Gloria Estefan to Be Named BMI Icon at 16th Annual Latin Awards Ceremony

LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ BMI) - Gloria Estefan will be honored as a BMI Icon Thursday, March 12 at the performing rights organization's 16th annual Latin Awards. Staged at The Breakers Ponce De Leon Ballroom in Palm Beach, Florida, and hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela, the black-tie, invitation-only gala will also recognize the songwriters and publishers of the past year's top BMI Latin songs played on American radio and television.

The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a 'unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.' An all-star musical tribute will pay homage to the achievements of Gloria Estefan, who joins an elite list of past honorees that includes Latin music titans Gustavo Santaolalla, Los Tigres Del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Santana, along with legends Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and the late James Brown.

In addition to the Icon tribute, the ceremony will also recognize the Latin Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year. Previous honorees include Latin superstars Juanes, Shakira, Estefano, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Wisin & Yandel, Espinoza Paz, Luis 'Louie' Padilla and Ramon Gonzalez Mora.

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Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 375,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 6.5 million works. BMI's latest financial results, $901 million for its 2008 fiscal year, are the highest performing right collections for any copyright organization in the world. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for over 65 years. The U.S. corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.