ASCAP CEO JOHN A. LOFRUMENTO TO BE HONORED WITH VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AWARD
AT THE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME ANNUAL INDUCTION AND AWARDS GALA
Previously Announced Honorees Include Inductees Bobby Braddock, Willie Dixon, Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia, Toby Keith, Cyndi Lauper and Linda Perry and Special Award Recipients Van Morrison, Lady Gaga, and Nate Ruess.
NEW YORK – May 7, 2015 – John LoFrumento, recently retired Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP), will be awarded the Visionary Leadership Award at the 46th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 18th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The Visionary Leadership Award acknowledges a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors who has made a significant contribution in furthering the ongoing mission of the organization and in elevating the Songwriters Hall of Fame to a level of prominence and distinction. The award has been presented twice before, to SHOF Chairman Emeritus, Hal David and to Del Bryant.
“As a Senior Vice President of the SHOF organization, John’s remarkable acumen in financial and executive matters, as well as his tremendous foresight, have contributed to his being a vital team member and has enabled SHOF not only to achieve its early goals, but also to continue to expand its ongoing mission,” said SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran. “We are grateful for John’s dedication, passion and compassion for the songwriting community and especially for the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”
Over the past 17 years, LoFrumento led ASCAP to record-breaking revenues and distribution numbers. In 1981, he began at ASCAP as Controller, and has since served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and in 1997, he was named Chief Executive Officer of ASCAP, leading the organization in its commitment to protecting its members’ musical copyrights of public performance of their music.
As CEO, LoFrumento helped ASCAP develop one of the most sophisticated technology platforms for performance tracking and royalty distributions across all media. At the same time, ASCAP’s membership and distributions grew exponentially from 70,000 members in 1997 with distributions totaling about $417 million, to 520,000 members today, with 2014 distributions that exceeded $883 million. 2014 also marked a milestone in ASCAP revenues, which soared to an all-time high of over one billion dollars. Further, the number of musical performances captured, identified, matched and processed for payment by ASCAP reached 500 billion in 2014.
ASCAP licenses the most-performed repertory globally, with 10 million compositions created by the best-loved songwriters and composer members, including such hit-makers as Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Luke, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Hans Zimmer, Justin Timberlake, Billy Joel, Drake, Ne-Yo and many more.
LoFrumento’s tenure at the helm of ASCAP also includes many “firsts” within the music industry, among them the “I Create Music” EXPO, the first national conference dedicated to songwriters and composers, as well as the creation and growth of MusicPro Insurance, the first and only affordable insurance agency for music professionals.
LoFrumento represented ASCAP as a member of CISAC’s Board of Directors, and served as Chairman of the CISAC Canada/USA Committee. He has also served on the Board of Directors of FastTrack, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Latin Songwriters Hall of fame.
Inductees at this year’s event include Bobby Braddock, Willie Dixon, Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia, Toby Keith, Cyndi Lauper and Linda Perry. Van Morrison will be honored with the Johnny Mercer Award, Lady Gaga will be presented with the first-ever Contemporary Icon Award and fun.’s Nate Ruess will receive the Hal David Starlight Award.
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The list includes Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Richard & Robert Sherman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Donovan and Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at http://songwritershalloffame.org/. Joining online is quick and easy: http://songhall.org/join
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,250 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $170. Contributions, for which no goods or services are received in exchange, are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.
