WASHINGTON, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SoundExchange announced today the launch of The SoundExchange Influencers Series at the Bluebird, which will kick-off April 22, 2014. The series will be held at Nashville's famous Bluebird Café and will spotlight the importance and power of all generations of music – past, present and future – while simultaneously raising awareness around the value of all music. The first show in the series will feature Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and founder of bands Buffalo Springfield and Poco, Richie Furay; 20-time GRAMMY-Award winner and country music superstar Vince Gill;and up-and-coming country/folk music duo, Striking Matches. 

The SoundExchange Influencers Series seeks to bring music legends and rising stars together to demonstrate the impact that one artist or band's music has on future generations, revealing the connections and continuity among music creators. 

"SoundExchange fights for the future of music. But we cannot move the industry forward without first protecting and honoring our past," said SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe. "Every artist has a story about a legend in the industry who inspired them. The SoundExchange Influencers Series is an exciting and unique opportunity to bring together multiple generations of performers to pay tribute to those whose shoulders they stand upon."

The new SoundExchange Influencers Series will take place four times throughout 2014 at The Bluebird. Each event in the series will follow the classic Bluebird Café "in the round" structure where multiple generations of artists will share stories and songs.

Proceeds from the inaugural event will be donated to Vince Gill's "John Hughey Scholarship in Music and Business" at Belmont University. The scholarship honors Gill's longtime steel guitar player and friend, the late John Hughey. It will provide resources for deserving students of Belmont's Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.

About SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the independent nonprofit performance rights organization representing the entire recorded music industry. The organization collects statutory royalties on behalf of recording artists and master rights owners for the use of their content from satellite radio, Internet radio, cable TV music channels and other services that stream sound recordings. The Copyright Royalty Board, created by Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the only entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties from more than 2,000 services. SoundExchange has paid out more than $2 billion in royalties since its inception. For more information, visit www.SoundExchange.com or www.facebook.com/soundexchange.

About Bluebird Cafe
The Bluebird Cafe is one of the world's preeminent listening rooms and the venue has gained worldwide recognition as a songwriter's performance space where the "heroes behind the hits" perform their own songs; song that have been recorded by chart-topping artists in all genres of music.  Located in a small strip mall outside of downtown Nashville, the 90-seat venue is unassuming in appearance but some of the most significant songwriters and artists have performed on this stage.  The Bluebird's reputation as a listening room is based on the acoustic music that is their signature style.  For more information, visit www.bluebirdcafe.com.

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SOURCE SoundExchange