Downtown returns as sponsor of Songwriter of the Year at A&R Awards – Music Business Worldwide

Publisher-turned-global-services company Downtown is sponsoring the prestigious Songwriter of the Year category at the A&R Awards later this year.

The firm sponsored the category last time out (in 2019), but has undergone a radical re-invention since then, selling-off 145,000 copyrights and focussing on providing services for songwriters and artists looking to retain ownership of their work. As Global Head of Downtown Music Services Mike Smith explains however, it believes as strongly as ever in the primacy of the song.

He says: “We are thrilled to sponsor the Songwriting category at this year’s A&R awards. Without the song you don’t have a music business and it is a tremendous privilege to be able to empower songwriters and artists to take control of their destiny.

“We are very proud to join with everyone at Music Business Worldwide in celebrating the achievements of the A&R community during a year unlike any we have known before.”

The UK-focused A&R Awards, presented by MBW, will take place on the evening of Tuesday, November 9, at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

There are now just handful of Gold tables available. For more details, email [email protected].

Shortlists will be announced later in the summer, with voting commencing closer to the awards themselves.

Other categories at the 2021 event will include Producer of The Year, A&R of the Year: Adult Contemporary, A&R Administrator, A&R of The Year: Contemporary Black Music, A&R Of The Year: Electronic/Dance, A&R of the Year: Pop/R&B, Song of the Year and A&R of The Year: Rock/Alternative.

There will also be winners announced in categories such as Major Label of The Year, Independent Label of The Year, the Artist Loyalty Award, Publisher of the Year, Management Company, and Artist To Watch (in association with Vevo), plus A&R Icon, and, of course, The Sir George Martin Award.

Abbey Road has already been confirmed as the headline sponsor for the event, and more big names will be announced as category sponsors over the coming weeks and monthsMusic Business Worldwide