ASCAP to Honor Steve Miller and Lionel Richie at 25th Annual Pop Music Awards on April 9 in Los Angeles

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 6, 2008) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) will honor Lionel Richie and Steve Miller at its 25th Annual Pop Music Awards on April 9th at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Richie and Miller will be presented with the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award, which is presented to songwriters, composers, and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones. The invitation-only gala will also honor the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed pop songs of 2007.

Commenting on the two Golden Note honorees, ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman said, "As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Pop Awards, we are especially proud to spotlight the achievements of ASCAP members Steve Miller and Lionel Richie. Both of them are iconic music creators whose enduring and instantly recognizable songs say, 'America' around the world."

Previous ASCAP Golden Note Award honorees include Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, LL Cool J and George Michael, among others.

Steve Miller, born in Wisconsin and raised in Texas, is one of the most beloved rock & roll stars of the past four decades. He emerged out of the same mid-1960s Chicago music scene that produced the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Relocating to San Francisco at the beginning of the psychedelic rock era, the Steve Miller Band became one of the most notable Bay Area acts of the late 1960s and early 70s, with such FM Rock Radio staples as "Living in the USA" and "Space Cowboy." In the mid-1970s the Steve Miller Band broke through to worldwide success as an arena rock attraction with a series of multi-Platinum selling albums ("The Joker," "Fly Like an Eagle," "Book of Dreams") and Top Ten hits written or co-written by Miller, including "The Joker," "Fly Like an Eagle," "Take the Money and Run," "Rock'n Me," "Swingtown," and "Abracadabra." Miller, whose music enthusiast father introduced him as a child to such musicians as Les Paul and Charles Mingus, is well known for his guitar excellence, mastery of the studio and showmanship.

Lionel Richie, a native of Tuskegee, Alabama, joined a rhythm & blues band called the Commodores as a saxophonist. During the late 1970s and early 80s, Richie's original songs would bring the Commodores success after success on both the Pop and R&B charts with such hits as "Easy," "Still," "Three Times a Lady" and "Sail On." After writing and recording (as a duet with Diana Ross) the Oscar-nominated "Endless Love" movie theme, Richie embarked on a monumental solo career that brought him four Grammy Awards and a Best Song Academy Award (for "Say You, Say Me" from the film, "White Nights"). His best-selling albums, "Lionel Richie," "Can't Slow Down" and "Dancing on the Ceiling" were filled with chart-topping hits written by Richie, including "You Are," "Truly," "All Night Long (All Night)," "Hello," "Penny Lover," "Running with the Night," "Dancing on the Ceiling" and "Ballerina Girl." Richie also co-wrote, with Michael Jackson, the USA for Africa anthem, "We Are the World." Richie is a three-time ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year honoree. He earned the coveted prize at the very first Pop Music Awards in 1984, and again in 1985 and 1986.

The songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed pop songs of 2007 will also be honored at the awards ceremony. Top awards will be given to 'Songwriter of the Year,' 'Song of the Year' and 'Publisher of the Year,' in addition to the presentation of the 'ASCAP Vanguard Award,' which recognizes the impact of musical genres which help shape the future of American music.

The 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards is part of ASCAP's "I Create Music Week" -- an entire week of events being held in Los Angeles to celebrate the voice of the music creator. More details to be announced.

Members of the press may apply for credentials at http://www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/popawards/.

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 315,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com