The National Music Publishers’ Association held its Annual Meeting on 6/9, marking the second year the event has gone virtual.

Before updates were delivered from across the publishing industry and Taylor Swift was honored with the Songwriter Icon Award, country up-and-comer Priscilla Block opened the show with a medley of Swift’s biggest hits to honor the Icon Award-recipient.

“I’m really, really honored to be receiving this award because it honors the part of my job that is so magical and mystifying to me still,” said Swift during her acceptance speech. “I think any songwriter will tell you, when you get an idea you’re not quite sure where it floated down from, but if you can grab onto that idea and turn it into something, a piece of music, that’s where craftsmanship comes in; that’s where you have the opportunity to learn and to nurture that craft.”

Swift went on to thank some of her most impactful influences, including Max Martin, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner and UMPG Nashville Chairman/CEO, Troy Tomlinson, as well as NMPA Board member and songwriter, Liz Rose. She also acknowledges NMPA Board member UMPG Chairman/CEO, Jody Gerson, “for being such a champion of female songwriters throughout the industry.”

During NMPA President/CEO David Israelite’s annual State of the Industry address, Israelite noted $4b in pub from 2020, a 9.6% increase from 2019. Performance makes up 51.5% of the revenue while Sync and Mechanical revenues once again grew to represent 23.4% and 20.2%, respectively.

Additionally, Israelite announced new actions being taken against Amazon-owned Twitch for failure to license music and new lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the gaming company of infringement and seeking $200m in damages.

The lawsuit is filed on behalf of publisher plaintiffs including ABKCO Music & Records, Big Machine Records, Concord Music Group with Pulse Music Group, deadmau5, Downtown Music Publishing, Hipgnosis, Kobalt Music Group, MPL Music Publishing, peermusic, Reservoir Media Management, Spirit Music Group and UMPG.

Throughout the event, the NMPA Board of Director election results were also announced, which included Gerson, Jon Platt and Carianne Marshall, among others, while NMPA EVP & General Counsel Danielle Aguirre moderated a roundtable with music journalists, covering a recent boom in catalog sales, NFTs and covering the industry through the pandemic, plus more.

Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) was honored with the NMPA President’s Award while CMA CEO Sarah Trahern was presented with the NMPA Industry Legacy Award. Presented by Luke Bryan, the country star also performed “Most People Are Good” in honor of Trahern.

The Ringer network founder Bill Simmons delivered the keynote and spoke about his forthcoming music docuseries with HBO and UMPG’s Gerson and Marc Cimino, which will chronicle iconic industry moments throughout history. Peermusic Executive Chair Ralph Peer II also received a tribute for serving 50 years on the NMPA Board of Directorsfrom NMPA Board Chairman Irwin Robinson, composer/producer David Foster, singer/songwriter/producer Poo Bear and peermusic CEO Mary Megan Peer.

Wrapping the virtual meeting was Sara Bareilles, who performed a personal tribute to Swift with her hit, “Clean.” “Ms. Taylor Swift has proven herself over and over again to be an extraordinary storyteller, an innovator, a leader, an advocate, an activist, and this woman shows no signs of stopping,” said Bareilles.