[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO FRANCES PRESTON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me 
in offering our congratulations and very best wishes to one of the 
First Ladies of American music. Frances W. Preston will soon retire as 
president and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcast Music Inc., (BMI).
  The business acumen of Frances Preston is exceeded only by her 
charisma and charm, and by the respect, affection and admiration her 
colleagues and peers have for her. She has been lauded for her empathy 
and for the gracious manner in which she treats every person, from the 
hottest star to the humblest worker. She is an exceptional executive, 
leader, role model, and friend.
  With Frances at its head, BMI has grown to represent over 300,000 
American and foreign songwriters, composers, and music publishers in 
licensing music and collecting and distributing royalties from play on 
radio and in television, films, ads and other media. Its artists 
represent all types of music and its catalog contains 4.5 million 
works. During her 18 years as president, its revenue has grown more 
than three times to more than $625 million.
  BMI has become an internationally respected leader and a unique 
success story as the entertainment industry has been transformed by 
digital technology and globalization. Sensitive to the changing world 
of music, Frances has focused on domestic licensing, foreign performing 
rights, legislation for fair compensation for writers and publishers, 
and copyright protection.
  Frances joined BMI in 1958 after working in music and broadcasting in 
Nashville. She opened BMI's regional office there, and led her company 
to preeminence in the South, signing writers and publishers with roots 
in both country and other types of music.
  In 1964, the year the Nashville BMI Building opened on Music Row, 
Frances became a vice president of BMI--reportedly, the first woman 
corporate executive in Tennessee.
  She has often been called a trailblazer in the music business but 
Frances was also a trailblazer among women. She was the first woman 
Rotarian in the State of Tennessee. She was the first woman to work 
with the National Chamber of Commerce. She was one of the first four 
women--and the first businesswoman--to be invited to join the Friars 
Club in New York and the first woman to serve on their board of 
governors.
  Frances moved to BMI's New York office in 1985. She was appointed 
Senior Vice President, Performing Rights in 1985 and President and CEO 
in 1986. She is a member of BMI's Board of Directors.
  In 1992, in recognition of the important role she played in building 
Nashville's music industry, she received the highest accolade in 
Country music: induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2004, 
she was also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. She is a 
lifetime member of the board of directors of the Country 
Music Association--one of only five individuals to be so honored--and 
has served as president and chairperson of the board. She is also a 
lifetime board member of the Gospel Music Association, where she served 
as chairperson and president, as well as a lifetime member of the 
Nashville Songwriters Association International.

  Frances is vice president of the National Music Council and a member 
of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Popular Music/
Songwriters Hall of Fame, a board member of the Rock & Roll Hall of 
Fame, and a director and member of the executive committee of the 
Broadcasters' Foundation.
  Frances' many interests and her expertise extend far beyond the music 
industry. A distinguished member of business and political circles, she 
served on President Jimmy Carter's Panama Canal Study Committee, the 
commission for the White House Record Library, and Vice President 
Albert Gore's National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council.
  She has given selflessly of her time and resources to many of 
America's most worthy charities. She is President of the T.J. Martell 
Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research and the recipient of 
its 1992 Humanitarian Award. She is an activist and a philanthropist 
who became involved in the fight against cancer after the disease 
claimed her close friend and ski instructor. The Frances Williams 
Preston Research Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is 
named in her honor, as is Vanderbilt's Frances Williams Preston 
Building, the focal point for the VICC's research.
  Included among other awards far too numerous to list, Preston has 
received the Women's Equity Action League (WEAL) Achievement Award, 
presented to only five women each year, honoring her as one of 
``America's outstanding women in business and labor.'' She has been 
honored with the Broadcasters' Foundation's Golden Mike Award, and the 
President's Award from the National Music Publishers' Association in 
recognition of her contributions to the music and music publishing 
industries.
  Preston was singled out by Esquire magazine as ``the most influential 
and powerful person in the country music business.'' Ladies' Home 
Journal listed her as one of the ``50 Most Powerful Women In America'' 
and Entertainment Weekly placed her second in its Top 10 listing of 
``The Powers of Country Music.'' Over the years, Business Nashville, 
BAM, Radio Ink and Hits have listed her as one of the most powerful 
people in the music industry. In 1997, she was one of only ten 
businesswomen featured in Rolling Stone's ``Women in Rock'' special 
issue.
  Frances has been a partner and strong supporter to those of us in 
Congress who care about copyright protection. She has vigorously 
supported the fight against music piracy and vigorously guarded against 
any legislation that would reduce the rights and incomes of 
songwriters, composers and publishers.
  I am honored to congratulate Frances on her retirement and ask my 
colleagues in the House to join me in wishing her many happy years 
ahead.

                          ____________________