BMI’s Barbara Cane Announces Retirement
• After an incredible five-decade career with BMI, Barbara Cane, one of the music industry’s most well-known creative executives and a devoted champion of songwriters, announced that she will retire as BMI’s Vice President of Worldwide Creative at the end of this year.
Post-retirement, Cane has agreed to serve in an advisory capacity to BMI, working directly with CEO Mike O’Neill, who remarked, “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.”
Cane began working at BMI part-time in 1970 while she was still in high school and has dedicated her entire professional career to the company. She has held numerous roles throughout her tenure, starting in BMI’s “Song Research” department, rising to GM of the Los Angeles office as well as VP of Creative in New York, Los Angeles and London. Throughout the years, Cane has managed and cultivated relationships with music creators, managers, attorneys, business managers, agents and record label executives.
“After more than five decades, BMI is not simply where I have built my career — it is part of who I am,” Cane said. “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 — believe in creators, to nurture their gifts, and to create an environment in which their careers can flourish. After fifty 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.”
Mike Steinberg, BMI EVP & Chief Revenue & Creative Officer, commented, “When it comes to inspiring and elevating songwriters, Barbara is in a league of her own. 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.” [Cane photo courtesy of BMI]
