NMPA HONORS KACEY MUSGRAVES, RHETT AKINS, FEATURES BILLBOARD HONOREES GRACIE ABRAMS AND AARON DESSNER AT ANNUAL MEETING WHICH PUSHES FOR SONGWRITER POWER THROUGH UNITY

New York City – The NMPA Annual Meeting today honored an elite group of songwriters and announced major industry initiatives.

NMPA Songwriter Icon Kacey Musgraves was celebrated for her talent as both a creator and as an advocate for the larger songwriting community. When accepting her honor, she said, “Thank you to David and the NMPA for continuing to hold the line and expand the pie for songwriters of this generation and the next. I am proud to be an ally to songwriters and the NMPA in this fight.”

In a stunning tribute to Musgraves, Leon Bridges performed "Lonely Millionaire" - a song which showcases her trademark thought-provoking and moving lyrics. She performed a stirring rendition of "The Architect."

Also honored was Non-Performing Songwriter Icon Rhett Akins whose vast country music catalog has helped define an era in the genre. He said, “David, I thank you and the NMPA for all that you do to help songwriters.” His son, GRAMMY-nominated superstar Thomas Rhett performed a medley of his father's hits including “That Ain't My Truck” and "What’s Your Country Song.”

The event also featured the Billboard Songwriter Awards which crowned Gracie Abrams Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year and Aaron Dessner the Triple Threat Award winner. After accepting their awards, the duo performed together on one of their many massively successful collaborations - "I Love You, I'm Sorry."

Global Head of Apple Music Oliver Schusser sat down for a keynote with NMPA President & CEO David Israelite and shed light on Apple Music's posture within the industry. He said, “The team on a day-to-day basis makes sure that songwriters are properly represented on the service. For us it’s all about the music and the creator.”

Finally, as always, the evening culminated with the State of the Industry Address given by NMPA EVP and General Counsel Danielle Aguirre and Israelite.

Aguirre detailed the legal initiatives driving NMPA's enforcement efforts including sending six cease and desist letters this week to B2B vendors engaged in copyright infringement. These companies provide general licensing clients such as bars, casinos, and restaurants with interactive music services without obtaining proper licenses and the growing problem demands action.

Israelite discussed the latest industry growth numbers including total revenue for 2024: $7,039,926,906 - an astounding 13.41% increase year over year. This is despite Spotify and Amazon's bundling schemes depressing what should be even larger growth.

He revealed that the NMPA Legal & Business program has provided over $1.3 billion in revenue to the industry over the last 20 years. Crucially, he pointed to the fact that NMPA's efforts to fight for appropriate new income streams have established almost 27% of total industry revenue.
The thesis of the presentation was the need for songwriters and artists to stand together when negotiating where they can in a free market - critically with social media platforms who woefully underpay songwriters.

While artists utilize Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms for marketing and fan engagement - songwriters must rely on them for compensation. Therefore, to maintain a healthy songwriting ecosystem - which is crucial for artists - they must support their songwriter partners in these fights for fair pay.

As always, the event kicked off with an unsigned songwriter, and this year Veda performed a stunning original song as well as an homage to Evanescence with "Bring Me To Life."

Photos available upon request.