Sony Music Publishing was named Pop Publisher of the Year at
BMI’s
72nd Annual Pop Awards Wednesday night at the
Beverly Wilshire Hotel in L.A. It was the
Jon Platt-led pubco’s seventh consecutive win in the category.
SMP songwriters and composers had 34 of the most-performed pop songs in the U.S. last year, including
SZA’s “Kill Bill,” co-written by
Rob Bisel, and
Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” co-written by
Charlie Handsome. In addition, “Flowers” by
Miley Cyrus was crowned Song of the Year. Cyrus wrote the song with
Gregory “Aldae” Hein and
Michael Pollack.
“It is an honor to receive the Publisher of the Year award for the seventh year in a row,” said Sony Music Publishing EVP/Head of A&R,
Walter Jones. “We are incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to support and champion SMP’s songwriters every day, and this award reflects their outstanding achievements.”
Benny Blanco won the President’s Award, joining previous recipients
Ludacris,
Willie Nelson,
Brian Wilson,
Dwight Yoakam and
Luis Fonsi, among others. During the ceremony,
Sia performed Rihanna’s “Diamonds” as a tribute to Blanco, who wrote the song with Sia.
Taylor Swift took Songwriter of the Year for having penned 10 of BMI’s most-performed songs of 2023, including “Cruel Summer,” “Anti-Hero” and “Karma.”
The most-performed songs of last year included
Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,”
Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” “How Do I Say Goodbye” by
Dean Lewis,
Elton John and
Britney Spears’ “Hold Me Closer,”
Bebe Rexha and
David Guetta’s “I’m Good,” “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” by
Harry Styles and
Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You.”
SMP songwriting honorees also included
070 Shake, Akil “Fresh” King, Alonzo Miller, Anne-Marie, Beach Noise, Caroline Ailin, Clinton Sparks, Coi Leray, Dan Darmawan, Dylan Wiggins, Ed Sheeran, Enya, INK, Johnny McDaid, Kamille, Keanu Torres, Lady Gaga, Latto, Lil Nas X, Mario Winans, Mike Sabath, Nicky Ryan, P!nk, PinkPantheress, Roma Ryan, Ruth B, Sam Dew, Sarah Aarons, Sarcastic Sounds, Sounwave, Tamar Kaprelian, Tate McRae and
Tom Barnes.
For the complete list of awards, visit BMI’s awards page
here.
