Barbara Cane has announced her retirement from BMI after 50 years at the company. She most recently served as vp of worldwide creative at the publishing company, and agreed to continue serving in an advisory capacity working directly with CEO Mike O’Neill.
Cane began at BMI in 1970, where she worked part time while still in high school. She spent the entirety of her professional career at the company, starting in BMI’s Song Research department. She held roles including general manager of the Los Angeles office and as vp of creative in New York, Los Angeles and London.
“After more than five decades, BMI is not simply where I have built my career — it is part of who I am,” Cane said in a statement. “It gave me the opportunity to grow, to discover, and, most importantly, to uncover the soul within the songwriter. Through every chapter of my journey, I have come to understand that creativity is not simply a profession it is the heart of who songwriters are and the force that moves our industry forward. What has made this journey so meaningful is that my own values remain deeply aligned with those of BMI — to believe in creators, to nurture their gifts, and to create an environment in which their careers can flourish. After 50 years, that purpose still lives in my heart — and it is why this work has never felt simply like a career, but like a calling.”
O’Neill added, “Barbara is one of the first people I met when I joined BMI almost 32 years ago, and her kindness, caring nature and warm welcome showed me exactly why she is so loved by so many in our industry. She has demonstrated that same care and attention time and again to the many songwriters she worked with, nurtured and supported, and it’s why her relationships in this industry have endured. While Barbara and I started out as colleagues, we’ve ended up as family, and I don’t know many who can say that about the people they work with. The beautiful thing for me is that Barbara has agreed to continue working with me as an advisor, allowing BMI and our writers to still have her insight and counsel, while also allowing her to enjoy some time away from us for the first time in fifty years.”
In 2019, Cane received the NMPA Lifetime Service Award, and she is a member of NARAS, CMA, ACM and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She was named one of Billboard’s Top Women in Music in 2011 and 2024.
“When it comes to inspiring and elevating songwriters, Barbara is in a league of her own,” Mike Steinberg, executive vp and chief revenue and creative officer at BMI, said in a statement. “Her innate gift for seeing in songwriters what they often could not yet see in themselves has left an indelible mark on the lives and careers of so many creators. She exemplifies what it means to be a mentor, advocate and champion for our creative community. I have been incredibly fortunate to call her one of my dearest friends, a treasured colleague and a once-in-a-lifetime teacher. I am just one of many people whose lives have been enriched by knowing and working alongside her. Barbara’s contributions to BMI, our affiliates and our creative community are quite simply immeasurable, and her enduring influence and legacy will continue to be felt through the songs, stories and songwriters whose journeys she has helped shape for generations to come.” — Ariel King
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