Media
NMPA Annual Meeting Announces New Board Members, Honors Billy Joel, Launches Foundation & New Website
WASHINGTON, D.C. /June 18, 2015 – Yesterday, before a packed house of music industry executives, musicians and songwriters in New York City, National Music Publishers’ Association President and CEO David Israelite honored Billy Joel with NMPA’s Songwriter Icon Award and made several major announcements.
Upon receiving his Icon award, Mr. Joel said, "songwriting really is the toughest part of the job." LeAnn Rimes then performed a beautiful adaptation of his songs "Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)" and "She's Got a Way."
At the event, John LoFrumento was awarded the NMPA Industry Legacy Award and Ralph Peer II was also honored with the NMPA Lifetime Service Award. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu spoke about the importance of music in her life, saying “every aspect of our cultural ecosystem flows from the process of creativity and the expression of ideas.”
Finally, Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) spoke of the importance of songwriting in his home state and abroad. “I travel the world," he said, "and I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to often have people coming up to me, and thanking me and talking about the wonderful talent that we have in our state and all across the country. Thank you for what you do to ensure that people around the world are able to enjoy that. On our end, we’ll do what we can to make sure that they’re paid appropriately.”
In addition to awards and performances, the NMPA Board of Directors election results were revealed, with new members including Justin Kalifowitz, CEO of Downtown Music Publishing, Golnar Khosrowshahi, President of Resevoir Media Management and Jody Klein, CEO of ABKCO Music & Records.
NMPA also announced the creation of its new foundation, the NMPA SONGS Foundation (Supporting Our Next Generation of Songwriters), which will kick off this fall with a fundraising golf tournament including songwriters near Washington, D.C. The Foundation seeks to support aspiring creators with grants to continue their work and support music education. The NMPA SONGS Foundation will be chaired by NMPA CEO David Israelite, with charter Board members including songwriters Cara DioGuardi, Jewel and Lee Thomas Miller.
Finally, the NMPA launched its new website, www.nmpa.org. The site will be a one-stop-shop for news about the Association’s events, a first-hand blog by President & CEO David Israelite, information on NMPA’s policy positions and much more.
About the Annual Meeting: Each year the NMPA holds its Annual Meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square on the night prior to the Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner. As an annual tradition, a songwriting icon and a lawmaker are honored for their work to better the livelihoods of those who fuel the music industry. The event culminates with a State of the Industry Address given by NMPA CEO David Israelite.
Annual Meeting photos available upon request
About the NMPA: Founded in 1917, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is the trade association representing all American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of music copyrights. Learn more at www.nmpa.org.