Busy week in the American music publishing world this week, with two sets of awards events, one organised by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and another by royalties body BMI.
Highlights at the former, which took place in LA on Monday night, included the awarding of the ASCAP Founders Award to Neil Young in recognition of his three decades worth of pioneering work. As part of that, the Indigo Girls performed an acoustic rendition of his track 'Down By The River' while Warner Bros chief, who gave Young his first solo recording contract, paid tribute to his achievements. Young himself, making his first personal appearance since having surgery for a brain aneurysm earlier this year, told the awards event audience: "My mission now is to go where no hippie has gone before," Young said. "And tomorrow, I go back to Reprise and give them another record."
At the BMI Pop Awards, also in LA but on Tuesday night, former Beach Boy Brian Wilson paid tribute to Paul Simon, who was handed the Icon Award. As part of the tribute Wilson performed Simon's hit 'Sound Of Silence'. Accepting his gong an emotional Simon told Wilson: "I'm so touched, Brian. Any of the guys from my generation, to pay that tribute to me is just an honour."
For more details on both awards events, check the relevant groups websites:
ASCAP Awards - http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/popawards/2005/
BMI Awards - http://www.bmi.com/news/200505/20050519a.asp
Oh yes, and well done to EMI Music Publishing who took the Pop Publisher Of The Year award at the ASCAP Awards for the eleventh time (and the third consecutive year), and then won the Publisher Of The Year award at the BMI Awards. Lots of smiling faces round there this week presumably.