[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RETIREMENT OF FRANCES PRESTON

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize 
the remarkable career of Frances Preston. When Ms. Preston began 
working for Broadcast Music Incorporated in Nashville in 1958, she had 
only one assistant and her office was her parents' garage. She soon saw 
the company grow to more than 400 employees in that city alone. In 
1985, she became Senior Vice President, Performing Rights, and in 1986 
she was named President and CEO of BMI.
  Since 1958 when she joined BMI, Ms. Preston has been an invaluable 
resource to the entire music industry. Her steady and visionary 
leadership has spanned unprecedented industry growth and several 
revolutions in technology and popular culture. Over that time, she has 
overseen the development of BMI's nearly 4.5 million musical works and 
has delivered a royalty system that meets the needs of this massive 
repertoire. Fortune magazine has rightly called her ``one of the true 
powerhouses of the pop music business.''
  And for more than two decades she has proven herself an equally 
invaluable resource for those of us in Washington who appreciate the 
unique importance of the community of songwriters, composers and 
publishers. She has testified frequently and has vigilantly defended 
the rights of these individuals. She has also been a key player in the 
debates regarding music in the digital age. Her dedication to the many 
participants in the music world, and her unfailing willingness to 
assist us in Congress in understating their concerns and issues, made 
her an incomparable asset as we tried to make sound policy and good law 
in the areas that matter most to music.
  Along with her many professional accomplishments, she has devoted 
herself to a multitude of charitable efforts. Her charitable work 
ranges from serving as president of the T.J. Martell Foundation for 
Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research, to her work for Goodwill of 
Nashville. She has received numerous humanitarian awards, including a 
``Woman of Achievement'' Award from the Society for the Advancement of 
Women's Health Research, the first Distinguished Service Award from New 
York's Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center, and the Lester Sill Humanitarian 
Award presented at the Retinitis Pigmentosa International Awards.
  Ms. Preston's skill and passion will be greatly missed. It is a 
comfort to know that she will be staying on at BMI in the role of 
President Emeritus. I thank her for her efforts and wish her well in 
all her future endeavors.

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