After winning the ACM and CMA Song of the Year award, Maren Morris and her co-writers have taken home the title at the BMI Pop Awards.

The crossover hit, written by BMI affiliates Morris and Laura Veltz along with Jimmy Robbins (ASCAP), appeared on Morris’ sophomore album, Girl, and climbed to the number 12 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts.

This is the first BMI Pop Award for the Morris and Veltz, who already have a combined total of 14 BMI Country Awards between them.

The co-writers were celebrated at the 69th Annual BMI Pop Awards, held virtually today (May 10). The company recognized the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the previous year’s most-performed pop songs in the United States across radio and digital streaming platforms.

Pop star Halsey was named Songwriter of the Year for having written four of the previous year’s most performed songs including “Nightmare,” “Graveyard,” “Be Kind,” and “You Should Be Sad.” With this award, Halsey earns her tenth BMI Pop Award after receiving accolades for Song of The Year at the 2020 BMI Pop Awards.

Sony Music Publishing won Publisher of the Year for the ninth time for representing 24 of the top 50 award-winning BMI Pop songs including hits “3 Nights,” “Boyfriend,” “My Oh My,” “Roses,” and “The Man.”

BMI also honored the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the 50 most-performed pop songs of the previous year. This year’s class of recipients included a record 59 first-time Pop Award winners such as BENEE, Edgar Barrera, Doja Cat, Trevor Daniel, Metro Boomin, Noah Cyrus, Roddy Ricch, SAINt JHN, JP Saxe and more.

Hits like “10,000 Hours” co-written by Jessie Jo Dillon and Shay Mooney, “I Hope” co-written by Gabby Barrett and Zach Kale, “Bang!” written and performed by AJR, Dua Lipa’s infectious dance anthem “Don’t Start Now” co-written by Caroline Ailin and Ian Kirkpatrick, and Taylor Swift’s “Lover” were also among the songs being recognized.

Read the full list of winners from 69th Annual BMI Pop Awards here.

Pictured (L-R): Oscar Chavira (CEO, WKP), Frank Ray, Jon Loba (President, BMG Nashville), Sara Knabe (VP A&R, BBR Music Group)

Bilingual recording artist Frank Ray has signed a record deal with BBR Music Group.

The Texas chart-topper will release his first song for the label, “Streetlights,” on June 11. Inspired by his Mexican heritage, the new track penned by Ray is a hybrid of country and Latin music.

Always passionate about music, Ray spent a decade as a police officer before electing to embark on a journey to pursue music full-time. He made the decision to take the leap after getting the opportunity to open for Keith Urban, performing live for several thousand fans. In the three years since, he has racked up two No. 1 singles and three Top 10 singles on Texas country radio, as well as becoming a staff songwriter at Spirit Music Nashville/Fluid Music Revolution.

“Frank wasn’t an artist pitched through the Nashville machine. I came across him, like many fans, through a new artist playlist—when I heard his vocal and unique musical direction, I immediately needed to know more,” says Sara Knabe, VP A&R BBR Music Group. “What was clear from the jump is that Frank has a defined artistry, a winning work ethic and a fresh perspective, missing from our genre. I am proud to welcome him to our roster of artists.”

“I’m incredibly excited and humbled to join the BBR Music Group family! I’ve dreamt of this moment since I was a kid and I couldn’t be more grateful to have it manifest with a team who’s as diverse and forward thinking as any label I’ve ever seen,” says Ray. “Their collaborative efforts inspire the vision I’ve had for myself in country music! I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.”

Ray is managed by Oscar Chavira and booked through WME.

With vaccines rolling out across the country and concert tours scheduling dates into the summer and fall, the Nashville music industry is beginning to resume some normalcy from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

MusicRow wants to encourage its members and readers who are looking for a music industry job to check out our Job Listings Board, located in the top menu bar on the MusicRow website.

Those who have full-time, part-time or temporary job can submit a form to list a job on our Job Listings Board. All job listings are free-to-list and will be posted for 60 days. Listings are accepted and published at the discretion of MusicRow.

Linda Bloss-Baum

SoundExchange, the leading provider of technology solutions for sound recordings and music publishing, has named Linda Bloss-Baum as Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs.

In this new role, Bloss-Baum will head up a revamped public affairs department with a focus on industry-shaping advocacy efforts in favor of the fair treatment of music creators in the digital age. She will represent SoundExchange with critical external audiences, including lawmakers, regulators and industry stakeholders. Bloss-Baum will report to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of SoundExchange, Esther-Mireya Tejeda.

Prior to SoundExchange, Bloss-Baum served as a strategic consultant to music and entertainment companies and organizations. She is an industry veteran who ran the Warner Music Group office in Washington, D.C. and served as Vice President, Public Policy/Government Relations at Universal Music Group/NBC Universal and Time Warner, Inc.

“We are at a critical juncture of transformation that will challenge the ways in which the music industry is organized and the policies we need to ensure its long-term health,” says Tejeda. “Linda’s expertise and background spanning the creator community, Capitol Hill and other policymakers is a perfect fit as SoundExchange seeks to address the industry’s challenges.”

Prior to her appointment, Bloss-Baum spent eight years serving as a liaison between SoundExchange and artists and industry leaders, most recently in the role of Senior Director, Artist and Industry Relations. Through that experience, she will be able to effectively bring together the creator and policy worlds in search of answers to pressing music business and policy issues.

“The next five years will reshape the music industry, from where and how music is created and distributed, to the systems that make the business side easier, to how we create a just and equitable ecosystem that reflects the value of artists, labels, and other creators,” says Bloss-Baum. “With a member community of over 245,000, SoundExchange is the only organization that respects the totality of the industry, giving us an important responsibility at the intersection of the technology and music ecosystems.”