The Songwriters Hall of Fame is going forward with its 51st Induction & Awards gala on June 16. The event will be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York, the event’s home since 2005.
The show has been postponed twice because of COVID-19. It was originally set for June 11, 2020, and then rescheduled for June 10, 2021. As a result of these twin postponements, the honorees and inductees who were first notified of their awards in December 2019 will have had to wait 2-1/2 years to finally take their bows.
The honorees include Paul Williams, who will receive the organization’s top award, the Johnny Mercer Award, and Jody Gerson, chairman/CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group, who will receive the Abe Olman Publisher Award.
The inductees are Mariah Carey, Steve Miller, Rick Nowels and William “Mickey” Stevenson and former members of three celebrated ensembles: Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics; Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes; and Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, O’Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley and Chris Jasper of The Isley Brothers.
The June 16 date was first announced on Feb. 10, 2021, but with surges and variants, it only recently became clear that the event could proceed. The decision to go ahead was made by the SHOF’s eight-member executive committee, which includes Linda Moran, president and CEO.
“I’m relieved the decision was made and I’m really excited about getting back into what we consider hopefully a norm,” Moran says. “But now I’m also anxious. I’ve got about three months and there are so many details to take care of. I’ve talked to all of the honorees and inductees. They’re all going to be able to make it. We couldn’t do it if some of them said they don’t want to travel. They’ve all confirmed they’ll be there.
“I think our event is going to be very cathartic for people,” Moran adds. “We’re thought of as an annual family reunion of the songwriting and music publishing communities. People want to come back to the same venue, the same format of the show and hopefully see the same people.”
Moran thinks the cozy familiarity of the evening’s format is part of its appeal: “We don’t have the millions of dollars [to] do a really glitzy show. Everything’s on a shoestring.”
The event was more than half sold out when the pandemic hit, so Moran just has to sell the remaining 40% of the room. (The ticket-buyers all allowed the SHOF to hold on to the money until the event takes place, rather than seek refunds.)
Moran likes to have a packed room, believing it adds to the intimacy of the event, but she may have to change her ways this year.
“I’m known for having difficulty turning down a sale,” she says with self-deprecating charm. “They say I could even sell the Brooklyn Bridge. But I’m going to have to really restrain myself this year. I may have to cut 10 to 20 tables. We usually have 1,300 people on the floor. Now we may have to [reduce] that by 200. As we go along, we’ll see if we can open it up more.”
The SHOF was fortunate in one respect: None of the honorees or inductees died in the long wait for the honors, even though four of the individuals are past 80.
The SHOF will give out one additional award, the Hal David Starlight Award. The SHOF has yet to reveal the identity of this year’s recipient.
That award was first presented in 2004 as the Starlight Award and was renamed two years later in honor of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist (and SHOF chairman from 2000-10). The award goes to songwriters “who are at an apex in their careers.” It’s meant to be a balance to the Johnny Mercer Award, which goes to a master songwriter. The last five winners of the Hal David Starlight Award are Nate Ruess, Nick Jonas, Ed Sheeran, Sara Bareilles and Halsey.
The annual induction and awards gala is the SHOF’s only major source of revenue. So how was the organization able to stay afloat?
“We have a shoe-string budget, including running the office,” Moran says. “We have just one full-time employee. We’ve been lucky that we’ve had enough money from the revenue from the past dinners, which have been very successful. So we’ve been OK. But now it’s time to put some money in the coffers.”
Not having the event was also hard on Moran personally. As she puts it: “I think what affected me the most emotionally about the first cancellation was that I realized by everyone’s sentiments to me how much they looked forward to the event. They realized the importance of what the evening means and that it’s different from other awards ceremonies. Everyone who attends feels like they are a member of the family for at least that night.”
Moran, whose long career in the industry includes being the first female executive at Warner Music Group, regards her role with the SHOF as the “most rewarding” she has ever had. “I have been able to see how much the organization has grown in respect and prestige while honoring songwriters who are the truly unheralded heroes.”
There are approximately 450 inductees in the Hall of Fame. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first significant commercial release of a song.
Tables at the gala, which seat 10 to 12, run from $17,500 to $50,000.
If Moran is forced to cut some tables, it’s the lower-priced tables that will be first to go. Moran realizes that will force some people into higher-priced tables, but she notes (in full sales mode) “You’re still getting the best evening and it’s all tax-deductible.”
For information regarding the purchase of tables, tickets or journal ads, contact Julia Schuettenberg or Linda Buckley of Buckley Hall Evens at 914-579-1000 or by email at SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com.
