5X GRAMMY Award-winning legendary singer recognized for her advocacy on behalf of music creators
WASHINGTON, D.C. — July 19, 2023 — SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, announced today that five-time GRAMMY Award-winning legendary singer Dionne Warwick has been honored with the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award. The accolade recognizes Warwick’s advocacy work with SoundExchange and the musicFIRST coalition in support of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill endorsed by SoundExchange, which would ensure artists are paid when their music is played on terrestrial radio.
“Dionne Warwick has been a fearless advocate and driving force in the fight to recognize that performers have been denied compensation for their work for more than a century,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “There’s no doubt that her enduring popularity and stature in the music industry, as well as her legacy of advocacy, has been critical in getting politicians, organizations, and her fellow musicians to pay attention to the issue. We are proud to honor Dionne for all her contributions to ensuring a fairer music industry.”
Warwick was recently presented with the SoundExchange Music Fairness Award in New York City.
Warwick was front and center for the American Music Fairness Act Bill Launch Event in June 2021 and has been a committed advocate since. The “I Say A Little Prayer” singer authored an op-ed for USA Today urging radio stations to pay creators for the music played on their stations.
Warwick’s SoundExchange Music Fairness Award honor comes in conjunction with the company’s ongoing 20th-anniversary celebration. R&B singer Usher recently received the first SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award in recognition of being among the most streamed artists in the company’s 20-year history.
About Dionne Warwick:
The legendary five-time GRAMMY Award-Winning singer has become a cornerstone of American Pop music and culture for the past 50 years. Warwick has earned more than 60 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records. She began singing professionally in 1961 after being discovered by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Her first hit was “Don’t Make Me Over” in 1962. Less than a decade later, she had released more than 18 consecutive top 100 singles. Warwick and her songwriting team (Bacharach and David) racked up more than 30 hit singles and close to 20 best-selling albums.
Throughout her illustrious career, Warwick has supported and campaigned for many causes and charities close to her heart, including AIDS, The Starlight Foundation, Children’s Hospitals, World Hunger, Disaster Relief, and Music Education. Warwick has lent her powerful voice on Capitol Hill in favor of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill that would ensure artists are paid when their songs are played on terrestrial radio.
About SoundExchange:
SoundExchange is the premier music tech organization on a mission to power the future of music. It was independently formed in 2003 to build a fairer, simpler, and more efficient music industry through technology, data, and advocacy. The only organization designated by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording license, SoundExchange collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 650,000 music creators and growing. Through proprietary music tech solutions that turn data into accurate revenue, SoundExchange has paid more than $10 billion in distributions to date. For more information, visit soundexchange.com.