Performing rights organization Broadcast Music Inc. has filed for trademark on its Speed Dating for Songwriters initiative, which the company says has been one of it’s “most successful and beneficial programs.”

Established in 2013, BMI’s Speed Dating for Songwriters initially began as a way to introduce and foster creativity among some of BMI’s most promising NYC-based songwriters, producers and artists whose paths may not have otherwise crossed. Since then, the program has expanded to Los Angeles and Nashville and spawned several success stories. After making a connection during a Speed Dating session, songwriter Mike Campbell went on to co-write Daya’s Billboard chart-topping single, “Sit Still, Look Pretty” and Andrew Seltzer co-penned Maggie Rogers’ latest single “Split Stones,” which is currently featured in an ad campaign for The North Face.

“I am extremely proud of what Speed Dating for Songwriters™ has done for our affiliates,” said Samantha Cox, Assistant VP, Creative (NYC). “With this initiative, we have established a strong sense of community among our writers, fostering a thriving and supportive network of creatives. BMI is cultivating the next great generation of music creators and by providing our writers with this unique resource, Speed Dating is a testament to that commitment.”

Here’s how it works: 12 to 15 participants get acquainted, listen to each other’s music, form collaborative partnerships and obtain instant feedback, all in a short amount of time. After the event, the songwriters are then split up into groups of three or four and tasked with writing a song, which they will then perform six to eight weeks later in front of their peers and BMI’s Creative team. With the recent YouTube partnership, participants are also given an invaluable tutorial on how to increase fan engagement and viewership on the platform, and their performances are filmed in front of a live audience for each of the songwriters to share on their respective YouTube channels.

The next Speed Dating for Songwriters, in partnership with YouTube, will showcase performances by Nashville’s rising stars at BMI’s office on Music Row (10 Music Square East) on Wednesday, October 18th, beginning at 4:30 p.m. with performances at 5 p.m.

BMI was established 77 years ago. The org rights-manages music across venues including radio, broadcast and television, representing the public performance rights in nearly 13 million musical works created and owned by more than 800,000 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.

For more information on BMI and the work we do on behalf of our songwriters, please visit www.bmi.com.