AIMP LA Selects Primary Wave Music as 2020 Indie Publisher of the Year, NSAI’s Bart Herbison as Recipient of Individual Award

November 12, 2020 (Los Angeles) – The Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has announced Primary Wave Music as the recipient of its 2020 Indie Publisher of the Year Award and Bart Herbison, Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), as the recipient of its Individual Award in Support of Songwriters & Publishers. The awards will be presented during the AIMP LA Chapter Holiday Awards & Annual Meeting of Members, which will be held online December 3rd at 5pm PT.

Primary Wave Music, a leading independent music publisher and home to some of the most iconic songwriters and artists across the history of recorded music, was selected due to their massive success in 2020. Since forming the company nearly 15 years ago, Founder and CEO Lawrence Mestel has grown Primary Wave into one of the largest and most respected music publishing companies in the world. This year alone, they have inked acquisitions and partnerships with Olivia Newton-John, the Four Seasons, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Allee Willis, Air Supply, Devo, Godsmack, Moody Blues, Nicky Chinn, and more. The publishing powerhouse is also home to Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, Robbie Robertson, Alice Cooper, Paul Anka, Boston, and many other legendary singers and songwriters.

As Executive Director of the NSAI, Bart Herbison leads the world's largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization and advocacy group dedicated to the songwriting profession. In addition to overseeing the NSAI’s 100-plus chapters throughout the U.S. and the world, which count over 5,000 aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music as members, Herbison is a member of the Board of Directors at The MLC, where he works to ensure successful implementation of the Music Modernization Act (MMA). His efforts have established the NSAI as a major force in the national legislative arena, having played a key role in the passage of the MMA in 2018.

“While COVID-19 has hugely impacted the world, Primary Wave Music and Bart Herbison have both worked hard to keep moving the independent music publishing industry forward, and we are proud to recognize them with our 2020 AIMP LA Awards,” said Teri Nelson Carpenter, National Chair and Los Angeles Chapter President of the AIMP. “Whether fighting hard to secure placements and proper payment for their songwriters or ensuring The MLC serves the interests of independent publishers when it launches in January, we are heartened by their efforts in this difficult time.”

“Primary Wave is honored to receive this award and can’t wait to celebrate with the independent publishing community online,” said Lawrence Mestel, Founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music. “This year, we learned that music is more important than ever. We are proud of our efforts on behalf of our songwriters and are looking forward to great things in 2021.”

“This award means a lot to me because of the respect I have for AIMP. We’ve effectively joined together on the Music Modernization Act and a number of initiatives — fighting for fair compensation for songwriters and music publishers. It is presently my honor as a board member of the Mechanical Licensing Collective to work alongside AIMP and its members, who have a huge stake in implementation of The MLC. While Nashville is proudly in our name, NSAI, like AIMP, impacts the rights of all publishers, songwriters, and rights-holders, no matter where they live,” said Bart Herbison.

In addition to the award presentations, the results of the 2021 AIMP Los Angeles Chapter Board of Directors election will be announced at the AIMP LA Chapter Holiday Awards & Annual Meeting of Members. Voting is open through November 30th at 11:30am PT to AIMP Professional members at the Los Angeles Chapter. To become a member, visit www.aimp.org/register.

Registration for the AIMP LA Chapter Holiday Awards & Annual Meeting of Members is $10 for AIMP members and $20 for non-members, with a portion of all proceeds benefiting the Linda Komorsky Liker AIMP Scholarship Award. Each attendee will also be entered into a virtual raffle with prizes including an Apple iPad, a Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth speaker II, and an AIMP Online membership (for non-members only). Learn more and register to attend the online event here. For more information on the AIMP, visit www.aimp.org.

About AIMP
The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) was formed in 1977 and has local chapters in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville. The organization’s primary focus is to educate and inform music publishers about the most current industry trends and practices by providing a forum for the discussion of the issues and problems confronting the music publishing industry. The opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions with others on issues of mutual concern is fostered by the atmosphere at the AIMP’s monthly meetings, forums, and workshops, the videos of which can be seen (along with more general info on the organization) at www.aimp.org.

AIMP Media Contact
Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764
Bill Greenwood, Jaybird Communications – bill@jaybirdcom.com, 609.221.2374