The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) hosted its 30th annual Pop Music Awards tonight at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. The star-studded event, which was attended by hundreds of songwriters, recording artists and music industry leaders, paid special tribute to Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith and producer Diplo, and honored the songwriters and publishers of the most performed ASCAP songs on the 2012 pop charts.Top awards were presented to:Songwriter of the Year: Max MartinSong of the Year: “We Are Young” by fun., written by Andrew Dost and Nate RuessPublisher of the Year: Sony/ATV Tunes LLCIndependent Publisher of the Year: Prescription Songs LLCPublisher Administrator of the Year: Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc.Legendary rock stars Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith were honored with the ASCAP Founders Award. Due to an unexpected date change on their Australian tour, however, the duo were absent for the ceremony. Instead, a special pre-taped acceptance video from Tyler and Perry was played for those in attendance.The ASCAP Founders Award is among the most prestigious honors that ASCAP gives to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius that will enrich generations to come. Past recipients include Ashford & Simpson, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Smokey Robinson, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Tom Waits, Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart), Stevie Wonder and Neil Young.Prolific producer and DJ Diplo was honored with the ASCAP Vanguard Award. The ASCAP Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Past ASCAP Vanguard Award honorees include The All-American Rejects, Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Beastie Boys, Beck, Björk, Jack Johnson, The Killers, Modest Mouse and The Strokes.Max Martin was named the ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year for the third consecutive year and sixth time in his career – more than anyone else in Pop Awards history. Martin penned an impressive seven of the most performed hit songs of 2012, including “Domino” by Jessie J, “One More Night” by Maroon 5, “Part of Me” by Katy Perry and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. The Swedish songwriter-producer also earned the coveted prize in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2011 and 2012 for writing a string of hits, including “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” by The Backstreet Boys, “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, “That’s The Way It Is” by Celine Dion, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher with Pitbull and “Blow” by Ke$ha.Andrew Dost and Nate Ruess of fun. collected the ASCAP Pop Song of the Year award for “We Are Young” by fun. The lead single from their sophomore effort Some Nights, “We Are Young” features vocals from Dost and Ruess’s fellow ASCAP songwriter Janelle Monáe, was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks and became the first song to ever log seven weeks of 300,000 or more in digital sales.ASCAP Publisher of the Year honors went to Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, which was honored for an astounding 22 award-winning songs. ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento presented the award to Sony/ATV CEO Martin Bandier and the Sony/ATV creative team. Inaugural awards for Independent Publisher of the Year and Publisher Administrator of the Year went to Prescription Songs LLC and Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., respectively.The evening featured a performance by singer-songwriter Priscilla Renea and a special tribute performance to former ASCAP President and Board member Hal David by indie pop duo by The Bird and the Bee (Inara George and Greg Kurstin), who performed the classic David-penned “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The event was attended by some of the top names in the music and entertainment industry, including Boi-1da, Nick Carter, Dr. Luke, Carl Falk, Becky G, Debbie Gibson, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Savan Kotecha, Katharine McPhee, Ne-Yo, Rick Nowels, Rami and Noah “40” Shebib, among many others.
