LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2012 — Global music rights leader Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) honored the songwriters and music publishers behind the year’s most-performed songs tonight at the organization’s 60^th annual Pop Awards, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Carole King received the BMI Icon Award recognizing the “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” she has made through her incomparable catalog as a songwriter and recording artist.

Ester Dean, Benny Blanco and Pitbull all earned the coveted BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year title. Dean, Blanco and Pitbull each contributed five songs to the year’s most performed list. Dean composed “What’s My Name?,” “Rude Boy,” “S&M,” “Super Bass” and “Firework”; Blanco wrote “Blow,” “Please Don’t Go,” “Teenage Dream,” “We R Who We R” and “Dynamite”; and Pitbull penned “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” “Give Me Everything,” “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor),” “I Like It” and “On the Floor.”

Dean enjoyed an especially big night, as “Firework” clinched BMI Pop Song of the Year honors for her and co-writer Sandy Vee, as well as publishers Dat Damn Dean Music and peermusic III, Ltd.

With 10 songs among the year’s most-performed, Universal Music Publishing Group claimed the prestigious BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crystal.

The all-star tribute to King featured promising young talent, an international star, and a golden-age pop idol, reflecting the broad appeal of King’s extraordinary work. 19 Recordings/Interscope Records recording artist and American Idol alumna Haley Reinhart delivered an inspiring performance of “Beautiful”; Universal Republic recording artist Colbie Caillat offered a soulful rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”; and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits capped off the tribute with “I’m into Something Good,” the debut smash for Herman’s Hermits in 1964.

As a BMI Icon, King joins an elite list that includes David Foster, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, the Jacksons, the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Carlos Santana, Dolly Parton, and others.

King was born in Brooklyn, and her songwriting career ignited nearby in Manhattan with Don Kirshner’s Aldon Music in the early 60s. With writing partner and then-husband Gerry Goffin, King topped charts with the Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” then Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care of My Baby.” A flood of hits followed: Little Eva’s “Loco-Motion,” the Chiffons’ “One Fine Day,” the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” the Drifters’ “Up on the Roof,” Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” the Crystals’ “He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)” and more. When she released her own album Tapestry in 1971, breathtaking songs such as “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got a Friend” (also recorded by close friend James Taylor) propelled King to four Grammy wins and fueled the album’s six-year stay on the charts. King became a superstar, and Tapestry became the biggest-selling album of the era. To date, more than 400 of King’s timeless compositions have been recorded by more than 1000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles, many reaching No. 1. She has won 31 BMI songwriting awards spanning pop, r&b and country categories, and 18 of her compositions have earned more than one million performances. King is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 60^th annual BMI Pop Awards were hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, along with Barbara Cane, BMI Vice President/General Manager, Los Angeles, and Phil Graham, BMI Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations. For a complete list of 2012 winners, visit www.bmi.com.

High-resolution photos and video footage can be downloaded here:

http://www.epklink.com/2012bmipopawards/.

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. Find out more at www.bmi.com, follow @BMI on Twitter and stay connected through Facebook.

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CONTACT:

Marlene Meraz / BMI Los Angeles

310.289.6325 / mmeraz@bmi.com