ASCAP issued the following announcement on July 10.
Bad Bunny Is ASCAP Latin Music Songwriter of the Year;
Romeo Santos Is Songwriter/Artist of the Year;
Daddy Yankee ft. Snow's "Con Calma" Is Latin Song of the Year
Universal Music Publishing Group Named Publisher of the Year
Kobalt Songs Music Publishing Honored as Independent Publisher of the Year
The 2020 ASCAP Latin Music Awards, taking place this year in an innovative social media format, rose to new heights across all digital platforms.
Exclusive photos and videos from Latin music's top songwriters, producers and publishers were shared via @ASCAPLatino and @ASCAP on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. A complete list of winners can be found on the ASCAP website: www.ascap.com/latinawards20.
As part of ASCAP Experience: Home Edition, ASCAP also hosted virtual conversations with Alexandra Lioutikoff, President Latin America and US Latin of Universal Music Publishing Group, ASCAP Latin Music Publisher of the Year, interviewed by Billboard's Leila Cobo; and with Grammy-winning, two-time ASCAP Latin Songwriter of the Year Claudia Brant and Loren Medina, owner of Guerrera Marketing & PR.
Highlights included:
- ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams remarking in his video introducing this year's Latin Music Awards that "Latin music – your music – is some of the most popular music in the world. That's because its rhythms, passion, honesty and deep love for both tradition and transcending borders speaks to all of us – no matter what language we speak."
- In a virtual conversation for ASCAP Experience: Home Edition, Alexandra Lioutikoff, President Latin America and US Latin of Universal Music Publishing Group (ASCAP Latin Music Publisher of the Year), expressed, "Latin is not a genre. Latin is the umbrella of a culture. We have many different genres from Pop to Regional Mexican to Salsa, and others. We have different countries with different tastes. Latin is a highway with many exits! Because of the explosion of Latin music, it has become extremely important to the industry in general."
- In her ASCAP Experience: Home Edition panel, Claudia Brant advised up-and-coming songwriters: "When I write music, I do it with the artists. My process is I try to be a little bit of a shrink. I need to understand their personality, their likes. When I work with an artist, they all have their own universe, their own sensitivity. I have to get to know them. It's not a factory here. To write a song is a very intimate moment and I need to have a connection. When I write for myself it's more like 2AM in the morning with a glass of wine. There is more freedom about it."
- ASCAP Board members and legendary songwriters shared their excitement and gratitude to the winners. Desmond Child commented: "Music makes us dance, sing and feel from the bottom of our hearts. It brings us hope, make us feel alive. During these difficult times the power of music help us lift our lives and our spirits." Rudy Perez added: "Your songs have been an inspiration, thanks for everything you do and for being part of the ASCAP family."
- Puerto Rican singer/songwriter, musician and actor Pedro Capó and urban music star Farruko celebrated their win for their smash hit and first-time collaboration "Calma," a homage to Capó's childhood about enjoying life in the outdoors on his native island. Farruko also won an award for "Si Se Da" and thanked the producers and collaborators of the songs.
- Colombian native Silvestre Dangond posted an unboxing video for his award for "Vivir Bailando."
- Carlos Vives received an award for "Si Me Das Tu Amor" ft. Wisin and sent a special congratulations video to Kobalt Music and the Kobalt team, recipient of their first ever "Independent Publisher of the Year."
- ASCAP Award winner Marc Anthony shared an Instagram story and Facebook post with background music of the moment he opened the box containing his award for "Parecen Viernes," one of the singles from his most recent album OPUS. He also thanked @ascaplatino for his 2020 award and dedicated the recognition to all of his fans.
Some of the notable musical performances of the 3-day fiesta included:
- Descemer's Bueno and Nesty performing a refreshing upbeat acoustic version of winning song "Aullando" in a clever social distancing format, using technology to surround themselves in harmony with six musicians playing from their separate homes. Descemer returned for another performance of his winning song "Amor a Primera Vista" with fellow songwriter Horacio Palencia.
- Two-time winner Sebastian Yatra performed an acoustic guitar version of his winning song "Un Año" in ballad form outdoors in his backyard in Colombia. He also won an ASCAP award for "Date la Vuelta."
- Kris Nava de T3r Elemento took his winning song "Aerolínea Carrillo" to a studio stage in Los Angeles accompanied by a close friend.
- Silverio Lozada celebrated his win for "Aullando" with an acoustic version of the urban music hit.
About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With more than 750,000 members representing more than 11.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.
Original source can be found here.
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