The historic win at the 64th annual event held Tuesday night (November 1st) in Nashville came during a memorable evening for the world's leading music publisher with its songwriters also winning a clean sweep of the key awards of Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and the BMI President's Award.
· Ross Copperman was named Songwriter of the Year after co-writing six of BMI's 50 most-performed country songs of the past year
· "Die A Happy Man", co-written and performed by Sony/ATV songwriter Thomas Rhett, won Song of the Year
· Sony/ATV signed Kenny Chesney received the BMI President's Award, presented to songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the entertainment industry
Twenty-two of Sony/ATV's songs were additionally among the 50 songs that were individually honored at the ceremony held at BMI's office in Music City as the performing rights organization's most-performed country songs of the past year.
Sony/ATV Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier said: "When Sony/ATV Nashville a few years back won the 'Triple Crown' of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC Publisher of the Year in the same year I thought that was the pinnacle. However, what Troy and his team have now achieved with this unparalleled 15-year domination as BMI's top publisher surpasses all that. This feat is a testament to our incredible staff in Nashville and all the talented songwriters we have signed to us. Here's to the next 15 years!"
Sony/ATV President/CEO, Nashville Troy Tomlinson said: "To win BMI Publisher of the Year once is amazing, but to be able to string together a 15-year run is really beyond anything I could ever have imagined. We owe that first and foremost to our songwriters and our creative team, and additionally to all of the artists, producers, record labels and management teams who believed in our songs and made them hits."
Sony/ATV's uninterrupted run as Publisher of the Year dates back to 2002, the same year Tomlinson joined the company. He has been President/CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville since 2005, overseeing a roster that includes superstar songwriter/performers such as Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Miranda Lambert, Cole Swindell and Blake Shelton as well as many of the most acclaimed and successful songwriters in contemporary country music. The company also houses an unrivalled catalog of classic country songs, including the celebrated Acuff-Rose and Tree catalogs.
Among the 22 Sony/ATV songs individually recognized this year by BMI, 15 of them reached No. 1 on either Billboard's Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay chart and in some cases topped both charts. These include BMI's Song of the Year "Die A Happy Man", co-penned and performed by Thomas Rhett and which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and six weeks on Country Airplay.
Six of Sony/ATV's winning BMI songs were co-written by Ross Copperman, who was named Songwriter of the Year on the night. These comprise "Confession", "Drunk On Your Love", "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", "Lose My Mind", "Smoke" and "Strip It Down".
"Wild Child", which was co-written by Kenny Chesney and performed by him and Grace Potter, was also honored, capping a remarkable night for the country star who also received the BMI President's Award. Previous recipients of the award include Pink, Willie Nelson, Brooks & Dunn, Pitbull, Adam Levine, Gloria & Emilio Estefan and Toni Braxton.
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