The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announced this week that Joel Beckerman and Rudy Pérez have been elected as new writer members to its board of directors.
As a composer and producer, Beckerman has scored more than 50 television series through his sound studio Man Made Music, collaborating with the likes of John Williams, John Legend and the late James Horner. He has been recognized by Fast Company as one of their “Most Creative People in Business 1000” and has also been honored with ASCAP’s Most Performed Themes award for ten consecutive years. Prior to joining ASCAP’s board, Beckerman founded the New York branch of the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) with fellow member Dan Foliart, serving on its board for a number of years.
Pérez is a founder of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (LARAS) and its award, the Latin Grammys, as well as co-founder of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. A prolific songwriter, he has composed more than 1,000 songs over his thirty-year career for both Latin (Luis Fonsi, Julio Iglesias) and non-Latin artists (Beyoncé, Cyndi Lauper). Those songs have earned Pérez five Grammys out of 19 nominations and more than 500 gold and platinum album awards. Billboard has named Pérez its Producer of the Decade (in 2010) and its Hot Latin Tracks Producer of the Year for four consecutive years, and has been recognized as ASCAP’s Latin Songwriter of the Year five times.
“ASCAP is the only member-run US performing rights organization, with a Board made up solely of writers and publishers,” said ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams in a statement. “In tackling the challenges of today’s music creators, the ASCAP Board of Directors takes its responsibility very seriously. We welcome [Beckerman and Pérez] and know that we can rely on their individual knowledge and experiences as we work together to build a stronger, more secure future for ASCAP members.”
Pérez said, “It is an incredible privilege to be elected to the ASCAP Board, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve my fellow songwriters and composers in this way. So much is at stake during this time of change in the music industry, but I am confident that, by working with my esteemed fellow Board members, we will find solutions that will move us all forward.”
Beckerman called it an “honor to be named by my colleagues to the ASCAP Board. I’m excited to join the team to help accelerate the important work that is being done to build an even brighter future for music creators, publishers and our audiences.”