Star-Studded ASCAP El Premio to Honor Top Songwriters and Publishers Tuesday, April 5, 2005, New York City

NEW YORK (ASCAP) - The 13th Annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards will be held on Tuesday, April 5th at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. People Espanol's Joselly Castrodad and CBS-2 News/Anchor Correspondent Mario Bosquez will host the invitation-only awards dinner, which will honor the most performed ASCAP songwriters and publishers of Latin music of 2004.

ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman will be joined on stage by one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, to present fellow Panamanian Ruben Blades with the ASCAP Founders Award, the most prestigious award that the Society gives to its members. The ASCAP Founders Award is named in honor of those songwriters and composers who helped establish ASCAP as the only member-owned performing rights organization and the leading advocate for the rights of music creators. Previous recipients who have received this honor include Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Elvis Costello, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Stephen Sondheim, James Taylor, Tom Waits, and Stevie Wonder, among others.

Other luminaries scheduled to attend include Alicia Villareal, Eduardo Osorio, El General, Jennifer Pena, Marco Antonio Solis, Monchy & Alexandra, Nore with Nina Sky, Gem Star & Big Mato, Obie Bermudez, Rudy Perez, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Victor Manuelle.

During the ceremony ASCAP will also recognize the Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year, Super Song of the Year and awards will be presented in the following categories: Pop, Tropical, Regional Mexican, Rock, Urbano, Independent Group of the Year and the newly created Television category honoring the Top Rated Theme for Soap Opera and Top Rated Theme for TV Variety Program.