Taylor Swift Re-Signs with BMI

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the global leader in music rights management, is proud to announce that international superstar Taylor Swift has re-signed with BMI for representation of the public performances of her legendary music catalog. One of the most successful and influential singer-songwriters in the world, the seven-time GRAMMY winner is also the best-selling digital music artist of all time.

"Beyond her stellar career achievements, Taylor has a unique and extraordinary connection with her fans. Through her songwriting and artistry, she has become a universal friend and has redefined the modern pop star," said BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill. "We are honored that Taylor has chosen to continue her relationship and partnership with BMI, and we are excited to continue to represent her diverse and groundbreaking catalog of music."

Known for drawing on personal experience to create narrative songs, Swift broke onto the music scene in 2006, when at the age of 16 she released her eponymous first album. It certified five times platinum and launched her meteoric rise. She is the youngest recipient in history of the GRAMMY for Album of the Year, for Fearless, and has had an extraordinary 60 entries (more than any other female artist since her debut) on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including worldwide smashes "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "You Belong With Me." Her recently released critically acclaimed fifth album, 1989, featuring the hit single, "Shake It Off," is the first platinum record of the year, and is the first album to open with one million first-week sales since her own RED in 2012 (2010's Speak Now also achieved this distinction).

With this latest record-breaking success, Swift becomes the only artist in music history to have three albums hit one million sales in a single week. BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams said, "Taylor's passion and innate ability for songwriting is remarkable. A true storyteller with wisdom and heart, the immense appeal of her music crosses genres and spans the globe. BMI is incredibly proud to have supported Taylor since the early days of her career. We look forward to working with her exceptional team, SONY/ATV and Troy Tomlinson, CEO and President of SONY/ATV Publishing Nashville." Swift joined the BMI family in 2004 at the age of 14. She has received 21 BMI Country Awards and 9 BMI Pop Awards, including winning Songwriter of the Year in 2010, as well as receiving the BMI President's Award for her outstanding achievement in songwriting with profound global influence on culture and the entertainment industry.

Shortly after joining BMI, the rising star signed a publishing deal with SONY/ATV Tree Music Publishing. Operating on a non-profit-making basis, BMI is committed to nurturing and developing emerging songwriters and connecting promising talent to industry decision-makers. With a 75-year tradition of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, BMI continues its role as the trusted broker in the digital age.

Celebrating 75 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in more than 8.5 million musical works created and owned by more than 650,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI's repertoire, from chart-toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.'s Facebook page.

Taylor Swift is the only artist in history to have three million-selling weeks (2010's Speak Now, 2012's RED and 2014's 1989). Taylor is a global superstar and seven-time GRAMMY winner, and the youngest winner in history of the music industry's highest honor, the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. She is the first artist since the Beatles (and the only female artist in history) to log six or more weeks at #1 in the U.S. with three consecutive studio albums. Taylor has an album on Rolling Stone's prestigious The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time (by women) list, Time magazine has named her one the of the 100 Most Influential People in the world, and she is Billboard's youngest-ever Woman of the Year and the only artist to have been awarded this honor twice. Taylor has career record sales in excess of 30 million albums and more than 80 million song downloads worldwide, and has had singles top both the pop and country radio charts around the globe. Taylor's album RED (Big Machine Records), released two years ago, sold more than 1.2 million copies in the U.S. in its first week and has only been topped by sales of her fifth studio album, 1989, which sold 1.287 million albums release week. 1989 is the highest selling release since 2002. "Shake It Off," the first single off her critically acclaimed fifth studio album 1989, topped Billboard's Pop, HotAC and Hot 100 charts and has earned double Platinum-status by the RIAA for exceeding sales of two million downloads in the U.S. 1989 topped Billboards Top 200 charts and iTunes' sales charts in 95 countries on its release and was the highest selling release of 2014. Her current single "Blank Space," topped the Hot 100 chart on debut. For more information please visit TaylorSwift.com or follow her on Facebook, Google +, Instagram, LINE, Tumblr and Twitter

Photo credit: TIFF