November/December 2008 ® A Bi-Monthly News Update for Songwriters & Composers BR O ADCASTM M USIC , I NC . ® I Bulletinbmi.com Bryan Ferry Hank Williams, Jr. Receives Icon Tribute Honored at London Awards Taylor Swift, Casey Beathard, Sony/ATV Take Top Country Honors MI lauded U.K., he 56th Annual BMI Europe and Jamaica’s Country Awards cel- premier songwrit- ebrated the genre’s Bers, composers and music Telite Tuesday, November 11 publishers Oct. 7 at the 2008 at BMI’s Music Row offices BMI London Awards. The in Nashville. Hosted by BMI ceremony was hosted by President & CEO Del Bryant BMI President & CEO Del and BMI Vice President, Bryant, along with Executive Writer/Publisher Relations, Director, Writer/Publisher Nashville Jody Williams, the Relations Europe & Asia, black-tie ceremony toasted Brandon Bakshi. Staged the writers and publishers PHOTO: JOHN RUSSELL in the Grand Ballroom of of the past year’s 50 most- Pictured onstage at the BMI Country Awards are (l-r): Phil Graham, BMI London’s Dorchester Hotel, performed country songs in Sr. VP Writer/Publisher Relations; Troy Tomlinson, President & CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville, the Country Publisher of the Year; the event honored the past the BMI repertoire. Country Songwriter of the Year Casey Beathard; Icon honoree Hank year’s most-played songs Casey Beathard earned Williams, Jr.; Taylor Swift, writer of Country Song of the Year “Teardrops on U.S. radio and television, his second BMI Country on My Guitar”; BMI President & CEO Del Bryant; and BMI VP, Writer/ Publisher Relations, Nashville Jody Williams. saluting numerous U.K. Songwriter of the Year songwriters, composers and crown, while Taylor Swift’s Year honors. Publishing seventh consecutive Country music publishers alongside smash “Teardrops on My powerhouse Sony/ Publisher of the Year title, music creators from Europe Guitar” garnered Robert ATV Music Publishing and an all-star tribute recog- and other international J. Burton Song of the Nashville claimed its nized Hank Williams, Jr. as a continued on page 7 BMI Icon. Symposium Focuses on First named BMI Country Copyright Collections in the Songwriter of the Year in Financial Review 2004, Casey Beathard co- • INSIDE • Digital Age wrote five of the songs in BMI earned more than $901 the most-performed list to million in revenues for its ongwriters’ and Intellectual Property Law claim his 2008 Songwriter 2008 fiscal year, marking composers’ interests Program and Creative and of the Year title: Rodney the first time any copyright took center stage at Innovative Economy Center. Atkins’s “Cleaning This Gun organization has topped the the Library of Congress The meeting at the Library (Come On In Boy),” Kenny $900 million mark for mu- S sic performance revenues. on October 27 to inform of Congress was the second Chesney’s “Don’t Blink,” BMI also set a historic high Capitol Hill staff and the in “The Creative Industries George Strait’s “How ’Bout in royalty distributions, and policy community of prom- in Transition: New Directions Them Cowgirls,” Billy Ray will disperse more than ising new methods to ex- for the Digital Era” series and Cyrus and Miley Cyrus’s $786 million to our affili- pand royalty collections in showcases academic research “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” and ates. Details of these prec- edent-setting financial re- the Digital Age. A panel of papers that are supported Tracy Lawrence’s “Find Out sults, along with an analysis academics, government offi- by The George Washington Who Your Friends Are,” fea- of the musical trends and cials, composers, and music University Law School and turing Kenny Chesney and technological advances that industry representatives sponsored by BMI. Tim McGraw helped make them possible, gathered for a Washington “Intellectual property Song of the Year appear in a special section of this issue, beginning on summit organized by is one of the driving forces “Teardrops on My Guitar” page 3. The George Washington of the economy, especially was co-written and recorded University Law School’s continued on page 2 continued on page 7 1 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REVIEW Copyright Collections ® continued from page 1 now with the financial troubles on Wall Street,” BMI Sets New Benchmarks In Performing Right Income, Royalty Payments noted Ralph Oman, a Creative BULLETIN and Innovative Economy Editor: Robbin Ahrold MI earned more than $901 mobile, social networking and website strength, a blurring of conventional Center fellow who teaches Vice President, Corporate copyright law at The George Communications and Marketing million in revenues for its categories, and we now license more lines between genres and media out- Managing Editor: Washington University Law Howard Levitt 2008 fiscal year, marking the than 6,500 digital media properties, lets became increasingly evident: The West Coast Editor: Hanna Pantle School and previously served first time any copyright orga- an increase of more than 50% over the most successful hits featured innovative Nashville Editor: Kay Clary as U.S. Register of Copyrights Technology Editor: David F. Bills nization has topped the $900 prior year. International revenues were blends of urban, Latin, country and pop from 1985-1993. “Performing Assistant Editors: Bmillion mark for music performance also a bright spot, accounting for $238 artists and styles, while veteran stars and rights organizations work. Event participants (l-r): Ralph Oman, former Register of Copyrights Elisabeth Dawson, Ellen Dawson, Jamil Walker revenues and a 7.2% percent increase million, or more than 26% of BMI’s “tween” idols relied more and more on They are the most transparent and current Pravel Professorial Lecturer and GW CIEC Fellow; Susan Design: Jenkins & Page and most trustworthy solution Mann, Senior Director, Intellectual Property Policy, Microsoft Corp.; from the previous fiscal year. BMI also revenues. Growth in revenues from a combination of radio, television and Maury Yeston, Tony Award-winning composer/lyricist, former Professor ® The BMI Bulletin is published by the set a historic high in royalty distribu- film exposure. to create value for and protect and Director of Undergraduate Music Studies, Yale University; Robert Corporate Relations Department of the rights of songwriters, com- Brauneis, Co-Director GW IP Law Program; Bhamati Viswanathan, GW Broadcast Music, Inc., 320 West 57th Street, tions, and will disperse more than $786 Within the robust urban genre, posers, and their small busi- CIEC Research Associate; Tanya Sandros, General Counsel, U.S. Copyright New York, NY 10019. President & CEO: Del Office; and Del Bryant, President & CEO, BMI. R. Bryant, 320 West 57th Street, New York, million to our affiliates, an 8% percent BMI represents hip-hop and r&b roy- nesses by collecting money NY 10019; Corporate Secretary: Stuart Rosen, BMI’s financial results 320 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019; increase over the prior fiscal year. alty including T-Pain, Kanye West, around the world when their nearly 15 years ago when mu- the biggest winner in this Treasurer: Angelo Bruno, 10 Music Square These financial benchmarks are a direct Sean Garrett, Chris Brown, Rihanna, songs are performed. These sic started to hit the web. evolving world has been East, Nashville, TN 37203. Permission is hereby given to quote from or result of the creative efforts of our song- for fiscal 2008 mark the TI, Dallas Austin, Lil’ Wayne, Gnarls organizations are a key part of “It’s clear that entertain- inertia. It’s a paradox. We are reprint any of the contents on the condition the machinery.” ment is changing. As they say here today to chip away at that proper copyright credit is given to writers, composers and music publish- Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green and OutKast’s the source. “Let us consider the mas- in the technology business, it’s that inertia in a thoughtful ers, who have helped build a catalog first time any copyright Big Boi, along with explosive song- BMI®, BMI.com® and Broadcast Music, Inc.® sive and disproportionally scaling fast. Clearly, technol- and balanced way. We can- are registered trademarks of of music whose depth, breadth and writer, producer and artist Polow Da positive influx of income Broadcast Music, Inc. ogy is nurturing an explosion not wait until the next round popularity are unequaled anywhere in organization has topped Don, who illustrates the increasing the export of our intellectual of creativity. So will all of the of Congressional hearings or © 2008 BMI the world. ability of writer/producers to move be- property has on our nation’s 5 million bands on MySpace rate-setting proceedings to balance of trade, not only become commercial hits or hurriedly craft the next big While traditional broadcast radio the $900 million mark tween urban and pop genres. In today’s BMI OFFICES in song, but also in film and even commercially viable? idea. New York and television accounted for an im- rapid-fire pop-culture climate, cross- theatrical products,” said Probably not. But they do “We need to be proactive, 320 West 57th Street pressive $340 million, or about 38% genre success is becoming increasingly New York, NY 10019 for music performance program panelist Maury deserve a chance to express and collaborative. We need to (212) 586-2000 Fax: (212) 245-8986 e-mail: [email protected] of revenue, our leadership in licens- prevalent. Versatile BMI songwriter/ Yeston, Ph.D, a multiple Tony themselves and present their blend the best thinking from Nashville ing the explosive growth of music producers including will.i.am, J.R. Award-winning Broadway creative work to the public. the best minds across all as- 10 Music Square East revenues. Nashville, TN 37203 in cable, satellite radio and satellite Rotem, Kara DioGuardi and Jeffrey composer and former direc- When they do so, the copy- pects of these issues and come (615) 401-2000 Fax: (615) 401-2707 tor of undergraduate music rights that they create deserve up with solutions that work e-mail: [email protected] television brought in revenues of Steele create crossover ready hits.