Queen, The Script, Fraser T. Smith & More Honored at 2011 BMI London Awards

LONDON--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--American performing right organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) celebrated Europe and Asia’s premier songwriters, composers and music publishers tonight during its annual BMI London Awards. Guests filled London’s Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane to toast the past year’s most-performed songs on U.S. radio and television.

Songwriters and composers honored at the event are members of European and Asian performing right societies and are represented in the U.S. by BMI.

Legendary rock band Queen were honored as BMI Icons. All songwriters, vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon join a list of previous honorees that includes Donovan, Peter Gabriel, Don Black, Bryan Ferry, Ray Davies, Van Morrison and more.

The Script’s “Breakeven” earned the BMI Robert S. Musel Award for Song of the Year. Andrew Frampton (PRS) and band members Daniel O’Donoghue (PRS/IMRO) and Mark Sheehan (PRS/IMRO) co-wrote the song, which was published by BMG Chrysalis (PRS). “Breakeven” is from the Irish band’s top-selling eponymous album.

Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart,” co-written by Fraser T. Smith and published by BMG Chrysalis (PRS), garnered the College Song of the Year win. “Stereo Love,” written and recorded by Romanian musician Edward Maya (PRS/UCMR-ADA) and Vika Jigulina (PRS), claimed Dance Song of the Year. The infectious club hit is published by Media Services International (UCMR-ADA).

In addition to celebrating the writers of most-performed songs in the U.S. during the past year, BMI presented awards to the composers of the most-watched and highest-grossing television programs and films; and the songwriters behind hits that have generated more than three million U.S. radio and television performances. For a complete list of 2011 BMI London Awards winners, visit bmi.com/london.

Del Bryant, BMI President & CEO; Phil Graham, BMI Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations; and Brandon Bakshi, Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations, Europe & Asia hosted the ceremony.

Photo and video footage, including interviews, performances and the Icon acceptance speech can be accessed via the official EPKlink:
www.epklink.com/BMILondonAwards

Follow BMI on Twitter #BMILondonAwards and on Facebook.
#BMILondonAwards

Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in rights management, is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 500,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 7.5 million musical works. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for more than 70 years. The company provides licenses for businesses that perform music, and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.
www.bmi.com
Contacts

BMI
U.S.A. – Robbin Ahrold
212.220.3130
rahrold@bmi.com
or
U.S.A. – Kay Clary
615.401.2728
kclary@bmi.com
Source: http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20111004006731/en