November - December 2002

PRESIDENT'S LETTER

On October 9, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Eldred v. Ashcroft, involving the constitutionality of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) of 1998. The CTEA extended the terms of all copyrights by 20 years and, as ASCAP members know, its enactment was a major goal and accomplishment of our legislative agenda over the past decade.

A group of Internet users claim that the term extension violates the Constitution's copyright clause in extending the term of existing copyrights, because (they argue) the purpose of the copyright law is to encourage the creation of new works, not to give already-created works more protection. They also argue that it violates the guarantee of freedom of speech embodied in the First Amendment, because users who expected that works would go into the public domain had their expectations frustrated. The two lower courts which heard the case disagreed, and upheld the constitutionality of the law.

Because the issues go to the heart of the constitutional basis for copyright protection, this is probably the most significant copyright case the Supreme Court has heard in a generation. And because term extension is so vitally important to all ASCAP members, ASCAP, as well as a group of 16 distinguished ASCAP symphonic and concert composers, filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the law. So did many other music groups, and copyright creators and owners in other fields. Two of the most significant briefs supporting the law were filed by Senator (and ASCAP member) Orrin Hatch, and by the chairmen and ranking members of the House Judiciary Committee and Intellectual Property Subcommittee: Reps. James Sensenbrenner, Howard Coble, John Conyers and Howard Berman. When, as here, the government is the defendant, it is represented in the Supreme Court by the Solicitor General's office. The importance of the case, and of the support for the CTEA, was shown by the fact that the Solicitor General himself, rather than a member of his staff, argued the case.

The Supreme Court is not expected to hand down its decision until well after the first of the year, but we are continuing to make ASCAP's voice heard in this ongoing debate; members of ASCAP's management and legal team have participated in many panel discussions, written many articles, and spoken frequently to the media, explaining why support for creators and copyright owners of music is vital to our nation's well-being. We will continue to do everything we can to protect the copyrights and livelihoods of our more than 145,000 members.

On another note, in this issue of Playback, you will find coverage of our annual award events, which recognize members who have had the most performances of their works in the prior year. The winners highlighted in these pages -- from the worlds of Film and Television, Pop, Rhythm and Soul, Latin, Concert and Christian Music - offer a clear picture of ASCAP's strong and diverse membership. I congratulate all of this year's honorees.

Marilyn Bergman
President and Chairman of the Board

James Taylor, Tony Bennett, Beyoncé Knowles, Dido, Holly Lamar, Dirk Lance from Incubus, Desmond Child, Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, Lenny Kravitz, Train, N'Sync, Uncle Kracker, Staind, Alicia Keys, U2, BBMak and Madonna were among those honored May 20 at the 19th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Over 600 leading songwriters, recording artists and music industry notables gathered to salute the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed songs of the year at the gala, hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman. Richard Marx opened the show with a special performance of his award-winning song, "This I Promise You," which was a smash hit for N'Sync.

Along with honorees and performers, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Richard Marx and k.d. lang, other ASCAP honorees and notables attending tonight's celebration were Incubus, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Richie Sambora, Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi of The Strokes, Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon, Crazy Town, Joe Henry, Steve Vai, Tricky, Hal David, Johnny Mandel and Alan Bergman.

The evening was highlighted with the presentation of major awards to two giants of popular music -- James Taylor and Tony Bennett.

Shawn Colvin congratulates Founders Award winner James Taylor.

James Taylor was presented with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award, which honors pioneering songwriters who have made exceptional contributions to music. As both a singer and songwriter, Taylor's unique qualities have earned him recent induction into two of pop music's most exclusive clubs -- the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards and numerous Gold and Platinum Records. Among his many memorable songs are: "Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "Country Road," "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "You're Smiling Face," "Hey Mister, That's Me Up on the Jukebox," "Copperline," "Mexico" and many others.

Shawn Colvin performed as part of ASCAP's special tribute to Taylor and was on hand to co-present this prestigious award with Marilyn Bergman.

The ASCAP Pied Piper award was presented to Tony Bennett in recognition of his consummate musical artistry and extraordinary career as the foremost interpreter of the "Great American Songbook."

Bennett is world-renowned as a singular artist, one of the most gifted of our time. He has introduced countless songs into the popular repertory, including "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "I Wanna Be Around," among so many others. His renditions are and will remain enduring classics. Bennett has multiple Grammy Awards to his credit including a Lifetime Achievement Award. Artist k.d. lang joined Marilyn Bergman to co-present this prestigious award to Bennett and later performed a duet with Bennett as part of ASCAP's special tribute in his honor.

Bergman commented, "ASCAP is extremely proud to honor James Taylor and Tony Bennett with these special awards. They have touched audiences the world over during their remarkable careers and they continue to influence the most popular artists of our time. They have created enduring musical legacies that will enrich generations to come".

Songwriter of the Year honors went to Beyoncé Knowles whose father, Mathew Knowles, accepted the award on her behalf. The three award-winning songs that Beyoncé wrote or co-wrote are: "Independent Women Part I," "Jumpin Jumpin" and "Survivor." Dido was honored with Song of the Year for the worldwide smash hit "Thank You."

ASCAP Pop Music Awards Publisher of the Year honors were presented by ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento to Warner/ Chappell for their 16 winning songs: "All For You," "Crazy," "Don't Tell Me," "Everything You Want," "I Knew I Loved You," "It Wasn't Me," "It's Been A While," "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," Love Don't Cost A Thing," "Music," "Outside," "Pinch Me," "Taking You Home," "Thank You," "The Way You Love Me" and "You're A God."

Songwriter Holly Lamar received special recognition for the song "Breathe" (Cal IV Entertainment, Inc.), the major hit by Faith Hill, which according to Billboard Airplay Monitor was the most-performed song on radio in 2000. Billboard's L.A. Bureau Chief Melinda Newman, co-presented the award to Lamar with ASCAP Executive Vice President Todd Brabec.

The ASCAP College Vanguard Award, to the artist whose collective body of work over the year garnered the most performances on college radio, went to The Strokes. Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi of the Strokes were on hand to receive the award.

Pop Music Awards Photos
Complete List of Winners and More Event Coverage
Video Clips from Behind the Scenes at ASCAP's 2002 Award Shows

Playback : November - December 2002
ASCAP Playback