Playback Magazine

Pianist-composer Emily Bear held an album release party on Wednesday, May 15th to celebrate her debut effort, Diversity. Living proof that big things come in small packages, Emily stunned attendees with an intimate performance of material both old and new.

ASCAP member Ray Manzarek, founding keyboardist and songwriter for the Doors, and later a notable solo artist and record producer, died at age of 74 in Germany on May 20th.

On this season's All-Star Celebrity Apprentice finale, Donald Trump named ASCAP member Trace Adkins the big winner. But the real winner is the American Red Cross, the charity Adkins was playing for. In the last episode, Adkins raised $564K to add to his total of $1.5 million to be donated to the charity.

The Great Gatsby enjoyed one of the year's biggest opening weekends at the box office so far. The Monday after Gatsby debuted in theaters, the Recording Academy and Warner Bros. Pictures co-presented a screening and panel discussion with ASCAP writer-producer Rick Nowels and music executives Darren Higman and Tony Seyler, all of whom contributed to the film's ambitious soundtrack.

JCBUS's third album is a bit of leap for the Chicago-based, Bloodshot Records band, featuring more intimate songwriting and a wider sonic palette than in earlier efforts. The result is an indefinable mix of soul, funk and rock with lyrics that tackle the messiness of modern love. Preview Howl now in this ASCAP Audio Portrait.

ASCAP's top Christian music songwriters and publishers were honored on Mon., May 6th in Franklin, TN. Renowned songwriter and guitarist Phil Keaggy received the ASCAP Golden Note Award and top honorees included Songwriter/Artist of the Year Matthew West, Song of the Year writer Matt Redman & Publisher of the Year Capitol CMG.

The two ASCAP composers have been granted this prestigious title as part of a nationwide initiative to expand artistic and personal freedom for creative leaders in the fields of jazz, contemporary dance and theatre.

The Polar Music Prize is awarded to individuals, groups or institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music. The two ASCAP affiliates will receive the international music prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on August 27th, 2013.

For yet another year, our composers and songwriters dominated the nominations field for daytime TV’s highest honor. ASCAP members Jack Allocco, David Kurtz, Joey Mazzarino and Bill Sherman lead the pack with three nods each.

ASCAP's 2013 General Annual Membership Meeting was held on Thursday, April 18th at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The meeting kicked off the 2013 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO, the annual three-day conference for music creators featuring educational and inspiring panels, networking opportunities and exhibits.

Scottish songwriter Liam Horne was surrounded by violence and drug abuse from a young age, but his life changed when his uncle convinced him to explore his potential as a musician. A couple years down the road, Horne has had songs cut by Justin Bieber, Neon Hitch and Pixie Lott. We asked him about his amazing journey.

While the afterglow of this year’s eighth annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO still burns, here’s a look back at some of the highlights, from lessons learned to great photo and video moments from the heart of it all in Hollywood.

ASCAP composer Atli Örvarsson highlighted the all-star Evolution of Film & TV Music panel at this year's Newport Beach Film Festival. The award-winning composer of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and NBC's Chicago Fire is a graduate of the ASCAP TV & Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis.

Josh Ritter has never released songs that are as personal and autobiographical as those that appear on his seventh studio effort, The Beast In Its Tracks. Propelled by a marriage that fell apart, his self-proclaimed "break-up record" is intimate and at times both angry and joyful, expressing hope through the pain of heartbreak.

With this announcement, Drake joins a long list of music titans at ASCAP, including Pharrell Williams, Quincy Jones, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, as well as his longtime OVO partners and producers Boi-1da and Noah "40" Shebib.