Tim Rice will be the 2023 recipient of the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award at the 52nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 15, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The Johnny Mercer Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. Tim Rice was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.
SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said, “Tim Rice is an artisan. He has crafted some of the greatest lyrics and stories in musical history with “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and his incredible work with Andrew Lloyd Webber being amongst my favorites. In the ’70s, we used to say, ‘What’s The Buzz’ because of him. More than 50 years later, the buzz is still Tim Rice!”
Tim Rice said, “I am truly honored to be chosen to receive the Johnny Mercer Award. My induction into the SHOF was itself a highlight of my writing career and I never expected to receive any further recognition from the most distinguished gathering of songwriters in the world. So, I am bowled over (a cricketing metaphor) with gratitude. I have attended quite a few SHOF events in the past twenty-five years and they have always been among the most enjoyable of entertainment world extravaganzas – unpretentious, unpredictable, and spectacular. So, June 15, 2023, is a golden booking in my electronic diary.”
A member of the exclusive group of 18 entertainers who have achieved EGOT status, Tim Rice has won an Emmy Award, five Grammy Awards, three Tony Awards, and three Academy Awards throughout his career. He has collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on “The Likes Of Us,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita.” He has also worked Elton John (“The Lion King,” “Aida”), Alan Menken (“Aladdin,” “King David,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (“Chess”), and Stuart Brayson (“From Here to Eternity”). He has also written with Freddie Mercury, Burt Bacharach, and Rick Wakeman, among others.
Inductees at this year’s event include Sade, Glen Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley and Liz Rose.
+ Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Susan Tedeschi has announced today that she has signed with CAA’s senior music agent Brian Greenbaum, who also represents Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Blake Mills and more.
Earlier this year it was announced that Tedeschi and her husband, guitarist Derek Trucks, joined Full Stop Management for their solo endeavors. Andy Mendelsohn, who is also Kings of Leon manager, has partnered with longtime Tedeschi Trucks Band manager Blake Budney of Milestone Music Management to direct the band.
+ The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) have announced a new partnership to launch, sustain and support “OnRamp,” a guaranteed-income program for 20 young, Black members of the music community, including artists and industry professionals, in Nashville.
According to the announcement, the OnRamp program, focused on improving inclusivity and equity within Music City, aims to empower the next generation of leaders in the early stages of their careers by granting access to professional development opportunities, community mentorship, and other opportunities to increase personal growth, industry exposure, exclusive Academy membership panels and tentpole live events, and visibility with Academy Board members and industry leaders. Additionally, through the program, each participant will receive a $1,000 monthly stipend for one year.
OnRamp applications will be available starting in late Spring with the program starting in June, in celebration of Black Music Month and to commemorate the Black Music Action Coalition’s third anniversary. Interested candidates can visit acmcountry.com/onramp today to sign up for email notifications when applications are rolled out. This inaugural program will initially be funded by the Black Music Action Coalition, the Academy of Country Music, and industry partners, and powered by social impact agency BreatheWithMe.
+ MPRS Global — a royalty collection and administration service founded by the team behind Mtheory — has named Rob Brown chief operating officer.
Pronounced “empress,” MPRS brings together a team of industry experts and proprietary technology, creating the music industry’s first master royalty-specific administration platform. The organization works with a multitude of producers, mixers and catalog owners to ensure that their catalogs are complete and all master royalties are being properly calculated and paid. Last year, the company administered more than $12 million worth of royalties for clients around the world.
Brown joins the rapidly expanding company with nearly 12 years of experience at Kobalt Music Group under his belt, most recently as Vice President of Business Affairs & Commercial Strategy.
“Defining a much-needed category of rights management for producers and mixers requires vision, leadership and integrity, qualities Rob embodies perfectly,” says MPRS CEO Jon McMillan. “He’s a veteran executive with an intimate understanding of the creative community that powers our industry, and we are thrilled to welcome him as our chief operating officer.”
+ Amazon Music and Berlin-based AI sound wellness app Endel will produce a sleep playlist, making Endel the first generative AI company to collaborate with the service on a playlist. Drawing on extensive research into the neuroscience of sleep, the playlist lasts roughly 8 hours or until the listener awakens, and is available on Amazon Music.
The sleep playlist created with Amazon Music, titled “Sleep Science,” opens with an Amazon Original track featuring electronic duo Kx5 (Kaskade and deadmau5). The source material, including synths and chill vocals, was processed by Endel Pacific to create a high-quality, relaxing soundscape activating the parasympathetic nervous system and getting the listener ready for sleep. Endel Pacific is Endel’s patented AI-engine, which creates scientifically backed sleep tracks that follow natural sleep phases, first preparing the brain for sleep, then aiding as the listener falls and stays asleep. All while providing quality sound pleasurable to listeners and backed by scientific research into sleep, circadian rhythms, and psychoacoustics.
“At Endel, we’ve been invested in the neuroscience of functional sound since day one,” says Oleg Stavitsky, co-founder and CEO of Endel. “To successfully deliver functional music, neuroscience has to guide AI technology. The human mind must be at the forefront of this experience.”
“We’re excited to work with Endel to provide an optimal experience for Amazon Music listeners looking to wind down and settle into sleep,” said Stephen Brower, global co-lead of artist relations for Amazon Music. “We look forward to our customers discovering their science backed approach as well as their curatorial instincts for unique artist collaborations, including Kx5’s new Amazon Original release.”
+ Atlanta-based hip-hop and R&B record label Love Renaissance (LVRN) has appointed nine-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox as senior VP of A&R and executive producer.
Cox will focus on breaking new talent as well as further developing the label’s current roster which includes Summer Walker, 6LACK and Alex Vaughn, among others. He will also executive produce all in-house projects. He has previously produced for artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber.
“A&R has become a lost art in this new generation of music because of the gap in relationship between A&R, the artist and the label. Bryan-Michael Cox is a respected and accomplished producer and executive, and he’s the perfect addition to our team to help continue in bridging that gap,” says Justice Baiden, LVRN co-founder.