Lou Taylor, CEO of Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group.

Tri Star Sports And Entertainment Group CEO Lou Taylor has created a new Sports & Entertainment Finish Line grant program to offer support for Black students who have excelled in school and need financial support to complete their degree. The first recipient of the $70,000 Finish Line Scholarship will be Spelman College, the No. 1 ranked Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

In June of 2020, Taylor and the Tri Star leadership team determined they would create action items that supported the Black Lives Matter Movement, which lead to creating a college grant program that could serve the Black community. Tri Star worked with Spelman President Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jessie Brooks to create the scholarship.

Photo: Courtesy of Spelman College

The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) held its 4th annual Global Music Publishing Summit online this week (June 7 – 9).

The summit kicked off with Creator Day on June 7, followed by Business of Publishing Day on June 8, and wrapping with International Day on June 9.

Below are some highlights:

The online programming June 7’s Creator Day started with a welcome from AIMP National Chair and Nashville Chapter President John Ozier, Los Angeles Chapter President Teri Nelson Carpenter, and New York Chapter President Michael Lau, before heading into a presentation from strategic HR firm EnterGain who delved into the results of a survey of the AIMP membership conducted to create a starting point for its efforts to be a more diverse and inclusive organization that promotes equity for its members. EnterGain Senior Advisor Yuna Perry and Managing Directors James Celentano and Mikal Celentano presented the results, which can be viewed here.

RCA Nashville artist Andrew Jannakos then discussed his path from The Voice to viral TikTok star to recording artist with his manager Andrew Cohen of Cohencidence Projects, Derek Wells (Senior Director, A&R, Spirit Music Group), and moderator MaryAnn Keen (Associate Director of Writer Publisher Relations, BMI).

The Songwriter Keynote featured Craig Wiseman, songwriter and Founder of Big Loud Publishing, in conversation with John Titta, EVP of Membership at ASCAP. The two discussed Wiseman’s rise from a bar-band drummer in Mississippi to writing a song for fellow writer/drummer Don Henley to duet with Kenny Rogers, and much more.

June 8’s Business of Publishing Day included a discussion on exactly what it means to be an “indie publisher;” a keynote from U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); a conversation amongst the leadership of the NMPA, A2IM, RIAA, NSAI, AIMP, and Music Business Association; and special presentations from The U.S. Copyright Office and The MLC.

Former AIMP President Michael Eames (President, PEN Music Group) kicked off the day’s events with a discussion of his recent op-ed for Billboard, “In 2021, How Do We Define an ‘Indie’ Publisher?” Eames then moderated the Indie Perspective panel, featuring Mike Molinar (General Manager, Big Machine), Kathy Spanberger (President and COO, Peermusic), Jim Selby (Chief Publishing Executive, Concord Music), Neil Gillis (President, Round Hill), Tony Alexander (Co-Founder, President, and Managing Director, MIME), and AIMP National Chair and Nashville Chapter President Ozier (EVP Creative, Reservoir).

U.S. Sen. Blackburn (R-TN), a key advocate of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), delivered the Business Keynote, discussing the many pieces of legislation that affect songwriters and publishers, from SBA loans, capital gains, recording expense write-offs to the HITS Act, and more; noting that she and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) intend to reintroduce the AM-FM Act as well.

David Israelite (President & CEO, NMPA), Dr. Richard James Burgess (President & CEO, A2IM), Mitch Glazier (Chairman & CEO, RIAA), Bart Herbison (Executive Director, NSAI), AIMP LA Chapter President Carpenter (CEO, Reel Muzik Werks), and moderator Portia Sabin (President, Music Business Association) then joined forces for the U.S. Alliance panel, an annual favorite at the Global Music Publishing Summit. The MLC CEO Kris Ahrend then took the stage for a special presentation on the organization’s progress, including having held over 200 educational webinars to date.

The final day, June 9’s International Day, brought the global music publishing industry into focus, with a keynote from CISAC’s Gadi Oron, the far-ranging International Alliance panel, and much more.

The day kicked off with the AIMP/IMPF Networking Mixer, where attendees were randomly placed in 4-person Zoom rooms for 10 minutes each. Carpenter and AIMP NY Chapter Vice President Debbie Rose (President, Kokopelli Music Group/Sundae Songs) then walked conference attendees through new international initiatives being worked on at CISAC regarding Cue Sheet Standardization and Music in Commercials.

The Summit came to a close with the International Alliance panel, featuring Will Kreth (EIDR, DDEX), Margaret McGuffin (CEO, Music Publishers Canada), Dr. Kristina Janušauskaitė (Director of European Legal Affairs, IFPI), AIMP NY Chapter President Michael Lau (CEO, Laud Music/Imachew Music), and moderator Ger Hatton (Principal, Hatton.eu).

For more information about AIMP, click here.

Priscilla Block, Lilly Hiatt, and Regi Wooten and Friends have been added to the lineup for Nashville’s downtown 4th of July celebration, Let Freedom Sing! presented by Dr Pepper.

As previously announced, Brad Paisley will headline the giant show on Lower Broadway, which will feature the largest fireworks show in Nashville history with the pyrotechnics synchronized to a live performance by the Nashville Symphony. Sirius XM host Storme Warren will serve as emcee on the First and Broadway stage, and Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero will be conducting for the first time in over a decade. Jason Eskridge will perform the National Anthem, and veteran support group Operation Song will kick off the lineup of live music. The Nashville Symphony will perform at Ascend Amphitheater at the conclusion of the concert. The fireworks show will be from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The free, family-friendly event has regularly drawn more than 200,000, and as many as 343,000 in 2019. This will be the 18th annual celebration produced by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and the 37th in the city’s history.

“We are proud to bring together this diverse lineup to celebrate Independence Day in a big way,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “The free event is a thank you to Nashvillians after the year we’ve had, as well as a way to jumpstart our tourism economy with an influx of visitors. They will find a lot of reasons for an extended visit to Nashville – from an ALABAMA concert at Bridgestone Arena to a Nashville SC match on July 5 and more.”

To begin its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative, the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) partnered with EnterGain to conduct a survey of its members in order to have a starting point for its efforts to be a more diverse and inclusive organization. EnterGain Senior Advisor Yuna Perry and Managing Directors James Celentano and Mikal Celentano presented the results at the AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit that took place this week.

While this was the first survey of its kind for the AIMP, it was sent to all 1,006 AIMP members with a 16% response rate. Almost 80% of respondents chose “white” as one of their ethnicities, and compared to the U.S. population, membership was underrepresented in all other ethnicities. For example, 6.6% identified as Black/African American, and 7% as Hispanic/Latinx. 82% of respondents identify as straight, 10% “preferred not to say,” and LGBTQ is represented at 8%.

80% of respondents said over 80% of their income comes from music-related activities. They work across a multiplicity of genres, and 52% are self-employed or work at companies with 5 or fewer employees. Most noted they rely on the AIMP for education and networking.

When it comes to education level, 26% of respondents have a 4-year non-music degree; an additional 25% have a 4-year music business degree; and 8% earned a 4-year music degree and 18% of respondents have a graduate degree.

While a majority (92%) said they did not have a disability, when asked about their needs at future in-person events, many had the same requests for accessibility options as respondents who did indicate they have a disability. These groups expressed interest in visual and auditory assistance, accessible restrooms, ramps/elevators, parking, and service animals. Also, approximately 40% of all respondents showed interest in continuing virtual/online events.

On a 5-point scale ranging from Not Diverse at All to Exceptionally Diverse, nearly 90% of respondents rated the independent music publishing community as at least Somewhat Diverse or better.

“Response to the survey showed that the AIMP community is ready to engage in these important topics,” said EnterGain co-founder and Managing Director Celentano. “A lot of actionable insight is coming out of the survey phase of the AIMP’s DEI initiative, and we look forward to facilitating the upcoming DEI workshops, to explore how AIMP members can foster an even more welcoming and equitable independent publishing community,” added Perry, Senior Advisor at EnterGain.

“It was so important for us to ask our members the kind of questions that don’t come up in typical day-to-day conversations, so we can see where we can help support and educate our community to be a better environment for everyone,” said John Ozier, AIMP National Chair and Nashville Chapter President. “We are already addressing some of the specific requests with the trainings, upcoming new website, an initial meeting on July 15 to gauge interest in an Atlanta chapter, and our LA Chapter has already established a DEI Committee. And we’re so pleased to be able to offer to our members a free, three-session workshop on DEI from EnterGain to help educate and empower our members around these issues.”

EnterGain will conduct a three-session workshop series at no cost to AIMP members interested in deepening their understanding of the barriers and solutions around diversity, equity, and inclusion and provide actionable takeaways that can be applied in their professional lives. The three 90-minute training sessions are scheduled for June 21, June 28, and July 6 at 1 p.m. CST. They will be co-led by two executive-level facilitators from EnterGain, with virtual session tools and interactive discussions.

Registration is now open to all AIMP members. To register, click here.