; or the lesser of either the percentage of TCC or 80 cents per subscriber. Whichever of the two pools is greater is selected as what’s known as the “all-in pool.” Afterward, the performance royalties are subtracted from the all-in pool, leaving just the mechanicals behind. The mechanicals are then measured against a per-subscriber pool, and whichever is bigger becomes the final mechanical royalty pool paid out to publishers and songwriters.
The most important TCC percentage rate for Phono III, the rate for standalone portable subscriptions, is 21% of TCC against 80 cents per subscriber.
Since the all-in royalty rates for this prong of the formula are determined based on the greater of the two options — either the headline rate or the lesser of the TCC pool or an 80 cents per subscriber calculation — it is feasible that the TCC rate will not be employed in certain future situations.
In the past, this prong of the formula has helped publishers get a percentage above the headline rate. For example, in 2021, when most services had reverted to the 2013-2017 term headline rate of 10.5%, the multi-pronged formula helped yield an all-in 13.4% of service revenue for publishing royalties.
Participants in the remand included the National Music Publishers’ Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, songwriter George Johnson — who personally fought back against the streaming services on behalf of the independent songwriter in self-filed court documents — Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon.
Next, there is a 15-day window for rehearing motions. Then the Copyright Office will conduct a legal review for error, which could take up to 60 days. After that, the determination will be fully published, giving streaming services and the music business six months to go review and adjust past payments made for U.S. mechanicals to the new rates for 2018-2022 — a process that will likely be a financial boost for the music business.
Still, after this determination is published, the parties will have the opportunity to file a notice of appeal for 30 days.
“We are pleased the court finally has confirmed the result of Phono 3, a case which was decided in 2018. This initial remand decision upholds the 15.1% headline rate increase we fought for, however the length of time we have waited for this decision proves the Copyright Royalty Board system is woefully flawed. Now songwriters have some certainty about their rates, and we will ensure they receive the hundreds of millions of dollars that digital streaming companies owe them during this adjustment period,” said David Israelite, president/CEO of the NMPA.
“The testimonies of the three songwriter witnesses in this trial were powerful, convincing and illustrated the difficulty of songwriters earning a living in the streaming era — as well as the importance and value of the composition in the commercial music process,” said Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
“Steve Bogard, Liz Rose and Lee Miller, all NSAI board members, were moving and informative and played a huge role in the historic increase,” Herbison added. “The process is long and difficult requiring time and preparation. We are thankful to these songwriters and to the NMPA.”
The Songwriters Hall of Fame hosted a preview of a new exhibit devoted to songwriters at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Wednesday April 26. At least nine SHOF inductees were present, including Charles Fox, Steve Dorff, Jimmy Jam, Holly Knight, Billy Steinberg, Rick Nowels, Mike Stoller, Jimmy Webb and Diane Warren.
The exhibit, which occupies an entire floor of the Grammy Museum, has a treasure trove of artifacts and memorabilia on display. Linda Moran, president and CEO of the SHOF, personally twisted arms to get songwriters, or their families, to loan out prized items.
One display case focuses on recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award, which goes to current writers at the peak of their game, who have not yet been inducted into the SHOF (but in many cases, probably will be). This brought in memorabilia by such younger writers as John Legend, Taylor Swift, Benny Blanco, Ne-Yo and Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons).
A mural on a side wall captured historical music moments from 1828 to the present. The oldest entries included Stephen Foster writing “Oh! Susanna” (1847), Thomas Edison inventing the phonograph (1877), the first issue of Billboard (1894) and Scott Joplin publishing “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899). The newest entries included the launch of YouTube (2005), the debut of the iPhone (2007), Jay-Z becoming the first hip-hop artist in the SHOF (2017) and the spate of catalog sales by such top songwriters as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen (the 2020s).
Here are eight items showcased in the exhibit that especially caught our eye.
Jimmy Webb’s Rhyming Dictionary
Image Credit: Jack Robinson/GI
Jimmy Webb, the prodigy who wrote such ’60s classics as “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Up, Up and Away,” “MacArthur Park,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston” (all before turning 23) loaned his copy of The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, revised and edited by Clement Wood. Webb’s exhibit case also included his handwritten lyrics for “Wichita Lineman,” which includes one of the best lyrics ever written, “And I need you more than want you/ And I want you for all time.” If a rhyming dictionary can help you write like that, every songwriter should have one.
Irving Berlin’s “trick” piano
The exhibit’s most prized artifact — one so special it had not one, but two, velvet rope barriers around it to keep fans at a distance — was Irving Berlin’s console-spinet piano and piano bench (made by Sohmer & Co, New York). It’s a beaut, in gorgeous maple wood and in pristine condition. Berlin gifted it to his friend, actor Sidney Miller in 1957.
A card in the exhibit explains that “Berlin was a self-taught pianist who didn’t read music. He owned what he called his trick piano, a rarity featuring a mechanism that allowed him to shift into different keys.”
One of Berlin’s most famous hits was “I Love a Piano” (1916). Many of the attendees loved this piano.
Lyrics written by Taylor Swift on paper that reflected her changing circumstances
The exhibit included Taylor Swift’s handwritten lyrics to her first hit, 2006’s “Tim McGraw” — written, appropriately, on a sheet of lined notebook paper. Swift and Liz Rose penned the song during her freshman year at Hendersonville High School. She conceived the idea for the song during a math class, so notebook paper was at the ready.
The exhibit also included her handwritten lyrics to “Run (Taylor’s Version),” which she co-wrote with Aaron Dessner and which appeared on her 2021 album Red (Taylor’s Version). This time the lyrics were written on six pages of a note pad from The Ritz Carlton. You wouldn’t expect one of the most successful artists of all time to stay at a Motel 6, would you?
A letter from Irving Berlin to Johnny Mercer
The Mercer display included a typed letter that Irving Berlin sent to him on June 1, 1971. Berlin wrote that he was enclosing a copy of a menu for a songwriters’ dinner before World War I. “Those were the days before the Oscar, the Emmy, the Grammy, the Toni [sic] and the Halls of Fame. The only award the songwriter of a hit song could get was a royalty statement – with check – and the praise or envy of his fellow songwriters. Sometimes the envy was valued more than the praise. With my best to you, As always, Irving.”
Mercer was a four-time Oscar winner for best original song — but even for someone like him, a letter from Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived, was a keeper.
A telegram from Pat Benatar to Holly Knight
Back in the dim and distant past — before texts, before email — if you really wanted to communicate quickly with someone, you sent a Western Union telegram. On the night of Feb. 28, 1984, upon winning a Grammy for best rock performance, female for her early MTV-era classic “Love Is a Battlefield,” Pat Benatar sent a telegram to Holly Knight (who co-wrote the song with Mike Chapman), with this nice message: “Congratulations and thank you for such a beautiful song to work with.”
Benatar was right, of course — artists always need great songs. But Benatar had a little something to do with it, too: That was the fourth consecutive year that she won in that category.
A cassette demo of the 1986 Cyndi Lauper smash “True Colors”
Billy Steinberg was represented by a cassette demo for “True Colors,” which he co-wrote with Tom Kelly and recorded on a TDK SA 60 cassette. The exhibit also includes the sheet music for the song, which became Lauper’s second No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. (The price listed on the front of the sheet music: “$2.95 in the USA” – prices have gone up in the past 37 years.) And it includes a nice note from Lauper to Steinberg: “Billy—Thanks for sending me and writing such a beautiful song. (heart) Cyndi.”
Another exhibit included typed lyrics with handwritten tweaks to “Like a Virgin” – another song written by Steinberg and Kelly. The lyrics were dated September 1983, a full year before Madonna performed the song on the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards and became the talk of the music world overnight.
Allee Willis’ unique percussion instruments
Willis, who co-wrote such hits as Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There for You” (which will forever be known as the theme song from Friends), was represented by unique percussion instruments that she used on her demos. They included a battered, empty soda pop can (Vernon’s ginger ale) on a stick and an old-fashioned washboard.
The washboard was used for the demo that Willis, Brenda Russell and Stephen Bray made for the theatrical adaptation of The Color Purple, which was workshopped in Atlanta in the summer of 2004 before opening on Broadway the following year.
Sammy Cahn’s “traveling typewriter”
Cahn — who, like Mercer, won four Oscars for best original song — was represented by his “traveling typewriter,” in a vintage metallic suitcase. (The set designer for Mad Men would have killed for it.) Cahn included a note saying the SHOF would probably receive many typewriters for a future exhibit (this exhibit had been in the works for years). Now, of course, few songwriters write on typewriters. A future SHOF exhibit will presumably include a lot of iPhones.
The Association for Independent Music Publishers celebrated the 2023 AIMP Nashville Country Awards on Wednesday at Music City’s Ryman Auditorium. Songwriting luminaries Bob DiPiero and Craig Wiseman hosted the Spotify-sponsored event, which honored Nashville’s independent songwriters and music publishers.
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“It is great to gather the independent publishing community once again at the Ryman,” Ree Guyer, President, AIMP Nashville Chapter, said via a statement. “We are fortunate to feel the love and support for one another in the room.”
The coveted song of the year honor went to Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” written by Stapleton, Ashley Gorley and Chris DuBois. Round Hill Music was named publisher of the year, while Michael Hardy (HARDY) was a double winner, picking up artist-writer of the year and songwriter of the year.
Meanwhile, the rising songwriter of the year honor went to SMACKSongs’ Ryan Beaver and the rising artist-writer of the year honor went to Big Loud Publishing’s ERNEST.
The most-streamed song of the year honor went to “Wasted on You” (writers: Morgan Wallen, Ernest Keith Smith, Josh Thompson, Charlie Handsome), while the 2023 publisher pick of the year was a tie between “Don’t Think Jesus” (writers: Mark Holman, Jessi Alexander, Chase McGill) and “Reverse Cowgirl” (writers: Jared Scott, Joe Fox, Zak Dyer).
Warner Music Nashville co-chair/co-president Cris Lacy was honored with the 2023 song champion award, while Jody Williams, of Jody Williams’ Songs, was honored with the 2023 AIMP independent spirit award, which recognizes his significant contributions to the independent publishing and songwriting community.
“Nashville’s independent publishers are usually the first to take a chance on fresh, groundbreaking talent,” Williams said via a statement. “I’m proud to be a part of this effort and thrilled to be honored by my AIMP peers.”
This year’s performers included Jon Pardi, Tenille Arts, Corey Kent, Pillbox Patti, Meg McRee, Ashley Cooke, Jackson Dean, HARDY, Ruston Kelly, Jordan Davis, and ERNEST.
“Country music is known for its storytelling, and that storytelling starts with you, our songwriters,” CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said in welcoming guests to the 13th annual CMA Triple Play Awards, held Wednesday (March 1). “You all have the gift of taking the experience, the story, and connecting it to people in a compelling, beautiful way.”
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The CMA Triple Play Awards honor songwriters who have managed the feat of scoring three No. 1 country songs within the span of 12 months, based on the Billboard Country Airplay, Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Aircheck charts.
This year’s ceremony honored 16 CMA Triple Play recipients: Rhett Akins, Kurt Allison, Luke Combs, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Ashley Gorley (x2), Charlie Handsome, HARDY, Ben Johnson, Tully Kennedy, Shane McAnally, Chase McGill, Thomas Rhett, ERNEST, Josh Thompson and Morgan Wallen.
First-time CMA Triple Play Award honorees were Allison, Handsome, Johnson and Kennedy. On the opposite end of the spectrum were three heavily decorated writers adding to their CMA Triple Play arsenal: Akins (taking home his eighth win), McAnally (11th) and Gorley (a two-time winner that evening, earning his 19th and 20th CMA Triple Play Awards). To date, the CMA has given out more than 300 CMA Triple Play Awards.
Composer and CMA Board member Jim Beavers brought heartfelt class — and plenty of jokes — to his role hosting the event.
In introducing honoree ERNEST to accept his CMA Triple Play award for songs including Sam Hunt’s “Breaking Up Was Easy in the ‘90s,” Beavers said, “You know what else was easy in the ‘90s? Making money on an album cut.”
Jamie Schramm/CMA
Later in the evening, Beavers humorously noted that there was one more CMA Triple Play Award winner who had been left off of the program list. “ChatGPT,” he deadpanned, as the audience laughed. “Is that too insider for you?”
Several artist/writers were in attendance to accept their accolades, including Thomas Rhett, who told the crowd, “I never thought I would be doing this, I really didn’t,” he said. “I want to thank the songwriters. I’m looking at the songs here. One was written on Zoom right when COVID happened, one was written on a writing trip in Montana and the other I think was my first No. 1 that I wrote in Nashville. Thank you to the writers that write with me, that leave their families to come on the bus and write way too many songs while we’re out there. I would not be able to do this without y’all.” He also thanked radio and Warner Chappell.
Galyon, the sole female honoree out of 16 CMA Triple Play Awards recipients, was honored for “Gone,” recorded by Dierks Bentley; “half of my hometown,” recorded by Kelsea Ballerini; and “Thought You Should Know,” recorded by Wallen.
“You know I’m going to say something. Gotta hold it down for the girls,” Galyon said, drawing cheers from the audience. She thanked her publishing team of Influence Media, as well as Warner Chappell Music Nashville’s Ben Vaughn, BJ Hill and Christina Wiltshire, noting that Wiltshire pitched “Gone” to Dierks Bentley.
“She plucked ‘Gone’ out of the millions of songs in the Chappell catalog and got what is the jackpot for all songwriters—a complete outside cut and a No. 1,” Galyon said, drawing fervent cheers from the industry crowd. “If you want to appreciate your publishers, try to become one,” said Galyon who leads her own publishing company, Songs & Daughters. “It really makes you appreciative for what you had all those years as a writer, so thank you,” she added, thanking her S&D team. “I’m moving into new spaces, new territories and it would not be sustainable for me to continue to write songs and keep my day job going if they weren’t holding it down at the office, which happens to be my kitchen table.”
Jamie Schramm/CMA
Morgan Wallen was honored for his songs “Wasted on You,” “Thought You Should Know” and “You Proof.”
“He earned all of these No. 1 songs in just one month, in May 2022,” Beavers noted.
“I’m just glad I’m allowed to be here this year,” Wallen first told the crowd, alluding to the fallout that happened in recent years following his use of a racial slur. “For real, I always thank God, my lord and savior Jesus Christ. I always have a positive outlook on everything, that’s because of Him. Thank you to my family, and to my songwriters and my best friends. Sometimes I come into the room and I got nothing, but when I get in there with them, there’s always something. This is not something I take lightly. It means a lot to me. I get to put food on my little boy’s plate and clothes on him, and good food at that. And I’m damn proud of that, so thank you everybody.”
Luke Combs and HARDY were not in attendance, but each sent in acceptance speech videos. Combs was awarded his fifth CMA Triple Play Award, while HARDY was awarded his third.
“Three years in a row, and I haven’t been able to make one [CMA Triple Play Awards ceremony] yet,” HARDY said. “I’m honored as always and I still can’t believe it. I wake up every day and can’t believe my whole life and how blessed I am. I’m very thankful. It inspires me to keep writing and plugging along so that maybe one day I will get another Triple Play and actually show up because I’ve wanted to go since before I was even a hit songwriter…I want to thank everybody involved, all the hit songwriters in the room that really gave me a shot when I was just starting out and helped write songs that really put thing on the map for me. Dennis and Jesse Matkosky at Relative Music, I truly feel like we are building something really cool as a publishing company and I’m happy to be a part of that.” He ended the video in true HARDY “Rednecker” fashion, by shotgunning a beer.
Akins accepted for songs including “Half of Me,” “Slow Down Summer” and “To Be Loved By You.”
“I don’t know how I won eight of these…this is a big deal. This is something that I don’t take this for granted. To have three [songs] come out and line up at just the right time, only God can do that, and I thank God every day for it, for moving chess pieces every day that I don’t know how to move…I want to thank CMA for putting this on, thank you for honoring songwriters.” He also nodded to the daily fortitude inherent in successful songwriters.
“That’s the glory of songwriting, man,” Akins added, before thanking all of his co-writers and the artists who record the songs and the radio promotions teams. “It’s in our blood so much that no matter how hard it is, we get up everyday and go, ‘I’m gonna knock that dang wall down today.’”
During the celebration, Jody Williams (founder of Jody Williams Songs) was honored as the recipient of the CMA Songwriter Advocate Award—an accolade given to an industry member who has been a tireless champion for the songwriting community. Over four decades, Williams has supported songwriters through his previous role as the head of creative at BMI, as well as years at both major publishers and his own companies.
A video tribute featured several of the artists and writers Williams has supported over the years, including several of his Jody Williams Songs clients including Vince Gill, Ashley McBryde and Natalie Hemby.
Eric Church, McBryde and Robert Earl Keen were surprise performers during the evening, each honoring Williams for his dedication to songwriters.
“I met Jody in my formative years, my songwriting years, which is what I came to town to do,” Church told the crowd, noting that he met his wife Katherine while she was working for Williams as a song plugger. “He had this really attractive song plugger who was a blonde that I took a liking to, and we’ve been married for 15 years. Jody’s son [Driver Williams] plays guitar for me and he’s been an integral part of the band. This was a no-brainer. I got to thinking about those feelings when I would show up at Jody Williams Music and you’d never know who was writing there. One day, Taylor would be there—that’s Taylor Swift–and every day was like, ‘Ok, I gotta write the best song in this place. If I win this building, I’m the best on Music Row.’”
McBryde performed her current release, “Light on in the Kitchen,” which she noted was the “first song I wrote for you, Jody.” Church offered a song he had written just that day, titled “My Nebraska,” while Keen performed “Feelin’ Good Again.”
Liz Rose, who will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year, presented Willams with the award, tearing up as she said, “I wouldn’t be a songwriter without Jody Williams.”
In accepting the honor, Williams recognized a previous CMA songwriter advocate honoree, Bob DiPiero, and praised all of this year’s CMA Triple Play Award honorees.
“How awesome is it that you hit a lick like that in one year? I’m genuinely happy for all of you. This is really why we are here. We are here to celebrate you,” Williams said. “He also honored his wife and sons, recalling how surrounded by music the family has been from the beginning. “When they were little, I’d drive them to school and we’d play ‘Smash or Trash’ with new demoes or worktapes from the publishing company I was working at. So guess what? They learned the song business and became musicians and songwriters. The most important thing to us is that they also turned out to be really good men.”
Williams recalled how Del Bryant, the son of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant who went on to become the president/CEO of BMI until his retirement in 2014, showed him how the publishing community worked and told him he might be a good song plugger.
“From that moment on, I began waking up each day with a simple purpose–to help songwriters make a living writing songs,” Williams said. He recalled how Charlie Daniels gave him his first publishing job, and how Kix Brooks “let me practice being a publisher on him, and Kix is like a brother to me.” Donna Hilley gave him a joint-venture publishing company with Sony-Tree in 1999. “I was so grateful for Donna Hilley,” he said. “She believed in me more than I believed in myself…That path led me to Liz Rose. I learned to let Liz do what she does and don’t get in her way. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from Liz Rose in my career. She remains one of my very best friends.”
He also went on to thank those he has worked with at BMI, before thanking the staff and roster at Jody Williams Songs, and every songwriter in the room.
“I would not have a career at all if not for the songwriters in this community,” Williams concluded. “You are incredibly special to me and have blessed me beyond any expectations I have ever had.”
See the full list of CMA Triple Play honorees and their No. 1s below:
Rhett Akins“To Be Loved By You,” recorded by Parker McCollum“Slow Down Summer,” recorded by Thomas Rhett“Half Of Me,” recorded by Thomas Rhett featuring Riley Green
Kurt Allison“Blame It On You,” recorded by Jason Aldean“If I Didn’t Love You,” recorded by Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood“Trouble With A Heartbreak,” recorded by Jason Aldean
Luke Combs“Cold As You,” recorded by Combs“Doin’ This,” recorded by Combs“The Kind Of Love We Make,” recorded by Combs
Jesse Frasure“Whiskey And Rain,” recorded by Michael Ray“One Mississippi,” recorded by Kane Brown“Slow Down Summer,” recorded by Thomas Rhett
Nicolle Galyon“Gone,” recorded by Dierks Bentley“half of my hometown,” recorded by Kelsea Ballerini“Thought You Should Know,” recorded by Morgan Wallen
Ashley Gorley“Sand In My Boots,” recorded by Morgan Wallen“Beers On Me,” recorded by Dierks Bentley featuring BRELAND and HARDY“You Proof,” recorded by Morgan Wallen“Slow Down Summer,” recorded by Thomas Rhett“Take My Name,” recorded by Parmalee“New Truck,” recorded by Dylan Scott
Charlie Handsome“I Love My Country,” recorded by Florida Georgia Line“More Than My Hometown,” recorded by Morgan Wallen“Wasted On You,” recorded by Morgan Wallen
Michael Hardy (HARDY)“Single Saturday Night,” recorded by Cole Swindell“Sand In My Boots,” recorded by Morgan Wallen“Beers On Me,” recorded by Dierks Bentley featuring BRELAND and HARDY
Ben Johnson“Take My Name,” recorded by Parmalee“Best Thing Since Backroads,” recorded by Jake Owen“New Truck,” recorded by Dylan Scott
Tully Kennedy“Blame It On You,” recorded by Jason Aldean“If I Didn’t Love You,” recorded by Jason Aldean“Trouble With A Heartbreak,” recorded by Jason Aldean
Shane McAnally“half of my hometown,” recorded by Kelsea Ballerini“23,” recorded by Sam Hunt“Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” recorded by Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce
Chase McGill“Waves,” recorded by Luke Bryan“Never Say Never,” recorded by Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson“Don’t Think Jesus,” recorded by Morgan Wallen
Thomas Rhett“Country Again,” recorded by Thomas Rhett“Slow Down Summer,” recorded by Thomas Rhett“She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” recorded by Cole Swindell
Ernest Keith Smith (ERNEST)“Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s,” recorded by Sam Hunt“One Mississippi,” recorded by Kane Brown“Wasted On You,” recorded by Morgan Wallen
Josh Thompson“Whiskey And Rain,” recorded by Michael Ray“Wasted On You,” recorded by Morgan Wallen“Half Of Me,” recorded by Thomas Rhett
Morgan Wallen“Wasted On You,” recorded by Wallen“Thought You Should Know,” recorded by Wallen“You Proof,” recorded by Wallen
Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter and engineer Marty MARO has signed a co-publishing agreement with Brandon Silverstein Publishing and Patriot Publishing. MARO, born Marty Rod, has written and produced with talents like Selena Gomez, DJ Snake, John Legend, Anitta and Bastille, and his work has been featured in ads, gaming and films, including Meta, Madden 23, Space Jam and others.
MARO’s signing announcement arrives just after Brandon Silverstein Publishing also inked a publishing agreement with producer and songwriter Jasper Harris — best known for songs like “First Class” by Jack Harlow, “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, and “I Like You” by Post Malone and Doja Cat.
Brandon Silverstein Publishing is the new monicker for S10 Publishing, a company which has signed a number of deals in conjunction with Avex USA, the American branch of Japanese music and entertainment company Avex Group. These partnered deals include Harris as well as “Peaches” writer HARV, Jamaican singer Shenseea, The Kid LAROI collaborator and Internet Money member Cxdy, “Build a Bitch” co-writer David Arkwright, “Stunnin’” producer Declan Hoy, and Travis Scott, Bad Bunny and Future writer/producer KOSA.
For MARO’s signing, the quickly building BSP has partnered with OneRepublic frontman and hitmaker Ryan Tedder’s company Patriot Publishing. Tedder says of the new signing, “Marty’s a beast with an insatiable work ethic. He is an extremely gifted producer and topliner, and I hope to have him part of the family for years to come.”
MARO adds, “I am extremely excited to be joining forces with Ryan and Brandon in this new chapter of my career! They are both two forces of nature in the business and their belief in my vision and musical ability, along with their experience and global reach feels like the perfect combination for me. Together we’ve already achieved some major accomplishments, and I believe the future of my career is in great hands.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to watch Marty work in the studio and I’ve seen how he’s able to help artists create their best work,” says Silverstein, founder and CEO of Brandon Silverstein Publishing. “I’m so thrilled to have him join the family.”
Hipgnosis Songs Management has purchased 100% interest in publishing copyrights to 217 songs in the catalog of TMS, the British songwriting and production trio.
This latest acquisition includes the trio’s publishing copyrights, producer royalty streams, and neighboring rights, including “Someone You Loved” and “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi and “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” by Jess Glynne.
Comprised of Tom “Froe” Barnes, Benjamin Kohn, and Peter “Merf” Kelleher, TMS has already sold the copyrights of 121 of their other songs to Hipgnosis in the past, including songs recorded by G-Eazy, Sigma and Emeli Sandé. The writers’ share of ownership and royalties of the previous 121 songs is also included in the latest acquisition.
“Someone You Loved” has achieved 7-times platinum status in the U.K. since its release in 2018 and is touted as the U.K.’s most played song of all time on Spotify. Worldwide, it ranks as the fourth most streamed with 2.6 billion and counting. “Someone You Loved” was written by Lewis Capaldi, Samuel Roman, and the TMS trio, meaning Hipgnosis now controls three out of five writers’ shares of publishing. TMS also produced the track.
Hipgnosis Songs Management, the entity managing the publicly traded company’s catalog, acquired these songs on behalf of Hipgnosis Songs Capital, an investment vehicle established by Hipgnosis and Blackstone. The world’s largest alternative asset manager, Blackstone pledged $1 billion to further investment in music IP with Hipgnosis and also took a majority stake.
TMS has also worked with Dua Lipa, John Legend, Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran, Lily Allen and Bebe Rexha, One Direction, Cher, Ed Sheeran, Leona Lewis, Rita Ora, Jessie J, Lily Allen, Labrinth, JLS, Years & Years, Oily Murs, Ella Henderson, Birdy, Jem & The Holograms, Sinead Harnett, Kwabs and Dot Rotten.
It is not clear which, if any, of these artists’ songs are included in this deal. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
TMS were represented by Paul Centellas at North Pole Management and Sonia Diwan at Sound Advice.
“Froe, Ben, Merf and their manager Paul Centellas have been an important part of the Hipgnosis family for many years now so it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to continue our relationship with this new acquisition including what will undoubtedly be a contender for song of the decade with Lewis Capaldi’s iconic ‘Someone You Loved,’” says Merck Mercuriadis, CEO and founder of Hipgnosis Song Management.
Barnes, Kohn and Kelleher (TMS) jointly add, We’re incredibly proud of this body of work and know Merck and the family at Hipgnosis will be excellent custodians of these copyrights in future. It’s incredible to see what they’ve built in just a few short years and we know they’ll continue to represent these songs with passion and commitment.”
“Nobody is doing more to elevate the standing and value of the songwriter than Merck and the team at Hipgnosis,” says Centellas, managing director, North Pole Management. “We’re very happy to entrust them with these incredible copyrights and look forward to working with them across various initiatives to ensure the songwriter is properly valued and remunerated in future. Without songwriters, there is no music business.”